JAusten Fan
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God's Battalions
- The Case for the Crusades
- By: Rodney Stark
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 587
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 457
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 458
In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A lively and useful introduction
- By Tad Davis on 01-06-10
- God's Battalions
- The Case for the Crusades
- By: Rodney Stark
- Narrated by: David Drummond
Clear, detailed, and persuasive
Reviewed: 06-17-24
This book provides an exceptional summary of existing research and expertly rebuts the more recently imagined histories of the crusades.
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Parting the Waters
- America in the King Years 1954-63
- By: Taylor Branch
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards
- Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 200
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 176
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Story5 out of 5 stars 176
Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent
- By Judith Princz on 05-15-19
- Parting the Waters
- America in the King Years 1954-63
- By: Taylor Branch
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards
Excessive, often irrelevant detail
Reviewed: 05-25-24
Compelling story struggles to emerge from the inclusion of excessive, often irrelevant detail. Narration was excellent.
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Bad Religion
- How We Became a Nation of Heretics
- By: Ross Douthat
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 325
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 324
Ross Douthat, the youngest-ever op-ed columnist for the New York Times, has emerged as one of the most provocative and influential voices of his generation. Now he offers a masterful and hard-hitting account of how American Christianity has gone off the rails - and why it threatens to take American society with it.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Maybe not best as an audio book
- By Linwood on 05-02-12
- Bad Religion
- How We Became a Nation of Heretics
- By: Ross Douthat
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
Profound book
Reviewed: 01-06-24
Thorough and cohesive review of the history of Christianity in modern America. Tremendous insights for all faith traditions on why they lost their congregations. For Catholics, the fruits of the accomodationist impulse coupled with the sexual abuse scandal are compelling proof of the need for a return to apolitical orthodoxy.
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The Irony of Modern Catholic History
- How the Church Rediscovered Itself and Challenged the Modern World to Reform
- By: George Weigel
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 77
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 67
Throughout much of the 19th century, both secular and Catholic leaders assumed that the Church and the modern world were locked in a battle to the death. The triumph of modernity would not only finish the Church as a consequential player in world history; it would also lead to the death of religious conviction. But today, the Catholic Church is far more vital and consequential than it was 150 years ago.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Well written and considered book, bad narrator
- By Brad on 12-13-19
- The Irony of Modern Catholic History
- How the Church Rediscovered Itself and Challenged the Modern World to Reform
- By: George Weigel
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
Important Book
Reviewed: 10-02-23
The key lesson comes from near the end. The Church is now confronting an existential threat in Germany, Belgium, and the pages of America magazine, which Weigel dubs “theological historicism”. This movement posits that the Church should change its beliefs so they align with western post-modernism, particularly in areas related to sexuality even if doing so contradicts Christ, Scripture, and Tradition. There appears to be no theological basis for theological historicism, yet it is aggressively asserted in certain corners. This will be the defining debate for the next few years. Unlike the Church’s earlier confrontation with modernism, which was uncertain and sometimes incoherent, this challenge should be squarely joined.
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The Family Medici
- The Hidden History of the Medici Dynasty
- By: Mary Hollingsworth
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 24
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4 out of 5 stars 22
Having founded the bank that became the most powerful in Europe in the 15th century, the Medici gained massive political power in Florence, raising the city to a peak of cultural achievement and becoming its hereditary dukes. Mary Hollingsworth argues that the idea that the Medici were enlightened rulers of the Renaissance is a fiction that has now acquired the status of historical fact. In truth, the Medici were as devious and immoral as the Borgias - tyrants loathed in the city they illegally made their own.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good story, bad narrator.
- By EC on 01-07-19
- The Family Medici
- The Hidden History of the Medici Dynasty
- By: Mary Hollingsworth
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
Decent, Detailed History
Reviewed: 09-25-23
Engaging. While it gets some details wrong (eg, Galileo Affair), it is a serviceable history.
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The Moral Wisdom of the Catholic Church
- A Defense of Her Controversial Moral Teachings
- By: Robert Spitzer
- Narrated by: Joan Jacoby
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3
Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." Father Spitzer lays bare the theological and philosophical roots of Catholic morality, and also uses secular statistical studies to demonstrate that these teachings, even from a scientific standpoint, help human beings to flourish.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An Inside look at the world around us.
