The Book that Made Your World by Vishal Mangalwadi

Subtitle: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization.

The Holy Bible has influenced Western culture in ways that never occurred to me before I read this book. The author is from India, and that gives him a unique perspective from which to show us how the introduction of the Bible and Christianity changes a culture. He maintains that the West leads the world primarily because operates using Christian values set forth in the Bible.

The author shows how everything that's great about Western culture is based on Biblical principles. Without the influence of the Bible, democracy itself might not have developed. Everything from education to our medical system to the status of women is the result of Christian teachings, disseminated by the Bible. He also shares his distress over how the decline of Christian values in America and Europe threatens the exceptionalism that the Biblical foundation fostered.

The work is scholarly, but the personal stories the author shares keep it interesting for the average person. He includes an extensive index along with copious notes. He often compares Christian values to those of other religions, but I think he does it in a fair way. While some will think he is criticizing these religions, I think he's merely telling it like it is.

I must admit that I found it hard to read for very long at a time. I had a choice of a print version of the book or e-book version. I chose the e-book, and that was a mistake. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had the print version. With nonfiction, I like to go back occasionally to review previous material. This is harder to do in the electronic format. Suffice it to say that I recommend you get the print book. It's worth the extra cost.

Check it out on Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”