58 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
7 Stars!!! 5 is too low! This is a great book!!!, April 11, 2002
This review is from: Fifty (50) Years in the Church of Rome The Conversion of a Priest (Paperback)
If you ask me, "what's your favorite book in the world," I will quickly tell you, "50 Years In The Church of Rome." I absolutely loved this book! It is the story of Charles Chiniquy who spent 50 years in the Church of Rome before he came to a really impacting revelation of God's love, grace and being justified by faith. Charles tells the story of his life growing up in the Catholic Church and his 50 years of experience as a priest. This is a gripping story! Please note that the edition I read was the UNabridged version of this remarkable book (about 500 pages). I have not yet read this abridged version and so my first recommendation is that you read the unabridged version of the book, which is a bit wordy but excellent. Perhaps I will update this review when I read the abridged version.
Ok now, ladies, how many guys do you know that sit down to read a book and cry? ;) Well, this book did that to me. Two chapters in particular just messed me all up! :) I found myself ever more thankful for my relationship with Jesus and desiring to be closer to Him still. I also experienced a greater love for the Catholic people and an increased burden to pray.
Contrary to what some people have commented on, saying that this book is against the Catholic people or that Charles' stories of what really has gone on in the Catholic Church throughout its history are just made-up lies, nothing could be further from the truth. I have personally studied enough to know that what I read in this book are things that have actually transpired in the Church of Rome in more places around the world than just in Charle's circle. And as far this book being marked as being against Catholic people, this is nonsense. Need I remind such critics that Charles spent near his entire life in the Church of Rome. Charles writes with such a compassion for those people who are a part of the Catholic Church. He does speak very boldly against the religious system of Catholicism and seeks to expose all of its evils (much of the things he mentions were considerably more prevalent in his day than they are today, but I've talked with enough Catholic people to know that a great deal of what Charles talks about is absolutely true even today). But even though this book is all about Catholicism, it is more so about a man who was so desperate to know Jesus personally and intimately and after years of his searching for Jesus, it is actually Jesus that finds him. This book is about the power of the Gospel and the desire to know God.
I love the way this book keeps the reader in a perspective of grace. There were a number of times I found myself infuriated at the way the Catholic Church has wounded some of its people, but then, right at the point where I'd get steaming mad, it was as if Charles could anticipate the Protestant reader's fury and he almost rebukes the reader for allowing a bitter, angry attitude to have any place in their heart. He constantly directs the reader to God's mercy and points to the Gospel.
This is a remarkable book that will make you laugh, cry, think, and want to pray. I absolutely loved it! This year I plan to read it again. Catholics and Protestants alike should read this book. If your a Catholic-hater, (first repent) expect to have your eyes opened to the grace of God and be moved to prayer for your brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church. If you're a Catholic, I hope you will also endure this book. If you've been content with just being religious or perhaps have just known nothing else, this book may spark in you a fresh hunger for God.
This book, in my opinion, does not come accross as being intended to rip, shred or offend Catholics so much as it does put the spot light on the ills of mere religion and point the reader to desire only Jesus and His wonderful Word! Even as a Protestant there are things about the religious system of the Protestant Church that I am in great disapproval of. It doesn't offend me that people would speak against the ills of the system because I do not worship the system. I don't care about religion or being religious. I want to have a true relationship with God! As I said, I did not find a hatred for Catholics after reading this book. I was encouraged to love and pray for my Catholic friends and for my Protestant friends who are less than merciful towards Catholics. Most of all I was led to the foot of the Cross of Jesus and God touched my heart in a powerful way! This is a must read!
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29 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a book about a good and valiant Christian man!, November 19, 1999
This review is from: Fifty (50) Years in the Church of Rome The Conversion of a Priest (Paperback)
The book is about a gentle and loving man who was the epitome of what a Christian should be. It is an autobiographical documentary of how Charles Chiniquy, a Catholic priest, was ridiculed, upbraided, and brought under interdiction numerous times by his fellow priests and superiors for valiantly and faithfully following Jesus' directives in the Scriptures. He used his keen God-given intelligence and his tactful manner to press for reform from the human debauchery, corruption, and vise that many of the men-of-the-cloth had fallen into. He worked many years within the church to encourage his peers and parishioners to follow the commands of the Lord. Though having gained much ground in God's behalf, Charles was unjustly driven out of the church before he was able to effect the reform he had hoped for. The people who forced him out were superiors that were irredeemably devoted to traditions that had fallen out of line with God's Word. There is a bright spot, though. These church officials were chagrined, not being able to gainsay the plain words of Jesus presented to them by Charles and his parishioners. He was truly a hero for Christ.
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17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Catholic priest expose Churches greed and corruption!, October 11, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Fifty (50) Years in the Church of Rome The Conversion of a Priest (Paperback)
To read first hand knowledge of the early beginnings of the Catholic churches entry into this country is facinating. To see a good priest stand up to his corrupt superiors is one to admire. The chapter dealing with Abraham Lincoln and who was behind his assination is something I never learned up until know. I highly recommend this book, it won't disappoint you!
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