- By LL Langenbrunner on 12-28-23
- The Moral Wisdom of the Catholic Church
- A Defense of Her Controversial Moral Teachings
- By: Robert Spitzer
- Narrated by: Joan Jacoby
This trilogy is profound
Reviewed: 08-12-23
The self-reverence of post-modernism has led us to a world of unceasing misery - murders, suicides, fatal drug overdoses are at record levels. It is time to return to the only solution to our problems. Father Spitzer shows the way in a compelling and engaging trilogy of books. While you could read this one alone, reading all three will be life changing.
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Empire
- A New History of the World: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Civilizations
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Elliot Fitzpatrick
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 37
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Story4 out of 5 stars 30
A dazzling new history of the world told through the 10 major empires of human civilization. Combining breathtaking scope with masterful narrative control, Paul Strathern traces these connections across four millennia and sheds new light on these major civilizations - from the Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty to the Aztec and Ottoman, through to the most recent and biggest empires: the British, Russo-Soviet, and American.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A good overview for a beginner
- By JAusten Fan on 06-09-23
- Empire
- A New History of the World: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Civilizations
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Elliot Fitzpatrick
A good overview for a beginner
Reviewed: 06-09-23
A good high level interview marred by a few mistakes - Treaty of Westphalia was in 1648 not 1668; Mexican American War ended in 1848 not 1847. The newcomer may still enjoy it. The more experienced will likely not be satisfied. Moves at a brisk pace.
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1 person found this helpful
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Hoax
- The Catholic Plot That Never Was
- By: Victor Stater
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
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Story4 out of 5 stars 4
In 1678, a handful of perjurers claimed that the Catholics of England planned to assassinate the king. Men like the "Reverend Doctor" Titus Oates and "Captain" William Bedloe parlayed their fantastical tales of Irish ruffians, medical poisoners, and silver bullets into public adulation and government pensions. The result was the trial and execution of over a dozen innocent Catholics, and the imprisonment of many more, some of whom died in custody. Victor Stater examines the Popish Plot in full, arguing that it had a profound and lasting significance on British politics.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Tremendous amount of detail.
- By JAusten Fan on 05-29-23
- Hoax
- The Catholic Plot That Never Was
- By: Victor Stater
- Narrated by: John Lee
Tremendous amount of detail.
Reviewed: 05-29-23
More in depth treatment of the story than many will need or want. Less attention on the broader themes of history implicated by these events than most will want.
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The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
- Divine Mercy in My Soul
- By: Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska
- Narrated by: Tabatha Bartlett
- Length: 30 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 104
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story5 out of 5 stars 89
The Diary is an amazing narrative that chronicles the experiences of a simple, uneducated Polish nun who received a special call shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Our Lord appeared to her and instructed her to spread the message of his Divine Mercy to all, especially in our current age, which is full of so much distress and worldliness. The message of the Divine Mercy is that God loves us all of us. And He wants us to recognize that his mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon him with trust, receive his mercy, and let it flow through us to others.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Saint Faustina Pray for us
- By Roger D Newman on 11-29-22
- The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
- Divine Mercy in My Soul
- By: Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska
- Narrated by: Tabatha Bartlett
Profound
Reviewed: 05-05-23
Read/Listen with an open heart and this profound work will transform your heart so that you may seek to do God’s will rather than your own. Be humble and merciful.
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Forty Reasons I Am a Catholic
- By: Peter Kreeft
- Narrated by: Jim Denison
- Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 243
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 217
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 215
My title explains itself. But it's misleading. There are more than 40 reasons. Each of my reasons is an independent point, so I have not organized this book by a succession of chapters or headings. After all, most people only remember a few big ideas or separate points after reading or listening to a book. I've never heard anyone say "Oh, that was a good continuous-process-of-logically-ordered-argumentation" but I've often heard people say, "Oh, that was a good point." And back to my main point: "Why are you a Catholic?" is a good question. A good question deserves a good answer.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Truth
- By Charles Patrick Northcutt on 01-29-21
- Forty Reasons I Am a Catholic
- By: Peter Kreeft
- Narrated by: Jim Denison
A great summary of the Catholic Faith
Reviewed: 03-18-23
Professor Kreeft provides an outstanding defense of his Catholic faith that is readily accessible to all. It will be of particular interest to Protestants who are curious about the Catholic faith.
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