Book Review: Papa Don’t Pope by Douglas Wilson
This is a book review and is therefore subjective. If you want an objective book review, then go somewhere else. Note: this book was released in 2015.
This book is an easy read. If you are looking for a book that details in great specificity the differences in doctrine, history, faith, leadership, etc. between the Church of Rome and the Protestant church, this is not a book for you. If you are looking for a book that simply details the root difference between Catholics and Protestants this book is for you. At $14.00 for the paperback version and nothing for the kindle version (as of February 22, 2022) this is an affordable and great read.
Wilson writes in a very familiar and simple style that is comfortable to read and sometimes witty. He is not erudite, and his language is not above the common man. He lays out his argument in a very common and familiar tone. He is not an ideologue or a flaming Protestant. His goal is not to scorch Roman Catholicism, but to explain it, correct it, and bring it back into orthodoxy.
Wilson does challenge the presupposition held by many Protestants and Roman Catholics alike that unity means that we are all of the same thinking. Instead, he argues that we should be of “One Lord, One Faith, One baptism.” This is not governmental unity but biblical unity.
He does not get into the gory details of the debate(s) between Roman Catholics and Protestants but focuses on one thing: the authority of Scripture over the Church, or the authority of the Church over Scripture. He says the debate rises and falls from this crux.
The point of this view is not to ruin the book by telling you how Wilson gets there, but he does. Its an entertaining, witty, and easy read. A good place to start if you have questions, and a good place to start if you want to talk with friends about it.