Book Review of THE BOOK THAT MADE YOUR WORLD

THE BOOK THAT MADE YOUR WORLD
By Vishal Mangalwadi
ISBN 978-1595553225
Published by Thomas Nelson
Reviewed by Clint Walker

Vishal Mangalwadi is an up and coming apologist for the Christian faith. He is also a strong advocate of classical Western Civilization. THE BOOK THAT MADE YOUR WORLD allows him to tell the story of both.

Specifically, Mangalwadi tells the story of the influence of the Bible on the best parts of Western Civilization. Whether he is discussing science, art, or literature, THE BOOK THAT MADE YOUR WORLD aims to teach his readers that much of what we have come to appreciate about our modern lives and culture has its roots in Scripture.

The timing of this book is impeccable. It is written in English. This year is the 400th anniversary of the first mass-produced English Bible, namely the King James Version of Scripture.

THE BOOK THAT MADE YOUR WORLD is written as both a celebration and a warning. Mangalwadi celebrates what God has done through Christian people to make this world the way it is. On the other hand, he warns his readers that if Western Civilization continues to lose its way by rejecting the power and authority of Scripture, that it will find increasing hardship ahead.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I agreed with much of his discussion of how Christianity influenced culture. I found it a helpful and instructional narrative, and an encouragement to do the same kinds of things today. I struggled, though, with the author’s wedding of Western Civilization with Christianity. Christianity has offered much to build our world in the West. But making Christianity synonymous with Western culture as often as Mangalwadi seems to do (though he doesn’t do it all the time) concerns me. From the book of Acts, we find that the gospel is transcultural, and adaptable to a variety of different societies and cultures. The yoking Western Civilization and Christianity to closely can have the unwanted effect of making the church much like the “Judiazers” of the first century that tried to compel Christian believers to become culturally Jewish in order to be saved. This kind of cultural imperialism would be tragic.

Nevertheless, I think this book is a wonderful resource, and should be on every pastor’s shelf.

*This book was given to me by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review