Why We're Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love by Trent Horn

Why We're Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love Reviews

• 
  Amora

  This book quite succinctly explains Catholic dogma. For many months I’ve been struggling to understand Catholic principles and this book did a wonderful job explaining them. This book makes the case for justification through faith and work, the papacy, Christ being present at the Eucharist, and immaculate conception. This book also makes the case against Sola Scirptura, which is what classic Protestants like Martin Luther and John Calvin argued for. Anyone interested in understanding Catholic philosophy should give this a read!
• 
  Steven R. McEvoy

  I read this book right after reading Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too) by Brandon Vogt. In some ways there is a number of similarities, and both speak specifically about the example of Saint Damien of Molokai. This was also the 10th book by Trent Horn that I have read this year. With each of his books that I read I am more impressed with his writing, his faith, his knowledge and his love of sharing these three things. Now having read a number of his books in such a short time, there were a number of times where I felt like I had read this passage before. He uses some of the same examples or arguments as his other books. But to be honest this book was a wonderful read.
  
  The chapters in this book are:
  Introduction: Why We Believe . . . Anything
  1. Why We Believe in Truth
  2. Why We Believe in Science
  3. Why We Believe in a Creator
  4. Why We Believe in God
  5. Why We Believe God Conquers Evil
  6. Why We Believe in Jesus
  7. Why We Believe in the Resurrection
  8. Why We Believe in the Trinity
  9. Why We Believe in the Bible
  10. Why We Aren’t Bible-Only Christians
  11. Why We Belong to the Catholic Church
  12. Why We Have a Pope
  13. Why We Have Priests
  14. Why We Go to Mass
  15. Why We Baptize Babies
  16. Why We Believe in Spite of Scandal
  17. Why We Believe that Faith Works Through Love
  18. Why We Believe in Purgatory
  19. Why We Pray to the Saints
  20. Why We Honor Mary
  21. Why We Protect Life
  22. Why We Cherish Our Sexuality
  23. Why We Defend Marriage
  24. Why We Believe There’s a Hell
  25.Why We Hope for Heaven
  How to Become Catholic
  How to Go to Confession
  Common Catholic Prayers
  Endnotes
  
  Two sections in the book immediately struck a chord with me; first the section on Saint Damien or Molokai, of whom I have been reading about and researching for over a decade now. And second Father Emil Kapaun, whom I only discovered last year. Both of these men have inspired me and finding them both called out as examples in this book hit me. But let’s go back to the beginning, in the introduction Trent states:
  
  “I don’t look at people who’ve left the Catholic Church or who aren’t Catholic as potential “customers.” They’re just people. They have things they love and things they hate. They may differ from me in lots of ways, but they almost certainly have one thing in common with me: they don’t want to be ignorant and they do want to be happy. I became Catholic in high school because 1) I thought it was true, and 2) finding answers to my deepest questions about existence and purpose made me happy.
  
  It would be selfish of me to keep to myself the peace and joy I receive from being Catholic, so I share this “good news” with others. My aim in this book is simple: to explain why Catholics believe what they believe. I haven’t given every explanation I can think of, because most people aren’t in a rush to read a book that is so thick it can double as a step stool. Instead, I’ve presented the reasons that made the biggest impact on me during my conversion to the Catholic faith.”
  
  This book is designed to strengthen your faith, and help you be able to explain it and defend it. It is not all encompassing but it does a great job of covering many of the basics. Throughout the book there are ‘side boxes’ pieces that explain deeper, or give examples of what is being talked about in that section of the book. Another great feature is that each chapter ends with three or more bullet points reinforcing what Catholics believe from the topic of that specific chapter. One of the most powerful side boxes is:
  
  WHO STARTED YOUR CHURCH?
  • Calvary Chapel, 1965: Chuck Smith
  • Mormon church, 1830: Joseph Smith
  • Disciples of Christ, 1809: Thomas Campbell
  • Baptist church, 1609: John Smyth
  • Presbyterian church, 1560: John Knox
  • Calvinist church, 1536: John Calvin
  • Lutheran church, 1517: Martin Luther
  • Eastern Orthodox church, 1054: Eastern Patriarchs
  • Catholic Church, 33: Jesus Christ
  
  And at the end of the book is a mini prayer book of common prayers. These eight prayers are the basis of so many popular Catholic devotions, or parts of a plan of life. And then there is an extensive section of end notes with quotes, and sources to go deeper.
  
