Book Review: Yours Is The Church

I just finished reading an advanced copy of Mike Aquilina's Yours Is The Church How Catholicism Shapes Our World.  It was one of those books that I really had a hard time putting down.  Mr. Aquilina writes in such an engaging way that it's often hard for me to peel myself away from his books until I come to the final pages.

Yours Is The Church gives a brief and engaging look at how the Catholic Church has shaped Western Civilization.  There are many people in secular society who seem to view the Catholic Church as an outdated, irrelevant organization that oppresses rather than contributes.  This book is a breath of fresh air that shows just how relevant our Holy Mother Church is and how much modern society is indebted to the Church for all it has done.

Even though this book isn't exactly designed as such, you could almost use it as an apologetic resource for when you encounter someone who wants to rant and rave about how the church is backwards and oppresses women and is opposed to science and reason.  I know a small handful of people who have a twisted and sadly misinformed view of what they think the Catholic Church is that I wish would read through this book.  I think it could certainly inform and possibly change the negative outlook some people have about the Church.

For those of you who aren't exactly huge fans of reading history books, I can assure you that this book does not read like a "boring" history text.  You won't feel weighed down with overwhelming historical accounts or anything of that nature with this book, but you will walk away with a good understanding and hopefully an appreciation for all that Catholicism has done for our world.

Yours Is The Church will be available in October 2012.  Look for it at your favorite Catholic bookstore.

I was provided with an advanced copy of this book by the publisher, Servant Books, in exchange for my honest review.