Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism - Inspiring Conversion Story | Perfect for Catholic Converts, Book Clubs & Spiritual Growth

In my review of “The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross,” by Scott Hahn, I wrote the following:Scott Hahn, author of nearly 40 books, including “The Fourth Cup,” became a Christ-follower in high school through the ministry of YoungLife. He graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was an ordained Presbyterian pastor. Until…he wasn’t.After a multi-year study of the Scriptures and more, this confirmed Calvinist converted to Catholicism in 1986. A Catholic theologian since 1990, he teaches at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in Steubenville, Ohio, and is the founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.It took his wife, the daughter of a Presbyterian pastor, four more years of discernment before she became Catholic. In 1993, Kimberly Hahn co-authored a book with her husband, "Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism."In my review of “Evangelical Exodus: Evangelical Seminarians and Their Paths to Rome,” I wrote this:In the very intriguing book, “Evangelical Exodus,” the author of the chapter, “Moved and Sustained by the Blessed Virgin,” quotes from Peter Kreeft’s lecture on ecumenism. Kraft says, “Baptists are learning to love Mary and pray the Rosary, and Catholics are asking, ‘Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?’”I was raised in a Baptist church in Seattle, graduated from a Free Methodist-affiliated college (SPU), and received a master’s degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), part of the Evangelical Free Church denomination. I served five years in the Midwest district office and camp of the Baptist General Conference (now called Converge). I have been a tithing member of an Evangelical Covenant Church and a non-denominational megachurch, so I thought I was somewhat ecumenical. But pro-Catholic? Not so much.ROME SWEET HOME. OK, now with that background—here is my review of “Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism,” by Scott and Kimberly Hahn.Just in time for Lent 2024, I read “Rome Sweet Home.” It looks like I’m averaging one Catholic author per year—which is pretty good for an old Baptist. So…what’s the deal?My neighbor, a Lutheran who became Catholic, loaned me this book (and then I bought my own copy). It's a poignant and personal story from Scott and Kimberly Hahn. Written in 1993, much has happened since Scott Hahn (an “anti-Catholic” by his own admission) became Catholic. His wife, Kimberly, shares her story of deep reluctance, regret at her husband’s conversion, and then ultimately her joy—in also becoming Catholic four years later.Each chapter begins with Scott’s journey, followed by Kimberly’s commentary. (It’s the perfect storytelling approach for this husband and wife.) If you’re an evangelical Christian, you’ll recognize many familiar names and organizations:Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, YoungLife, “Screwtape Letters,” Paul Little’s book, “Know Why You Believe” (Little was one of my seminary profs), Dr. John Gerstner, Martin Luther, Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, Continental Singers, Dr. Francis Schaeffer, Peter Gillquist, Elmbrook Church, Dr. Jerry Kirk, Cardinal Bernardin, Pope John Paul II, and others.(And by the way, if you're an "evangelical," you should read the “Wall Street Journal” article from Jan. 11, 2024, "How ‘Evangelical’ Are Iowa’s Evangelicals? The adulteration of a theological term into a secular political and demographic label.")Scott Hahn affirms the Lord’s grace in helping “this bumbling biblical detective (the ‘Columbo of Theology’) crack the case of Catholicism—by coming home.” He adds, “In truth, the journey began as a detective story, but soon it became more like a horror story, until it finally ended up as a great romance story—when Christ unveiled his Bride, the Church. (By the way, it would help to keep these three story types in mind as you read.)”The stories are amazing: The God-orchestrated last-minute visit by Scott with a high school friend. (Spoiler alert: eight feet of rope.) And God’s just-in-time doctor’s proximity to Kimberly, resulting in an emergency hospital visit.Scott was consumed (consumed!) with nagging questions:• “Why is our church so pastor-centered?”• “Why is our worship service so sermon-centered?”• “And why aren’t my sermons really designed to prepare God’s people to receive communion?” (The church where he pastored took communion only four times per year.)He writes: “…I was pastoring a Presbyterian church that had split off from a splinter group (the Orthodox Presbyterian Church), which had in turn separated from another division (the Presbyterian Church of the U.S.A.), all in this century! (We didn’t call ourselves the split P’s for nothing!)”If you’re Protestant, you must confess that you have some angst when you read that Jesus said to Peter, “…upon this rock I will build my church.” And that today there are now an estimated 47,000 denominations worldwide. (The Hahns estimated just 25,000 in 1993 when the book was published.) How does the proliferation of denominations and “split P’s” align with Jesus’ prayer that Christ-followers would be of one mind and unified?This book is not a dusty lecture on Catholic theology and Protestant/Catholic issues—nor are the fundamental differences treated lightly. (Other books and resources are recommended for more study.) Gratefully, the book is respectful of the A-to-Z nuances of Christian doctrine. As Scott Hahn (aka “Columbo”) pursued his detective work, both he and Kimberly were able to find humor in their journeys. On the deep divide of doctrines about Mary (the mother of Jesus), Kimberly shares this story:“I once read about a man in Rome who was repairing the ceiling of a beautiful chapel one day when he observed an American woman enter the church and begin to pray. He thought he’d have a little fun, so he called down quietly, ‘This is Jesus.’ But the woman did not respond.“So he called out a little louder, ‘This is Jesus.’ Still no response.“Finally, the man called loudly, ‘This is Jesus!’“The woman looked up and yelled, ‘Be quiet, I’m talking to your mother!’”NEXT STEP. If you’re Protestant and you’ve never read a thoughtful book about Catholicism, you’ll appreciate “Rome Sweet Home.” If you’re Catholic, you’ll find much to love about this former Presbyterian pastor who is now a Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio. He yearns for even more commitment from his Catholic colleagues. (Note: If you’re an atheist or an agnostic, I’d suggest you read former atheist Lee Strobel’s latest book, “Is God Real?”)I'll sum up with this from Scott Hahn:“What has impressed us most from our time in Steubenville is precisely the way it combines the evangelical and the Catholic. I am talking about the way in which the Catholic Faith unites what other religions tend to separate: personal piety and liturgical ritual; evangelistic outreach and social action; spiritual fervor and intellectual rigor; academic freedom and dynamic orthodoxy; enthusiastic worship and reverent contemplation; powerful preaching and sacramental devotion; Scripture and Tradition; body and soul; the individual and the corporate.”