Customer Reviews

Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic

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David Currie was born into an evangelical family, was raised by parents who were both teachers at Moody Bible Institute, attended evangelical schools and married into another evangelical family. Early on in this book he writes of two experiences that clearly reveal the mindset he grew up with. It seems he had a crush on a girl but knew he could never date her because she was a Methodist and Methodists were too far away from his belief system to even allow him to date her. Also, as he walked home from school on the day that President Kennedy was killed, the sixth grader was sad not only because of the death but also because he was sure this Catholic president was in Hell. Clearly, David Currie had a long road to travel before he could end up a Catholic himself.

The beauty of this book comes from Currie's extensive evangelical education. Because of this education, the author is able to explain evangelical theology in a very clear and easy to understand manner. Starting from that point he then looks at Catholic theology and compares and contrasts the two. Therefore this book is useful to a Catholic who wishes to further understand evangelical beliefs as well as an evangelical who wishes to study the Catholic Church. This book will also be of great help to the new Catholic or those thinking of converting or becoming reconciled according to this author.

With the authors deep knowledge of evangelical as well as Protestant theology he is able to very deftly explain why he thinks the Catholic Church is the more Biblical. All of his points are very clear and well taken and more importantly, easy to grasp. I dare say that even cradle Catholics would learn a few things about their Church by reading this book. For anyone who is thinking of moving to the Catholic Church from a Protestant tradition this book is essential reading. Currie starts out from the Protestant perspective and then, taking the Bible and the writing of the Church fathers he moves over to the Catholic view. It is a step by step and very clear process and will do wonders at clearing up questions that any Protestant will have. For example, chapters three to five will go a long way in explaining the structure of the Church and it is accomplished in a way that any Protestant will understand.

There are some subjects that are a little deeper than others are and the reader will often want to check the scripture cited by the author and this is not a book for someone without any Christian background at all. Furthermore, many evangelicals and fundamentalists may find this work offensive as it time and again questions the very basics of their faith. On the other hand, these same people may be challenged to think out the theology of their church. Maybe they will come away with a stronger faith than before and maybe they will see things the way Currie did. Either way, they will have learned something and that is always good. For Catholics, we can never learn all there is to know about the Church, but this book will certainly help us along that road.

I was raised a Presbyterian and became a born-again Christian in my early teens. I never quite felt at home in my newfound fundamentalist religious beliefs. Initially it was scientism and skepticism that kept me from committing myself 100 percent. However, as I grew older, I found Catholicism to be a solid rock that complimented my emerging conservative inclinations. However, I was still hung up on all the reasons why Catholicism is supposedly false - reasons drilled into my head throughout my teen years.

But David Currie put all of those reasons to rest. I can now fully appreciate the Catholic faith as Christ's Church. In a world where change is promoted and glorified for its own sake, it is wondrous and glorious to belong to God's holy body that seeks to promote and affirm God's immutable and eternal Truth. I encourage open-minded fundamentalists and evangelicals to read this book and discover for themselves the order, beauty, and magnificence of the Catholic Church.

It is not easy being a minority in a predominantly Protestant country. I'm a cradle Catholic of 57, and I've never read a better book that explains Catholicsm so clearly. Born Fundamentalist-Born Again Catholic takes on the major issues of Authority, Salvation, Mary, and The Rapture among others. David Currie explains them in a lucid, well-researched, and scriptural manner.

It took tremendous courage for David Currie to leave a fundamentalist Baptist background, with a minister father and many Baptist relatives and friends. He did it because he is a reader and a seeker-of-truth. He could not ignore the call of is heart.

He never denigrates his former church or any of the people in it,writing with love of his own journey into the Catholic Church. He still regards his former Baptist congregation as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Having attended a Baptist church for a year, I know how much courage this took. Catholics are regarded by fundamentalist Baptists as unsaved, little better than heathens. That much of this is ignorance does not make it any easier to go against the culture in which you have lived.

I commend David and his family. The Church and the world are better off because of his decision.

