Christendom Awake
56. Aidan Nichols, O.P., Christendom Awake: On Reenergizing the Church in Culture
This nonfiction work by a Catholic priest examines some of the most pressing problems facing the Church in the modern world. From the degradation of the liturgy to the devaluing of human life, Fr. Nichols discusses major cultural developments that are antithetical to a Christian worldview and speculates about how to resolve these problems.
I was privileged to have Fr. Nichols as a professor when he guest-taught a theology course at my college. I have a great respect for his intellect and the quality of his scholarship. However, I have to say that this book is extremely dull! The writing style is very dry and obviously geared toward academics rather than ordinary readers. Most of the chapters were not particularly interesting to me; also, because so many topics are addressed, few points are argued in enough detail to be convincing. Overall, I was disappointed in this book, and I find that I don’t have much else to say about it.