It is often said that the Church has a reactionary attitude concerning the progress of science and the novelty of ideas. The author starts from the premise that in general one has a caricatural vision of the Church and its relation with culture; the present book tries to show the contributions that the Church has had in modern science, in the humanistic sciences and in the organization and development of western civilization. Perhaps this apologetic aim somewhat diminishes the documentary or historical value of the text, because on several occasions only the contributions made by Catholicism are mentioned, and not those coming from other sources.
The book is especially interesting in its desmantling of the clichés referring to the medieval Church. The last chapter, A world without God, is somewhat pessimistic about the world's conception not only of the Church, but of God and Christianity. Still, for this specific apologetic purpose, this book is one one the best available today.