There are books, and then there are BOOKS.

There are books that inform, or entertain or simply distract.

And then there are books that are insightful, informative, analytical, instructive, myth-busting, world-view shaping, broad and important.

One such book (of very few that fits into the latter category) is Vishal Mangalwadi’s “The Book That Made Your World: How The Bible Created The Soul of Western Civilization.”

From part 1: “The West without it’s Soul: From Bach to Cobain” – to chapter 20: “The Future: Must the Sun set on the West?” – you will be drawn into an understanding of Western Culture, how it was formed, where it is now, what is wrong and how we can get back on track.

Mangalwadi’s breadth of comprehension of key factors, depth of analysis, and unashamed defense of the Bible as essential to Humanity’s true progress is breathtaking, readable, digestible, challenging and encouraging.

Vishal Mangalwadi is an Indian scholar, philosopher, thinker and Christian. His background in Indian culture, experiencing the influences of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam and Biblically informed Christianity quit him to analyze civil, social, political and spiritual matters from a number of clarifying perspectives.

And yes, I am struggling through a fit of adjectival overload in trying to be brief, informative and compelling in one fell swoop! It ain’t easy! Feel my pain.

Let me try to convince you to buy and read this book by stating only 5 of what I believe are its most compelling features in bullet points, instead of writing a review that would rival Mangalwadi’s book in length.

1. It is VERY readable. The Dr. unpacks deep and broad subjects with extraordinary accessibility. No one need fear it. Yes, he will delve deeply into political theory, sociology, philosophy, religion, psychology and even music – but you will never think you’ve been force fed from fire hose or made to contort your brain to accommodate the influx.
2. It is INTERESTING. Some of the subjects he addresses so deftly, are frankly ones I would not spend much time on separately, for fear of ossifying my brain and my mind. But he takes you there with ease, and uses a verbal machete in chopping out the weeds.
3. It is BROAD. Global history. Intellectual Movements. Key historical figures and events. Philosophical schools of thought. Various worldviews and their inevitable consequences. Biblical correctives. Reality from God’s point of view. Humanity. Science. Love. This book is an education unto itself – an entire self-contained curriculum.
4. It is DE-MYTHOLOGIZING. As educational systems come under the sway of various worldviews, history get re-written, misunderstood, and its worst features repeated. Truth clears the sticky, inky residue of such misinformation away to let the Light shine in illuminating what was lost in the darkness.
5. It is CHRIST centered and BIBLE BASED. Mangalwadi is no mere theorist, nor narrow fundamentalist. He sees facts, comprehends them cohesively, and analyzes them Biblically. And he never gets himself, or you, lost along the way.

For me, I plan to get a few groups going where we are reading this book and discussing its contents together.

If you are not a reader – please try this one any way. It will draw you in.

If you are a reader – add it to the top of important books to be read this year. You WILL thank me.