With this being the 500th anniversary of the Reformation you are seeing a lot of books coming out that cover some part of that topic. This new book by Alex Ryrie covers more than just Luther and the beginning of Protestantism; it covers the entire history of Protestantism from Luther to today. It is split up into three sections, and they generally can stand on their own. The first section covers Luther and the people he inspired, ie Calvin.
“Everyone knew how it was supposed to end.”
The second section looks at how Protestantism evolved in the modern age, both in Europe, but especially in America. And the third section looks at how it has spread over the world, and the impact it has had in several different countries. Mr. Ryrie definitely writes Protestants: The Faith That Made the Modern World in an easy going style that will appeal to the average reader, he does not get bogged down in details or slight differences in theology. He hits the main points and then moves on, since he has a lot of ground to cover. This will be extremely helpful for students, especially young undergrads who are in introductory courses as this book will provide a broad overview of an important, and complicated topic.