Writing a history of Christianity proved to be more difficult than I had expected. While the research, writing, and proofing were certainly challenging from a believer’s perspective, other issues beyond academics were equally difficult. Throughout Christian history there have been incidents and even entire eras where church leaders appeared to place personal objectives over what God has depicted in Scripture.
To achieve his goals, man often construed Christianity to fit his own purpose. These are the eras when man has attempted to make God in his own image. During these times Christian leaders attempted to make the church organization more powerful than the gospel.