Niklaus and friends do a great job especially with the foundational period of the Alliance, probably because that was such a fascinating time. The Alliance started to "settle in" in the 1920s, and from then on, the tale can get dry with the exception (of course) of some of the great missionary stories, particularly those from the war years. Those who know the Alliance today and study this history may have some questions: why aren't many (if not most) Alliance churches still emphasizing divine healing like we used to? The Alliance used to have healing homes; Alliance fellowships used to hold healing services. By and large we don't do these things today -- but cannot God also miraculously heal today like he did then? I am grateful that my church does anoint with oil and pray over members who seek God's miraculous touch after communion, but as a denomination we've lost the focus on this that we once had (actually this was addressed by a recent Alliance Life article).

Yet this is not even really a quibble with the book. What you will come away with when you read this is this feeling: Praise God for the incredible work He has done and is doing.