  I have read just shy of 200 books so far this year, of those 200, 105 were Catholic and this is one of the best out of all of that reading. Another incredible book from Catholic Answers, and written by Trent Horn. Pick it up you will be challenged, become more firmly rooted and prepared to answer hard questions about your faith!
  
  Read the review on my blog
  Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Trent Horn.
  
  Note: This book is part of a series of reviews:
  2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
• 
  Amy

  A good beginning introduction for someone who doesn't know much about the Catholic faith and wants a jumping off point from the biggest "hot topics." Anyone who is interested in the faith or wants a refresher on how to talk beginning apologetics should read this. Great resource!
• 
  Adriana

  4.5 stars
  
  This book goes over a lot about the Catholic faith including what we believe about God, Jesus, the Bible, the Church, the Sacraments, Saints, sins, morality, and the afterlife. I felt like I was reintroduced to some topics and even learned some new things about my faith. It reaffirmed my belief that being born into a Catholic family has been one of the best gifts given to me. There was one passage on sexuality that I honestly haven't been convinced of as of yet. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading Why We're Catholic and I believe I'll be going back to it from time to time because it is a great resource on the Catholic faith.
• 
  Kayla Weaver

  I read this for education only, and I learned a lot! My own faith has grown. Overall, it was interesting to learn about Catholicism and the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism.
• 
  Yas

  very enlightening and informative! I can’t stress enough how much everyone needs to read this, Catholic or Non-Catholic. It answered and discussed the many questions I had and has made me grow closer to Him❤️
• 
  Emily

  Trent Horn begins at the beginning: why do we believe in God? Then he goes on to Jesus and the Bible - why do we believe Jesus is God, and that the Bible is the inspired word of God? Then he moves on to the Church and her sacraments. Why the Catholic Church? Why the Pope? Why priests and the Mass? Then he moves on to some of the "hiccups" for Protestants - the saints, Mary, purgatory, etc. Finally, he concludes with morality: abortion, sex, marriage, heaven, and hell.
  
  I found this book to be kind of a basic foundation of the Faith. I can see how it would be very helpful to:
  
  A) someone who is curious about Catholicism and wants to understand it better (or has a loved one who is Catholic and just wants to understand them better);
  B) someone who is considering converting to Catholicism;
  C) a new convert who is not solid on the basic foundations of their faith;
  D) someone who needs easy definitions to central Catholic beliefs to share with others.
  
  There were a few parts in here that were pure gold from an apologetics stand-point. Certain things about the Church can be so difficult to explain to non-Catholics, but Mr. Horn lays it out with clarity, in such a way that it is easy for anyone to grasp. He covers a wide range of topics, but doesn't necessarily go into great depth. This book will equip you with a basic foundation of knowledge about Catholicism.
• 
  Coleen

  I did not need to read this book to find out why I'm a Catholic. Born into a Catholic family, baptized when I was two weeks old, attending Catholic school until I graduated from high school, married a Catholic, etc. these and more all made me a Catholic.
  
  But I wanted to read the book because I was interested in what the REASONS for being a Catholic are: the reasons for faith, hope and love, as indicated in the subtitle of the book.
  Yes, I must admit that much of the book's reasoning is fairly sound and I would agree with what was written. But I found myself arguing with some of the author's logic and reasoning and asking myself if what he wrote there in the book was what I really believed.
  
  So I thought that perhaps I was just playing the Devil's Advocate in trying to force Trent Horn to persuade me that he was correct. Honestly, I did not think that I agreed with him about some of his premises, and I wondered if I would be a Catholic if I had to rely on his explanations.
  
  This is not to say that I do not believe in the Creed and the main teachings of the Catholic Church because I do, but reading this book - I'm not sure I would have been convinced.
• 
  Audrey Monahan

  This book taught me a bit about Catholicism that I didn't know and did a great job articulating some of the ideas that I knew and understood internally but wouldn't know how to express to others. I would highly recommend this book to any Catholics who struggle with their relationship with the Catholic Church, anyone thinking about becoming Catholic, or anyone who is curious about the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church.
• 
  casey

  The author is interesting. I have been a Catholic all my life, I can always tell when someone new to the religion is speaking/writing/educating. They are very very educated in ever verse of the Bible and Catechism. And are very passionate about it. There were several chapters that really went over my head because of the way he explained certain things, but overall I thought it was a good view on certain aspects of Catholicism.
• 
  Nat Gibbs

  Very good explanations of the Catholic faith that are easy to digest for Catholics as well as non-believers! Loved reading this.
• 
  Jonathan Wilbur

  Very good book. It's good if you are in dialogue with someone, and they bring up a topic of lets say, abortion, or really any major topic, it's good so that you can do a quick glance at the book and find a fast answer.
• 
  Jimena González Lebrero

  Why Do We Believe in Anything?
  
