Book Review: "A Philadelphia Catholic in King James's Court" by Carson
Hi! Today I'm going to review one of my favorite books, A Philadelphia Catholic in King James's Court. When we went on our trip to Central America, we could only take so many books, and I chose this to read again because it is fun and informative.
This book is a Catholic apologetics book, meaning that it takes many of the misconceptions people may have with Catholics, and it defends the faith in the context of the Bible. What makes it very different from other Catholic apologetic books, is that it is in the form of a novel. This means that, rather than just answering different questions about the Catholic Church, it goes through telling a story.
This is the description on the back of the book:
"After the tragic death of his father, Michael O'Shea travels from his native Philadelphia to rural Kentucky for the summer. In this land of tobacco farming, bluegrass music, and devout fundamentalist Christianity, he is compelled to explain and justify the Catholic faith. His only defense, the Bible. Join Michael on an Amish-style farmstead as he learns to milk a cow, harness a horse, disk a field, and harvest hay with a team instead of a tractor. Will he discover the truth about the papacy, the Eucharist, and devotion to Mary in Sacred Scripture?"
Sound interesting? It is! What I like best is that the story approaches everything from a Protestant standpoint, as well as through a Catholic one, as the characters go back and forth. This means that, while it's great for Catholics who want to dive deeper into their faith, it's also great for open Protestants who may probably have many questions about Catholics. It also helps Catholics to see the Protestant's view of things, and vice versa.
I also like how the main area the story takes place is on an Amish-type farm, which is fun to hear about the horses and farming without any special mechanical equipment. The main character also has to grow up without a dad to guide him, which is similar to the situation I'm in too.
And so, it's a book worth reading for anybody interested in diving deeper into the Catholic explanation of things, or for those looking for answers about the Catholic faith. I hope you give it a try and I hope you like it!
