I read this book while living in the former Soviet Union. I felt that this book summarized some of the key moments of the church during the 20th century.

One historical write-up that has remained with me for decades is the account of the revival in the Ukrainian churches when Hitler controlled that country. After the Soviet powers regained control of the area because of political expediency, they allowed some semblance of freedom for the churches. The book documented a period of semi-freedom from after WWII to the early 1960s.

Amazingly, where I lived in Central Asia, this period marked the same time an orthodox church appeared in my Muslim-populated city. Nathaniel Davis' historical account related accurately to my local history since the Soviet Party controlled everything. This, for me, validated his accurate history rendering and gave me a great appreciation for understanding the church's limitations during the Soviet empire.