  Do you have unanswered questions about why you are alive and what is your purpose in this life? Do you consider yourself a religious person or are you looking for a new and revealing path?
  Whether you are a believer or not, whether you are a Catholic or not, if you are looking for answers or you want to know more about the Catholic Church, you’ll find the book “Why we’re Catholic. Our reasons for faith, hope, and love” very interesting and clear.
  For Christians, the season of Lent has begun. It means this is the period of 40 days before Easter, a moment which invites to reflect on why Jesus died for people’s sins and on the importance of his resurrection. Through this book, you can learn about Jesus’ loving message. Jesus brought pure and unconditional love, forgiveness, and understanding. Reflecting on this during Lent is particularly special as it is a period to strengthen the bond and celebrate love for our brothers and sisters.
  If you are interested in reading this book to know more about Catholicism and Jesus Christ, this is the best moment to do so. On the other hand, if you are not a believer, there is no better time in the year to discover Jesus’ message and unlimited love.
  
  One Common Desire
  
  We are a lot living on this planet, and there are many differences among us. We live in different countries and continents, which make us understand and see the world in different ways. We don’t look the same, we have different ways and customs, and we speak different languages. However, there is something that we all human beings share: we want to be happy.
  Trent Horn, an expert on the Catholic faith, speaker, and writer of “Why we’re Catholic. Our reasons for faith, hope, and love”, published in 2017, refers in his book to the common desire that all people share. Every human being is in search of happiness and knowledge, because finding answers to what we don’t know and don’t understand brings joy and peace.
  This is why we can now talk about faith. When a person considers him or herself a spiritual being, there is a need to believe that there is something beyond our lives and our planet, that we have a purpose in life. Faith brings peace and comfort during happy and difficult moments as we understand that we are not alone.
  The book by Trent Horn will give readers the knowledge they need to be able to understand why Catholics find happiness and peace in Christ’s Church.
  
  The Importance of Faith
  
  Faith is believing. Moreover, faith is the certainty that there is a much more powerful force, a supreme power that gives us hope about life; it is knowing there is a plan, that each person has come to this life with a purpose. Believing is accepting that God is listening, that He is there. This makes a person feel he or she is not alone in this world. This is what faith is, a life-long companion.
  Sometimes people grow up in religious families and become part of the church during their childhood; a decision taken for them, with no personal input whatsoever. That being said, if he or she takes matters in his or her one hands, and further understands what religion is, life-long questions get answered. Plus, new ones arise and a plethora of new options become available.
  In a nutshell, every religion and belief on Earth shares faith in God. However, Christ is the only Messiah who gave his life to save others. Therefore, Christian faith is a message of love, compassion, understanding, empathy, and, above all, fraternity among brothers and sisters.
  
  Quenching the Thirst for Knowledge Not Looking for Customers
  
  In his book “Why we’re Catholic. Our reasons for faith, hope, and love”, Trent Horn is not trying to convince you into believing in the Catholic Church; he doesn’t consider you a customer who wants to buy something. On the contrary, he wants to share with you what has brought happiness and peace to his own life. Furthermore, his book is an attempt to help you find them on your own through the Christian faith.
  It is safe to say that he has come across the same questions about life and the Catholic Church a zillion times as a Catholic writer and speaker. Therefore, the purpose of his book is to touch more people with his answers, thus broadening the spectrum and possibly helping more people. Also, the vessel to convey the message is nothing more than the explanation of why Catholics believe what they believe.
  Finally, regardless if you believe or not, the takeaway from reading this book is understanding the very foundations of the Catholic Church and the core principles of the Christian religion. It will help you make a more informed decision about becoming Christian or not.
  
  Everything You Need to Know About the Catholic Church in 5 Sections
  
  “Why we’re Catholic. Our reasons for faith, hope, and love” is a well-organized book divided into five parts. Each section answers every single question you may have on the Catholic Church clearly and with a high level of detail.
  