I have always considered myself a fairly devout Catholic, although my childhood religious education classes were never terribly informative. However, I probably would never have delved any deeper had I not met my boyfriend near the start of our freshman year of college. He was Protestant, raised non-denominationally, and his father had turned to Pentecostal Fundamentalism in the last several years. We discovered early on that religion was very important to both of us, and even prayed together. We attended each other's churches from time to time, but we both found it awkward and unsettling.

Believe it or not, a Fundamentalist sermon on Jesus's bestowing special authority to Peter spurred my boyfriend's curiosity. He thought, "Hey, isn't that the rationale for the papacy?" He started thinking. Then he came to me-- and we began to research together. This book was a godsend-- literally, sent to us from God. He read it first, jaw dropping every few pages. He was absolutely convinced by the last page. I read it after he had already decided to become a Catholic. Even for me, who thought she knew a heck of a lot about Catholicism, this book was amazing. It brought up issues I had never known existed, and clarified so many beliefs. Sometimes college can be a time of spiritual turmoil and questioning; David Currie's book headed off anything like that for me. It is superbly researched, presented clearly, reads comprehensively, and is interesting. My boyfriend frequently remarks, "How come none of the Protestants ever talk about this? Why didn't anybody tell me this before?"

When we attended Mass together, tears welled up in my eyes as my boyfriend stood next to me, missal open in front of him, singing his praise and then kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. We have come to share something so dear and so important to us both. When we return to our university this fall, we will begin RCIA together, and he will receive his sacraments this Easter.

By which time, I might add, we hope to officially anounce our engagement-- and we look forward to a lifetime of Catholic love and worship together.

This is a powerful, wonderful book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is questioning the Catholic faith, especially those coming from a Protestant background. So many misconceptions are explained away, and cradle Catholics can also find information to wash away any doubt. To those who are traveling the difficult road of conversion, like my boyfriend, I would extend my hand in welcome to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church . . . and God bless.

I read this book to see if it would be good for explaining my Catholic faith to my brother-in-law and others "bible" Christian friends. Only a short way into the book, I realized that this book was the greatest testimony to the Catholic faith that I had ever read. Its presentation from the perspective of a person not wanting to be Catholic and furthermore a Fundamentalist not wanting to be Catholic should dispell any doubt in those who read it that Catholicism is Christ's True Church. It is the quintessential book on proving the faith. Furthermore, I think it is the perfect Cathechism for the uninformed Catholic or the non-Catholic trying to discern what the Church actually teaches. I consider myself a very well read (theologically, historically, and biblically) Catholic who has heard all the arguments against the Chruch destroyed by countless authors and apologists. This book swept up any arguments that were left. It is the knockout punch. I think it would be impossible to not become Catholic after reading this book. I am a very devout Catholic, and even I felt like I had converted to the Catholic Church when I was finished. If you read no other book in your life, read the bible, and then read this book. Thank you, David Currie, for a treasure of a book. I would recommend this book as much as Augustine's City of God or Aquinas's Summa Theologica.

As someone raised in an Evangelical tradition, I never really gave Catholicism a lot of thought. Someone I respect lent me a copy of this book and it literally opened a door to another realm of thought for me. I have never heard Catholic beliefs described so clearly, and I loved the way they were framed by a story--the author's own journey towards reconciliation with the Church.

Because of this book, I am becoming a theology nut and truly wrestling with what exactly I'm "protesting" as a protestant. I still come back to Currie's arguements when explaining Catholicism to those who ask why I am pursuing a greater knowledge of Church. I will always count this book as a great influence on my life and my thoughts about Catholicism. I highly recommend it to all who are willing to put in some time and research, as questioning Protestant traditions is a unavoidable byproduct to all who read this book with an open heart and mind, seeking to know God's truth.

Raised Baptist in the 70s I was bombarded with Anti-Catholic literature and misinformation. By High School I was working on a Catholic Youth retreat and realized that much of that information couldn't be true, yet some of the thoughts and teachings definitely stuck with me even through my years as a "mainline" Protestant.

