The Protestant's Dilemma: How the Reformation's Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism Paperback – February 26, 2014

The book concisely contrasts the fundamental contradictions inherent in Protestsntism, with the common sense, historical, Scriptural truths held and taught by The Church from the beginning. Well done.

Even my protestant friends are asking to read it.

Before getting into the review proper, I would like to point out that this book is very similar to the author's earlier work "If Protestantism Is True". The format is basically the same, and many of the the topics are the same as well. A few of the stories seem lifted almost word for word from the earlier book. I wish this was marketed as an updated, revised, or expanded version of "If Protestantism Is True", because that is what it felt like to me. If you already have that book, I would rate this a 2 or maybe 3 stars. It is still a good book, and I enjoyed reading it, but you are not really getting an entirely new work.Now for a stand alone review of this book -- I loved the format, taking on the assumptions and beliefs at the heart of Protestantism and dealing with them one by one. I found it to be very accessible, with a nice balance between readability and depth. On a few occasions, he does go on the offensive without a enough depth to his argument to justify the certainty he displays in his conclusions. While this is understandable, since he is trying to cover a lot of ground in a manageable page count, it can come across as cocky or arrogant. However, I don't want to overstate that point, since the author maintains a charitable tone for the vast majority of the time, which I appreciated. Also, I did like that the section on each point was kept fairly compact. While I'm no stranger to longer books, these sorts of debates can easily stretch to great lengths, and I definitely think there is a place for a work of this scope. I don't think it should be the only book of apologetics on your bookshelf, but it is a nice addition.

If you are a Protestant willing to have your faith challenged, then read "The Protestant's Dilemma" by Devin Rose. This should be a book that every Protestant read. At the very least, it helps explain to us Protestants why Catholics believe in certain doctrines the way they do even if they seem a bit strange to us. At best, it helps a Protestant better understand why he/she may be drawing closer to the ancient beliefs and traditions of the Catholic faith such as myself.In my early years of the Christian faith I was a right-wing fundamentalist Evangelical Christian that was taught that Catholics and their Church are apostates and heretics. I read a lot of anti-Catholic propaganda that led me to believe that the Popes are corrupt and Catholicism is really just a powerful and wealthy cult.As I have grown in my faith and come to know Jesus more, not only have I left fundamentalism, but I have actually begun to understand and in some ways embrace many of the doctrines, traditions, and teachings of the Catholic faith. While this book helped clear up many misunderstandings and misgivings I had with the Catholic faith (i.e. the apocrypha/deuterocanonical books, purgatory, praying for and seeking prayer from the saints, and apostolic authority), I still have issue with a couple of key Catholic doctrines, such as: transubstantiation of the Eucharist and Marian theology. Aside from these two issues, I come just short of fully identifying with the Catholic faith.Very well written and laid out, humbly explained, and uncritical to those of other faith traditions, I highly recommend this book to those Protestants who have enough balls to have their faith challenged and for those who desire to seek and understand more about our Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ and their rich history.

Informative and revealing of issues from the unique perspective of a former protestant. Topics were handled with respect and reason.

Direct and to the point. This is an easy read, making it a valuable use of your time. Do not harden your heart..

A Catholic scholar recently wrote the following,The number of people who have left the Catholic church is huge.We all have heard stories about why people leave. Parents share stories about their children. Academics talk about their students. Everyone has a friend who has left.While personal experience can be helpful, social science research forces us to look beyond our circle of acquaintances to see what is going on in the whole church.The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has put hard numbers on the anecdotal evidence: One out of every 10 Americans is an ex-Catholic. If they were a separate denomination, they would be the third-largest denomination in the United States, after Catholics and Baptists. One of three people who were raised Catholic no longer identifies as CatholicAny other institution that lost one-third of its members would want to know why. But the U.S. bishops have never devoted any time at their national meetings to discussing the exodus. Nor have they spent a dime trying to find out why it is happening.Roman Catholics you have a dilemma!

As a Catholic, I had a decent understanding of the material presented in here. With Protestant friends, we would often get into discussions about the divisions between the Church & Protestantism, and I found myself without words. I picked up this book to help with that, and to share the truth of the Church with these friends.Easy to read & digest this book. Well written and well researched by the author. Gave me clearer words to expose the flaws in Protestantism (in general...which was one challenge since my friends all had different Christian beliefs) & has helped to plant some seeds with my friends. Recommend!