Rome Sweet Home vs. Born Fundamental, Born Again Catholic

[Fidelis]

…My suggestion is to recommend books based on the background of the Protestant…

…I think it’s neat that the Lord has provided converts from so many sects of Protestantism!

GREAT advice Cat! So often when engaging Protestants, Catholics out of ignorance fail to make the distinction between different flavors of Protestantism. Thus they are surprised when they find the great, “sure fire” book they give to someone doesn’t even faze them, and sometimes makes them more bellicose than before they read it.

I have a non-Catholic SIL who despises Scott Hahn and his books, but LOVED Thomas Howard’s book (Evangelical Is Not Enough"). It seems to made a huge impression on her, so much so that she has moved from Evangelicalism to exploring more “liturgical” churches, such as Lutheranism.

 

[Mannyfit75]

I have a friend who grew up in a fundamental Baptist Church, but is interested in the Catholic Faith. I have read David Currie’s book, but I have yet to read Scott Hahns , “Rome Sweet Home”. I was wondering how these books compare and which is considered a better conversion story?

this may be like apples to Oranges, but I highly value everyones opinion here on CA.

If you are a former protestant who is now Catholic and one or both of these books helped you , please post your experiance.

I think David Currie was very reasonable and pointed out things that Scott Hahn left out. I have read both books, and I think they are worth reading into.

 

[cklockner]

I’m a convert and I think that Surprised by Truth is a good way to go. (i’ve never read either of the books mentioned). I would like to give a plug for Karl Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism. It may not be the best early in the conversion process but I know it gave me the information I need d to let go of any last hold out and say that what the Church says is right! Always!

 

[Pixie_Dust]

I’m a convert and I think that Surprised by Truth is a good way to go. (i’ve never read either of the books mentioned). I would like to give a plug for Karl Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism. It may not be the best early in the conversion process but I know it gave me the information I need d to let go of any last hold out and say that what the Church says is right! Always!

Yes! I’ve read both of those, as well. Surprised By Truth was the first book I read after I realized that God was calling me home to Rome. (Which was a result of John Martignoni’s “One Church” CD :newidea: ) Isn’t it just the coolest thing ever to read someone else who is echoing your thoughts almost verbatim?

 

[BradW]

Of course, now someone’s sent her an anti-Catholic polemic by Contender Ministries and she’s still crying her way through our phone calls … sigh.

As in www.contender.org? Yeah, they’re a piece of work. I listen to their weekly radio show, and sometimes it’s almost painful.

 

[BradW]

Also try " Evangelical is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy " by Thomas Howard.

I was wondering if anyone else would mention this. I haven’t read RSH. BF,BAC was the book I read before considering becoming Catholic, I just wanted to learn more about “all those mistaken doctrines”, and that was the text for a class at my local parish on what Catholics believe. I ended up writing in the margins all the typical refutations. “Evangelical Is Not Enough” was more compelling to me, but I was further along in my own journey by the time I read it, so that may have made me more receptive. I think it appeals to a more “artistic” personality than the others. It made me ache for the beauty of the liturgy it described.

Mike Cumbie’s CD’s are helpful also---- www.mikecumbie.org

Agree here too. Cumbie’s series “The Way We Worship” was probably my first tipping point from “curious” to “seeker”. His current CD “HOW NOW SHALL WE WORSHIP” is probably the equivalent.

 

[Cat]

Another book that I would recommend is C.S. Lewis’ Letters to Malcolm.

This book is not overtly Catholic, but it does argue very effectively for a liturgical form over a free-wheeling form of worship.

I think that C.S. Lewis is often someone that even those who are totally anti-Catholic will find acceptable. (Although I have seen extreme fundamentalist websites that condemn him, Chronicles of Narnia, and all fantasy works and authors!)

 

[Cat]

There are times when a Protestant will not be ready to read any book by a Catholic.

Here are three wonderful books by Protestants that truly prepared me to become Catholic. Perhaps some of you can recommend them to your Protestant friends, and thus not scare them away from the Catholic Church forever! Just make sure YOU read the book(s) before you recommend them to someone else. You don’t want any surprises!

1. Soul Survivor–How My Faith Survived the Church by Philip Yancey.

This man is a well-known evangelical Christian Protestant who often writes for Christianity Today. He has a very literary style that is sweet to read. In this book, he tells how 14 different people influenced his faith. Several of the people are Catholics, and Yancey is wonderfully grateful to these Catholics. It can really help a Protestant to see that Catholics are Christians, too, and that many great Christians have been Catholic.

1. Being The Body–A New Call for the Church to be Light in the Darkness by Charles Colson and Ellen Vaughn

Chuck Colson is a revered intellectual evangelical who has endeared himself to Christians from all denoms, including Catholic, by his work with prisoners.

This book is a fantastic book, and it describes Colson’s pioneering work with Father Richard John Neuhaus to develop the organization “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.”

Colson is a Baptist, yet in this book, he describes how many of his beliefs about Catholicism were just plain incorrect. I love the description of how a nun taught him the goodness of the Sign of the Cross.

1. Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley.

It’s a history of the Christian Church written by a Protestant. Funny thing, though. As I read the book, I realized that DUH–the early Church was CATHOLIC! Even a Protestant historian says so. So I found myself wondering, “Why am I Protestant?!”

It’s a thick book, but very easy-to-understand and interesting, not the typical dull history tome. And like I said, it will make it so much easier for you to talk to your Protestant friend about Church history. In fact, I took this book with me when a Catholic professor gave a summary of Church history in our parish, and I found that both of them were in perfect agreement.

This Protestant book gave me a lot of reasons to convert to the Original Church.