29. Rome Sweet Home by Scott & Kimberly Hahn

Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism by Scot & Kimberly Hahn (Canada) -(US)

Pages: 183
Ages: 18+
Finished: Feb. 21, 2010
First Published: 1993
Genre: non-fiction, religion
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

The Late Archbishop Fulton Sheen once wrote: "There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Roman Catholic Church; there are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church."

Acquired: Bought and own a copy.

Reason for Reading: Popular Catholic theologian Scott Hahn has written many books and I would like to read several of them. Before I started those, however, I thought I would start with this, his conversion story.

Comments: What can I say? An absolutely, inspirational story of a very difficult, journey that Scott and his wife found themselves on that ended with them coming home to the Church. Scott was a Presbyterian minister, self described as vehemently anti-Catholic, to the point where he didn't believe Catholics were even Christians and wouldn't go to Heaven. His wife's feelings were not so strong. She allowed Catholics a place in Heaven but was against everything she thought they taught.

It was from this mindset that Scott Hahn delves deeper into his own personal Bible studies to find himself coming up with truths that echo Catholic beliefs. Scott reaches out to many highly regarded professors, theologians and friends in the ministry for help to counter the Catholic beliefs that scripture is leading him towards, but none can adequately do so. In fact, several of them end up on their own journeys to conversion!

The book is a beautiful, inspiring and exciting read as the Catholic beliefs and doctrines are biblically explained with scripture. As a Catholic myself I found it wonderful to see Scott's light bulb moments, to see the truths of the Catholic Church come rushing forward when he and others looked at them with open hearts. The first part of the book is hard to read as Scott pulls no punches in letting the reader know just how anti-Catholic he was but this serves to show how far he had to travel on his journey. The book also shows the wonderful devoted relationship through Christ he and his wife Kimberly share as he gets closer to conversion she pulls further away yet their marriage holds together even when others interfere with the suggestion of the "D"-word.

An amazing book and a must read for people in the process of conversion, any Catholic who hasn't already read it and for any Protestant who thinks Catholic faith is not based on scripture.