Book Review: Nuts & Bolts, A Practical, How-to Guide for Explaining and Defending the Catholic Faith

Wow, that's a long title for a book. For the rest of this review, I'm just going to call it "Nuts & Bolts". Some friends of ours lent us "Nuts & Bolts" by Tim Staples about a year ago. I let Nuke borrow it, and only recently did I decide I would read it myself.

Why did I decide to read it? Well, I went to a session on prayer with one of the Priests at my church. We got on the topic of continual conversion, and he emphasized that we have to work on changing our habits in our lives if we are ever going to become the type of people God wants us to be. So, right after that, I started reading from the Bible and praying every morning...so far I've done fairly well with that, though I've missed a few days. But, my evening routine was still the same...get my work done, relax in front of the TV, watch TV in bed, maybe remember to say my prayers, toss and turn for 30 minutes, then fall asleep.

About 2 weeks ago, I was in the middle of some serious insomnia, so I decided to try reading, but I didn't want to read a "fun" book, because that would just get me wired up. I had "Nuts & Bolts" on my bedside table, so I started reading it. I read about 1 to 2 chapters a night, and I found that it put me in a calmer mood, helped me to be more prayerful before bed, and I was falling asleep faster. Now, I'm trying to make reading an educational book a constant part of my nighttime routine.

Now, on to the book review. "Nuts & Bolts" is a good, beginner, Catholic apologetics book. I think if you are predisposed to be Catholic, you will agree with most everything in this book, and be excited that there is Scripture to back up the things that Catholics do (Reconciliation, Prayer to Saints, etc.). However, I can also see why Nuke wasn't convinced. Tim Staples sets up really good straw man scenarios throughout the book, but frankly, those in the "arguments" with his characters don't put up much of a fight.

If you are a Catholic who doesn't know the Scriptural basis for the things you believe, read this book. If you have an inkling that you might be predisposed to being a Catholic, read "Nut & Bolts" by Tim Staples. If, after reading it, you think, there might be something to this Catholic thing, talk to your local Parish RCIA coordinator.