Stephen Vincent Ryan challenges the claims of the Protestant Episcopal Church to apostolic succession and valid orders in this detailed study of the history and theology of the Christian church. Ryan argues that the Protestant Episcopal Church has departed from the faith and practice of the early church, and that its claims to apostolic succession and valid orders are therefore unfounded. This thought-provoking work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the Christian church. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.