The Drama of Salvation: How God Rescues You from Your Sins and Delivers You to Eternal Life Hardcover – April 1, 2015

Let’s see. It has been almost 3 years now since I converted to Catholicism. Through the course of the past 6 years I have heard both sides of the argument concerning the Protestant verses Catholic viewpoints concerning the questions of our salvation. I had thought I had heard all there is to hear when it came to the defense of the Catholic doctrines and dogmas from many of our great apologists out there from Tim Staples to Patrick Madrid. However, Jimmy Akin took me down a path which helped me to organize my apologetic closet concerning the matters of sola scriptura, purgatory and faith alone (to name a few).His approach to these topics is methodical and logical and he slowly but surely sets the stage and lures you into the Catholic perspective and explains why the Catholic perspective is the correct teaching on these often misinterpreted doctrines and he does this in a very respectful manner to those who oppose the Catholic teaching. In fact, he explains the Protestant doctrines better than I could have when I was a Protestant. Mr. Akin gives plenty of food for thought and what impressed me the most is that he uses the Bible more than any other source as his authority for his understanding and perspective. Yes he still uses the Catechism and will quote the early Church fathers but does so without “beating them to death”.He begins his book by setting the stage with matters such as salvation as a past, present and future and ongoing process. He points out how we ourselves play a vital role in others salvation. He continues on further into his work and I can honestly say this book is hard to put down. It is truly the best apologetic work on the principles of Salvation I have ever read and am so glad to have copy of it. I will use the typical clichés and tell you that this book is a must have and a must read. After the first few chapters you will begin to understand why Jimmy Akin is one of the most influential apologist of our time and why he is such a popular guest on Catholic answers. As an aspiring apologist, I thought I had a good handle on this subject. If you are like me, then you will find that this book will take you even further into depths and understandings you never considered before. If you are a Protestant, then get yourself a copy of this book and I guarantee it will give you answers to those gnawing questions I know you have about certain Bible passages that either don't add up for you in relation to what your church teaches or you have chosen to ignore. All I can say is "Well done Mr. Akin"!

After 40 years of living throughout the US and Germany, I have attended many Protestant and Non-denominational churches. Five years ago by accident I ran across Catholic Radio and it was just at the right time because I couldn't validate the positions that I had always been taught and I started a search and education through Yale and Notre Dame and then Jimmy Akins and Tim Staples. This book answered more questions in a building block like fashion that ended up educating me to a point where I was overwhelmed with the logic and never ending sense that the Catholic interpretation of the Bible was the only real answer and this book was like a Tsunami of evidence that simply washed away every doubt I had. I now read sections of it to my non-Catholic friends and they simply say "I have to check that out with my pastor, because the Bible can't mean that, I mean I see it right here in the Bible, but I never really read it or read it that way." They can never deny it, they are only in denial. I was there for most of my life and it is amazing how hard it was to finally open my mind and take out the biases that have been placed there. This book was like the explanation point of my studying. The truth simply is what it is and after reading this book, you cannot ignore it anymore. Peace.

Catholic, Protestant or anyone for that matter, this book is a must read. It is especially helpful for Catholics that have been challenged on the Catholic teachings of justification, indulgences, etc. It would also help Protestants really understand the Catholic view of justification. The book will no doubt dispel some misunderstandings of the Catholic teaching on salvation. It explains the most basic understanding of justification in Catholic and Biblical terms, and then expands later to help bring clarity to the Council of Trent's decree on justification. I can speak from experience that it is easy to read one or two Canons of the Council of Trent and without reading more of the decree, completely misunderstand those Canons. For example, Protestants will probably be surprised to learn that when the Council anathematizes "faith alone" it is referring to the type of faith described in the book of James, which is intellectual assent. You may also be surprised to learn the context of the term "anathema" in Church Councils in this book. There is a lot of good information in this book and you will be happy you read it.

As a Protestant, I found this work very compelling and detailed. What it isn't: it is not a detailed rebuttal of every Protestant argument to the contrary. BUT, it is an excellent explanation of what Catholics believe using language Protestsnts can identify with. It's a great introduction, and the argumentation is very logical. It has persuaded me of several things after just an initial read. There will be things that initially rub Protestants the wrong way, but if you try to come at it with an open mind you will find much of that fall away. This is an excellent work, and I look forward to more titles from Mr. Akin. If for no other reason, check out this book so you know what Catholics believe, not what you think they believe. You may surprise yourself after reading this book.

This is an expansion of an earlier book by this author. For anybody interested in the differences between Catholic and certain Protestant ideas on Salvation, this is a well-researched and approachable text. He includes several appendices with pertinent documents from the Catholic Church. He focuses on the ideas of Luther, Calvin, and other early Protestants compared to Catholic teaching as opposed to more recent Protestant theologians. Orthodox Church thought is not really touched as it is largely compatible with Catholic teaching. This is a useful book for anybody wanting to understand what the Catholic Church actually teaches about Salvation.

Amazingly detailed description and explaination on salvation eternal & temporal. Good clarity on eternal and termporal salvation explaining the frequently misunderstood doctrines of pennance, indulgences, righteousness and justification.If you want to understand your faith as a Catholic this book would be a must buy. If you're a skeptic or critique of Catholism please read this book and from there make informed criticisms because the majority of criticisms against the faith are based on Fabrications this book clears up.

As described

A FLAWLESS BOOK explaining the Catholic (really, apostolic) position on salvation. Catholics and non-Catholics use different jargon when speaking about the subject and so, as Jimmy notes, "talk past one another" when often their position is the same, or is very close on this, or that, aspect. At times, however, non-Catholics are in error and Jimmy points out their interpretational flaw with sound appeals to Scripture—but without personal attacks, hostility, etc.IN FACT, the only flaws I found regarding the book, were graphic design ones, a few kerning mistakes, in the book's title! The book jacket is still, visually striking, nonetheless >

This book disappointed me very much.I expected a more in-depth treatment of the topics covered.From the reviews, I would have expected the book to have a broader scope and greater conceptual rigor.The big topics are treated in an extremely superficial way.My impression is that the book's sole purpose is to "convert" inexperienced fundamentalists.

I just loved this book! I always had questions about salvation and this book answered some of the questions. I had so much to learn of the Catholic faith and this book is just a start in understanding more of my faith!