  Part 1: Truth and God
  To begin with, in the first part, the author writes about God’s role in the search for truth. Additionally, he discusses the role of science in the same quest, and why they can co-exist since he states that science is a tool but not the only one. From the author’s view, faith and science answer different questions.
  In the same section, the author explains why Catholics believe in God as the universe’s creator. He states that, though science explains the beginning of the universe through the Big Bang theory, it also affirms that a slight variation in the laws of nature, which allowed the beginning of life to happen, could have meant disaster and no life would have begun in the planet. Therefore, he states such perfection could have only been created by a superior being.
  One of the oldest claims against Catholicism is God’s consent for bad things to happen to innocent people. In response to that, the writer explains that this is because God’s way of giving people chances of becoming better beings is by allowing difficulties to happen to them. Hence the author invites us to understand that this is not God working against innocent people but for them.
  
  Part 2: Jesus and the Bible
  The second part gives room to Jesus and the non-biblical evidence of his existence, as the writer states that all religions accept his existence, though they do not see him as the son of God. Moreover, Trent Horn explains in detail that Jesus’ death and resurrection are historical facts, and tells us theories that prove his existence.
  Moreover, in this part, the author explains with precision the significance and meaningfulness of the Holy Trinity as God being one who exists in three persons. In addition, he explains the importance of the Bible in detail, with a strong focus on the New Testament, which was written over a period of centuries, and which tells the story of how Jesus established a church.
  
  Part 3: The Church and the Sacraments
  To continue with, in part three, the author explains the role of the Pope as the direct successor of St. Peter and as head of the Church, and what makes his role so important for Catholics. Furthermore, he describes the seven Sacraments and their relevance, and the role of priests. Trent Horn begins by saying priests’ celibate has been criticized a lot; this is why he explains where this rule comes from. He states that it is a discipline that allows priests to focus on pleasing God without having to be responsible for taking care of a family, as a priest’s bride is the Church. Last but not least, the writer claims that Jesus gave the priests the authority to forgive and retain sins, hence their meaningfulness in the Catholic Church.
  In the last part of this section, the writer explains the difference between personal sin and original sin, and how Baptism takes it away uniting the person with Christ.
  
  Part 4: Saints and Sinners
  There have been certain scandals surrounding the Catholic Church, which have brought questions and the demanding of answers from believers and non-believers. Trent Horn is aware of this and doesn’t leave this topic out of his book as he knows the relevance it has. Therefore, in part four he explains why it is important to understand that Jesus’ Church provides means to rescue and free sinners. He invites readers not to judge the Catholic Church as a whole because some members of the church commit serious sins.
  Furthermore, Trent Horn explains the relevance of the Virgin Mary, as the mother of the son of God, and why Christians honor her.
  
  Part 5: Morality and Destiny
  Last but not least, in part 5 readers will find the answer to many possible questions regarding the Catholic Church’s morality, hence they will understand the Church’s perspective on marriage and sex. The author clears doubts about what is the position of the Church on people’s sexual life and explains the relevance of what devoted Christians call “sexual honesty”.
  To end, the writer explains what Heaven and Hell are, and that God never forces anyone to obey him, on the contrary, he allows people to choose not to follow him. He further explains that Heaven is the state of perfect happiness and that God offers salvation to everyone who wishes to follow him.
  
  Speaking from personal experience
  
  In his book “Why we’re Catholic. Our reasons for faith, hope, and love”, Trent Horn directly addresses the readers speaking from his personal experience. He opens up as an author and speaks frankly about his story, what led him to choose to become a Catholic. In the same vein, he also sheds some light on his journey towards confirming himself a Catholic and a Christian.
  Every chapter opens with a personal anecdote which introduces what is explained and answered in that chapter.
  Moreover, he uses analogies of everyday-life-situations to explain readers Catholic beliefs. Perhaps one of the most valuable assets of these vignettes is his explanations during random encounters with non-religious people or those who follow other religions. This down-to-earth approach works wonders answering simply and succinctly the questions that might arise in the readers’ minds as well.
  Also, it is worth mentioning that his vast knowledge of historical facts and the Bible allow him to answer every single question you can have on Catholicism from a formal perspective. Furthermore, he goes the extra mile by explaining the meaning of words that might be unknown to readers due to their religious nature. Filling these gaps ensures there are no misunderstandings between the readers and the author; you’re on the same page at all times.
  This is a well-written, clear, and to-the-point book that will very likely be easy to understand. In this sense, the simplicity of language and the assortment of examples make the reading easy and fluent.
  
  Then, who is this book for?
  
