Since converting to the Catholic faith, I’ve found myself splitting my reading time between entertainment and faith-based books. I find it’s a good balance between growing in my faith but also allowing myself time to relax and indulge in my favorite pastime. Lately I can’t seem to get enough apologetics! Catholic Answers and Dynamic Catholic are at the top of my list. I do have some fiction reads coming soon, including another new picture book. But today, I’d like to talk about a new faith-based favorite of mine, a book I think everyone should read: Why We’re Catholic, Our reasons for faith, hope, and love by Trent Horn.
To be completely honest, I was a little afraid this book would go over my head. But I was pleasantly surprised. Why We’re Catholic is written in an easy to follow, conversational tone. Plenty of complex topics are tackled, such as why believe in God. But each topic is broken down to make it easier to follow and uses relatable, real-life examples. No topic is left untouched in this book, and I loved that.
The book is broken down into 5 parts:
Truth and God
Jesus and the Bible
The Church and the Sacraments
Saints and Sinners
Morality and Destiny
Each part is then broken down into individual chapters. The chapters are brief and strictly informative – no fluff or filler pages. Trent Horn has clearly mastered the craft of making his point and moving on. He does not drone on and on repeating himself for pages.
Many hot button and controversial topics are touched upon. Trent Horn doesn’t shy away from anything. He clearly and respectfully states the Catholic Church’s teaching on topics like homosexuality, abortion, and divorce. He also addresses many points of contention between Catholics and Protestants such as the role of Mary, purgatory, and the Saints. Horn uses many authoritative sources to support Church teachings including the Bible, well known and respected historians, and the early Church Fathers.
He doesn’t even shy away from the most uncomfortable and obvious topic: Why We Believe in Spite of Scandal. Yes, he even goes there, openly addressing the sex abuse scandal in the Church that has caused so many to fall away.
A favorite quote of mine: “Leaving the Church because a priest or layperson committed a serious sin would be like swearing off hospitals because a doctor committed malpractice. What that doctor did was wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that the hospital is still the best place to go if you’re sick. Similarly, Christ gave His Church the means to free us from sin, so we do ourselves no favors if we reject that remedy because some Catholics who fell into scandal refused to take it.” Yes and yes!!
I would recommend Why We’re Catholic to converts, cradle Catholics, and anyone seeking a better understanding of the faith.
Kait's Bookshelf