I am SO excited to tell you about an aMAZing, brand new book that you have.to.read.
It is actually written by a friend of mine, Devin Rose. I first "met" Devin online (when I shamefully requested a review copy of his book), and then he and his wonderful wife Katie, along one of their sweet sons, stopped to visit us for a bit when they were in town on the 4th of July. I cannot say enough about this wonderful couple--they have four children (including three who are adopted!), are incredibly fun and interesting to spend time with, and they love Jesus. I'm so glad I sent that email!
Now before I get into the book, I'll tell you that: a few years ago I became interested in the history of the church, in order to understand where the tenets and distinctives of my own faith came from. (It has been quite a journey that is still very much in process, and I look forward to sharing more about it with you sometime soon.)
So I was THRILLED when Devin sent me his new book, If Protestantism is True: The Reformation Meets Rome. I literally could not put it down. Finished it in about three days. (And it only took me that long because we had a bunch of places to go that week!)
If you are a Protestant and are curious about (or skeptical of!) the Roman Catholic Church, or about how the Protestant faith came to be, then this book is for you.
If you are a Catholic and are wanting to better understand why the Church believes what She does, then this book is for you.
The book is for everyone precisely because Devin writes in an accessible, friendly, charitable way. He has clearly and concisely crafted a book of apologetics that is part memoir, part passionate exploration, and part history. It is, quite frankly, a fascinating read. I highly recommend this book to any Christian wanting to explore their faith.
On a personal note, I wish this book had been available years ago when I first began questioning why different Christians believe what they believe--and when I started oh-so-cautiously and with-much-trepidation researching Roman Catholicism. If Protestantism is True cuts through the rhetoric and sound bites, and presents an honest but gracious picture of the Christian Church throughout the centuries. It answers every.single.question. I had about the evolution of the Church. Every one.
The sacraments? Indulgences? The papacy? The Bible? Martin Luther and John Calvin? Yep, it's all in there--and much, much more. Plus, it's a total page-turner.
Oh how I wish I could give every single one of you a copy. Truly. And while I obviously can't, the good news is that you can download the e-book version for...are you ready for this?...$2.99!!! Devin is pretty much giving his book away at that price.
You can also buy the paperback version here.
The cover art is absolutely stunning and I have a feeling I'll be referencing back to these pages for years to come.
And I know, I know--maybe you don't read many non-fiction spiritual books, and maybe you avoid anything bordering-on-apologetics like the plague. Maybe you're a Protestant who has never read a book by a Catholic author, or maybe you're convinced that the Roman Catholic Church is pure evil.
My challenge to you is to read this anyway. It's worth your time. Then let me know what you think, because I like talking about books, especially books that I love. And this is my favorite work of apologetics by far.
But consider yourself warned: you might actually be changed by what you read. The truths Devin shares in If Protestantism is True: The Reformation Meets Rome are, well, difficult. Because they dispel a bunch of stereotypes and myths and, at times, are uncomfortable for us Protestants as we look in the mirror and examine the faith peering back at us.
Read it anyway.