Near the beginning of the book Currie talks about crying when JFK died, not because the President was dead but because he was going to "burn in hell." He also talks about being frightened when he would come home from school and couldn't find his mother. Scared that he had been "left behind."

If the thoughts of a child terrified by the possible misinterpretations of the Book of Revelation, or the judgemental nature of some of our beliefs bring a tear to your eye or you have experienced similar feelings in your life - as a child or an adult, then you need this book.

Written not for publication but to help explain his move to reconcile with the Catholic Church after being raised Fundamentalist, David's book is an excellent source for any Protestant.

He spends a good deal of time working through his own issues in trying to not become Catholic. Trying to get answers that many of us have searched for during the course of our lives his journey keeps bring him back to the Church. This journey enables him to produce and excellent and very well laid out belief system for what he is discovering.

Most importantly this book is something that ANYONE can read and should not be offended by in the least. You may not agree with his conclusions but you will definitely appreciate his search for Christ and the Truth.

My Baptist mother is currently reading my copy of this. As I'm about to start my RCIA I have had little hope that she might one day follow to where I believe God is leading my family. This book might just change her mind. It's truly that good.

As a former Bob Jones University student, I had many preconceptions about Catholicism. Over the years I have stayed true to the Evangelical "religion". But recently it has failed me terribly as crisis after crisis began to over run my life and began to question God's love for me. A Catholic friend suggested that I talk to a priest since the pastors of my church were giving me hopeless hope. Apparantly, my sins were seperating me from God and He was no longer interested in me. After a few sessions with a priest and a few visits to mass, I knew that this was the true Church.

David Currrie writes well for those that are well informed in the Evangelical religion and for them I highly recommend this book. BUT it is not, I believe, for a beginner in any faith. It is written in great theological terms to explain the myths that are given towards Catholicism and is difficult to follow if you are not familiar with Bible theolgy or terminolgy. But if you are searching out the Catholic faith, this is a very excellent book to include in your reveiws. All of his thoughts are backed by scripture, not only from the Catholic perspective, but those that are used by Evangelicalism as well.

I believe now that God has used the crisis' in my life and this book to bring me to the Place that I truly belong and can be active in serving Him.

I loved this book! I read it one night and hurriedly gave it to my not-quite-convinced boyfirend who needs mroe information and scriptural support for catholicism. If you're familiar with any protestant tradition, or don't think Catholicism is truly Christian, this book will really enlighten you. This book is bound to convert almost anybody, especially if they're Catholic-curious in the first place. If you're new to the faith, it will definately reaffirm your faith. The author converted in mid-life after being raised a funamdnetlaist preacher's son, going to Bible college and marrying a stong protestant. He got graduate religion degrees and preached himself, also doign a lot of street/college/mall evangelization. If you have a skeptical firend or faily member, they will be able to rely on this man to be fair and knowledgable about the protestant side. Highly recommend!

This book is definitely a keeper. David Currie has experienced both sides of Christianity and explains his thoughts in a very clear manner.

If you have always been a Catholic and haven't experienced or studied the Protestant side, then this book may not be as clear as it was to me. If you have always been a Protestant (that means Evangelical, Baptist, and so on) then you probably will be offended and consider this book a devilish act. But, if you have experienced both sides....this book is a hit!

Currie understands the attitude of the Protestants toward Catholics. It always amazes me as I walk the halls of Protestant churchs that an ignorance of the Catholic Church is very evident. People make comments and have no idea how "unchristainlike" they are toward present and former Catholics, and have a very limited view of the teachings and practices. This book touch's on many issues of Currie's conversion and he gives biblical reference to many of his positions.

Keep in mind that Catholics consider Protestants as part of the Christain family. I only wish that it was vice versa. I'm not saying that every professed Catholic, just like every professed Protestant will be flying around in Heaven one day. Everyone will be accountable and God knows the inner heart. Mother Theresa was a great example of what Christianity is all about...and she was a Catholic!