The Sacraments are clearly intended to focus and unify the church, yet nothing has divided the church so much as the nature of the sacraments and who should minister and receive them. From the early controversy over whether the Jewish sacrament of circumcision was necessary for Christians, through the Donatist schism and the Reformation controversies, down to the ordination of women, division over the sacraments have characterised the church. Even what counts as a sacrament has proved divisive.

This book looks by looking at general ideas of sacraments and ritual, the Old Testament practices and the response of Jesus and the Early Church. In turn it looks at the growth of sacramental theology up to the Reformation and since then. 

The book concludes by considering whether there are other practices - such as deliverance, reverence of icons of preaching that might be considered sacramental.