  This book is for Catholics and non-Catholics looking for answers.
  Indeed, “Why we’re Catholic. Our reasons for faith, hope, and love” is a book for all those who are in the search for something new, those who feel something is missing, and those who aren’t fulfilled by the answers provided by science.
  Moreover, the author presents faith as the spiritual conviction about something; to him, it is jumping blindly towards love. Besides, he explains the Catholic faith through Jesus’ message about loving all people equally and invites the readers to trust that there is a higher order.
  This is not a book to convince readers into joining the Catholic Church. On the contrary, it is a book that provides knowledge about the Catholic Church so they can make their own decision. Furthermore, it is an invitation to understand others. In times like this, these pages carry a valuable message that is to try to understand our neighbors by filling the gaps common beliefs about Catholicism create. The author’s view of our wonderful planet as a shared home propels feelings of unity despite our differences.
  
  For non-believers, the takeaway of this book is understanding Catholics’ point of view, behavior, and why they believe what they believe in.
  For Catholics, the takeaway is to clear any doubt you may have, reassure your faith, and go deep into the details of Catholic principles.
  For readers in general, this is a valuable book to learn about love and fraternity.
  
  
• 
  J.C. Beichner

  Terrific book that examines all the pillars of Catholic faith! Extremely well written, concise and organized. I read this book in two days it was an engaging read!
• 
  Tommy Grooms

  I heard of this book in passing from one of the members of the "Pints with Jack" podcast (it examines the work of C.S. Lewis, and I highly recommend it) as a good presentation of Catholic doctrine. It starts with a defense of faith in God generally and then narrows to present specifics of the Catholic faith. Overall the book sacrifices depth for breadth: the early arguments for the authority of the Church and its Tradition inform much of the later arguments for specific doctrines, and in these later chapters the author does little more than clear up common misconceptions while citing the Catechism. It's a good primer on what Catholics believe, but I don't think it will do much convincing to those who have already given their beliefs some thought.
• 
  Nate McHugh

  I think this is a good primer for those who do wonder why Catholic's believe what they do. Like he says it doesn't answer everything, but it does get you started. For somebody who is already Catholic and tries to continually learn, I do not know how much new material I got out of this this book.
  
  If you believe in God, and believe that Jesus is God, then you probably do not need to start at the beginning. Find where you disagree or do not understand and start from there.
• 
  Evelyn

  I am Catholic, but was interested in reading about differences in beliefs between Catholics and other Christian faiths. I found most of what was written here too pat and simple. Most arguments were solved with the statement "because the Bible says so" followed by a selection of Bible verses that I felt were open to interpretation rather than solid yes/no answers.
  That said, kudos to Trent Horn for delving into the question of faith while still a high school student!
• 
  Veronica Marquardt

  If you have ever wondered why Catholics believe what they do, then I recommend this practicul insight into the Faith. I loved it and strongly suggest giving it a read!
• 
  Marie

  Read as a favor to a friend. Interesting, educational . . . And many times frustrating. One of the books that I wish I could have a sit down with the author after almost every chapter.
• 
  Russell DeLong

  Understanding the author to be a fairly high-tier apologist with a protestant background, I was surprised at how poorly some protestant objections were represented here. A few areas that I felt were particularly lacking or weak are below.
  
  On real presence doctrine:
  
  - He needs to resolve the conflict between John 6 verses 53 and 63, rather than just citing verse 53. Catholic interpretation doesn't fit the passage unless you ignore Jesus' clarification right afterward to the disciples. Also note the use of "follow" and "believe in" instead of "eat" earlier in the passage.
  
  - He needs to put 1 Cor 11's warning in the context of the whole chapter (the Corinthians were using communion as an excuse for a drinking party, and had no reverence for the memorial). It doesn't seem to fit Catholic teaching, that this warning was regarding real presence, since he said it was memorial and clarified the reason we do it is to proclaim the death until he comes again (not to receive real body and blood).
  
  - He needs to reconcile with the fact that John 13 is the time of the sacrament (not John 6), where "this egg is the new spring", and "this fruit sauce is mortar" being followed up by "this bread is my body" is very, very relevant to whether the apostles would have taken it to be metaphorical - Every piece of food in a passover meal is metaphor.
  
  On prayers to the saints:
  
  - He needs to reconcile this with 1 Cor 8 and Romans 14. Bowing down to statues of saints will certainly 'cause a brother to stumble'. It's true that the Catholic position on this is often misunderstood by protestants, but that's a big reason why it is a problem for the Catholic church per Paul's warning to be considerate of these types of scruples.
  
  - He needs to draw the real points of disagreement, which include whether the church knows who is a saint in heaven, given the level of ignorance we would all confess about heaven itself, the hearts of individuals, who God would ultimate save and their timeline to salvation.
  
