From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart Rekindling My Love for Catholicism

“With an appealing candor and a storyteller’s skill, Haw explores here a principal question of contemporary western Christianity: What is the role and proper place of the praxis, traditions, and theology of Inherited Church in shaping the religion of today’s Christians? I must add as well that only rarely, if ever, have I seen a more persuasive or compelling apologia than the one he makes.”

“A refreshing dose of respect, objectivity, and love. . . . This autobiographical 'confession' will be of interest to both Catholics and Protestants as both will learn much and be invited to reflect deeply on their own personal profession of faith.”

“Chris Haw’s new book is a gem: honest, insightful, funny. With sparkling prose and considerable theological insight, Chris describes his journey from Willow Creek to Sacred Heart—from American Evangelicalism to Roman Catholicism. In this narrative—part biography and part theology—he asks hard questions and refuses to settle for easy answers. Along the way he incorporates insights from Wendell Berry, G.K. Chesterton, and John Howard Yoder, among others. Chris’s story will be of special interest to Protestants who wonder about all things Catholic and Catholics who wonder about leaving the Church. To all readers this book is a lovely gift.”

“In an accessible and intelligent way, Chris Haw presents us with the colorful fabric of his faith journey woven together with rich resources, inviting readers on a theological and spiritual adventure of action and contemplation. This book is perfect for those struggling to understand how they fit into the Church and world today, especially those young adults seeking to make sense of their faith in challenging times.”

“Much more than an already fascinating Chestertonian re-discovery of the Catholic Faith, Chris Haws bears witness to the slow, patient, ideology-busting determination of God. This has brought him, via the dying reefs of Belize and the apocalyptic landscape of Camden, New Jersey into one of our faith’s best-kept secrets: a deep, delighting love for our material, corporal, human life—in all its vulnerability.”

“Because of Chris Haw's beautiful prose, From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart reminded me of Thomas Howard's Christ the Tiger. Because of Haw's lucid line of thought, it reminded me of G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. But the book offers today's readers unique gifts as well, because Chris feels the peculiar challenges of the present moment. He proclaims a catholic faith (big or small “C”) that is simultaneously rooted in history and engaged with our gritty, conflicted, often superficial, and yet profoundly questioning world.”

“This book is really excellent, and reveals the maturity that seems to be showing itself in so many of our churches today. It is an ideal example of “non-dual thinking”, the contemplative mind that can see 'beyond the shadow and the disguise' of things. Before returning to the Catholic Church, Chris Haw did courageously from the outside what so many of us cradle Catholics seldom do—but need to do—from the inside.”

“This book is in part about why the Catholic communion is good, but it is not about why the Protestant communions are bad. It is blissfully free from polemics, which we don’t need. Haw’s book is a gift to a Church too often divided by 'conservatives' who demand submission and 'liberals' who demand freedom. Chris Haw has, through his witness and his words, opened up a broader vision of a truly Catholic life beautifully lived.”

“Chris Haw's journey from Willow Creek to Sacred Heart (and the Roman Catholic tradition) is an important addendum to the story of 21st century American Christianity—not only because Haw's journey is representative, but because he has engaged the questions that come up along the way so well. You don't need to believe that all roads lead to Rome to see that we can all learn something from a faithful pilgrimage in that direction.”

“Sometimes you hear someone share their story and you get the sense that they are pioneers, scouts, groundbreakers . . . blazing a trail that a lot of people will hike on after they are long gone. Chris Haw is one of those trailblazers.”