This work investigates the fundamental tension between traditional ecclesiastical authority and the shifting social, political, and intellectual landscapes of the modern era. Michael J. Lacey, a scholar of American and religious history, examines how the Catholic Church navigated the transition into modernity while attempting to maintain its institutional integrity. By analyzing historical shifts in power and ideology, the author argues that the crisis of authority is not merely a modern phenomenon but a persistent struggle to reconcile dogma with secular democratic values.

Scholars and historians frequently cite this text as a rigorous examination of the institutional challenges faced by the Catholic Church in the 19th and 20th centuries. The prose is noted for its academic density and its precise handling of complex theological and historical arguments.