  - He needs to address the question of how the church can prevent intercession from turning Heaven into a perceived clique state, where favours are granted to you if you have the ear of the right people in the right places.
  
  - He needs to explain how prayer by a saint is a benefit. "Why do we pray for each other" is a question that could be answered on a temporal plane on Earth (see CS Lewis' Letters to Malcom), but it's not clear how to answer it of a saint.
  
  On general logic:
  
  - You can't establish "what the church originally believed" by individual authors, because during the early church there was a wide variety of thought and many heresies in the mix. You can cite the counsels, or say that at least some people thought one thing or the other, but you certainly can't say that the church always had the idea of real presence and held it as important since it's absent from the earliest creeds including 1 Cor 15.
  
  On marriage:
  
  - It's not clear from that chapter exactly how NFP is different than other contraception methods, except in the sense that it's less effective and may have lower risk of cancer. If you're actively attempting to prevent conception from being the result of intercourse... by definition that is contraception.
  
• 
  Samantha

  *For the record, I am reviewing the book itself and not the subject matter.*
  
  I was interested in this book because I am in an inter religious marriage and sometimes my spouse asks me questions about Catholicism and I am not sure of the correct answer. I thought this would be a good book for me to read in order to review the basics. To be honest, I feel I could have gotten better and more in-depth answers from Google. The book covers a lot of subjects, but they don’t go into a lot of deep detail - some of the topics are just explained through a metaphor with one or two sentences building on the metaphor, or just simply “that’s what the Bible says” 🤷🏻‍♀️. I would have appreciated either making the book longer (it’s about 200 pages) or cutting out a few chapters to be better focused. Some chapters, I read and felt like I could have just read the three point summary at the end, because it explained the author’s points much more clearly and concisely- sad because the chapter was about 10 pages and I felt like the three sentences explained it up better than the 10 pages did.
  
  Speaking of metaphors, there were too many to the point that it was getting on my nerves. This is the first book I have read of this type so maybe that’s normal, but I felt like it was really fluffy. Also, maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I felt like the authors chapter on the sexual abuse scandal was kind of whitewashed - I thought it was odd that he compared it to the Crusades. I am not sure that in modern times that the Crusades is an issue that blocks people from joining or practicing the faith, whereas the sexual abuse scandal is. If I were in those people’s shoes reading that chapter, I think I would not have been satisfied with the author’s explanation.
  
  In my opinion, if you are already Catholic and/or have some basic knowledge of Catholic teachings, this book is under your level. Like I said, I have gotten better explained and more detailed answers from a google search. Maybe if you don’t know /anything/ about Catholicism, this book would be for you. I am giving it three stars because it did give me some new information, but not enough where I felt like it was worth my money to have purchased it and have spent my time reading it.
• 
  Kaitlin Scirri

  I was a little afraid this book would go over my head & be hard to follow but I was pleasantly surprised. WHY WE'RE CATHOLIC is written in an easy to follow, conversational tone. Complex topics are tackled, such as why believe in God, but they are broken down into easy to follow wording using relatable examples.
  
  No topic is left untouched in this book, and I loved that. The book is broken down into 5 parts: Truth and God, Jesus and the Bible, The Church and the Sacraments, Saints and Sinners, and Morality and Destiny. Then each part is broken down into individual chapters. The chapters are brief and strictly informative - no fluff or filler pages. Trent Horn has clearly mastered the craft of making his point and moving on. He does not drone on and on repeating himself for pages.
  
  Many hot button and controversial topics are touched on. Trent Horn doesn't shy away from anything. He clearly and respectfully states the Catholic Church's teaching on topics like homosexuality, abortion, and divorce. He also addresses many points of contention between Catholics and Protestants such as the role of Mary, purgatory, and the Saints. Horn uses many authoritative sources to support Church teachings including the Bible, well known and respected historians, and the early Church Fathers.
  
  He doesn't even shy away from the most uncomfortable and obvious topic: Why We Believe in Spite of Scandal. Yes, he even goes there, openly addressing the sex abuse scandal in the Church that has caused so many to fall away.
  
  A favorite quote of mine: "Leaving the Church because a priest or layperson committed a serious sin would be like swearing off hospitals because a doctor committed malpractice. What that doctor did was wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that the hospital is still the best place to go if you're sick. Similarly, Christ gave His Church the means to free us from sin, so we do ourselves no favors if we reject that remedy because some Catholics who fell into scandal refused to take it." Yes and yes!!
  
  I would recommend WHY WE'RE CATHOLIC to anyone seeking a better understanding of the faith.