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The Drama of Salvation: How God Rescues You from Your Sins and Brings You to Eternal Life
Where Will You Spend Eternity?The drama of salvation involves every man, woman, and child on earth. In this life, all of us are suspended between heaven and hell.Few people understand what Jesus did or how it affects us.Worse yet, there are endless squabbles between Christians of different persuasions, leading to confusion on a massive scale.In this book, Jimmy Akin uses his expertise in Scripture and Church teaching to cut through the confusion and provide clear answers on important issues •What we need to do to be saved•Whether salvation is a one-time event or a process•Whether penance is part of God’s plan•What indulgences are•How faith and works relate •What the Church teaches about justification•How far apart Protestants and Catholics are on this question•Whether you have to be a Catholic (or a Christian) to be savedNo other book takes on these questions with the clarity and precision that Akin brings to them…and the answer will affect you and those you love . . . forever.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2015
74 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Akin
47 books167 followersJimmy Akin (b. 1965) was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant pastor or seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith. Eventually, he was compelled in conscience to enter the Catholic Church, which he did in 1992. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is a Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to This Rock magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 16, 2020
3.5/5
Jimmy Akin is one of my favorite apologists because of his ability to sort things out with clarity, charity, and distinctions. This book demonstrates all of those attributes.
I thought what Jimmy did discuss was done very well. But I also thought there were some glaring omissions such as:
-Infant Baptism (almost all of the discussion focused on adult conversions)
-a fuller conclusion to the last chapter (which focused on EENS or “the necessity of the Church for salvation)
Regarding Infant Baptism, one question that was recently brought to my attention was, “How important unto salvation is it for a person who was baptized as an infant to come to explicit faith in Christ?” And also, “What about people who were baptized as infants but seem to never have ‘made the Faith their own’ as adults and who live as ‘practical atheists’?”
Regarding the last chapter, it would have been nice to have a fuller synthesis of the Catholic understanding about the necessity of the Church for salvation. Specifically, affirming the ongoing validity and importance of the conviction that all people — whether non-Catholic Christians or non-Christians — are called to unity in the Catholic Church, and that we should be praying and working towards that.
Despite these critiques, Jimmy provided some invaluable explanations and insights regarding the Catholic understanding of how salvation works. I especially appreciated the times when he identified greater unity between Catholic and non-Catholic Christians than I had realized existed.
Thanks Jimmy!
Jimmy Akin is one of my favorite apologists because of his ability to sort things out with clarity, charity, and distinctions. This book demonstrates all of those attributes.
I thought what Jimmy did discuss was done very well. But I also thought there were some glaring omissions such as:
-Infant Baptism (almost all of the discussion focused on adult conversions)
-a fuller conclusion to the last chapter (which focused on EENS or “the necessity of the Church for salvation)
Regarding Infant Baptism, one question that was recently brought to my attention was, “How important unto salvation is it for a person who was baptized as an infant to come to explicit faith in Christ?” And also, “What about people who were baptized as infants but seem to never have ‘made the Faith their own’ as adults and who live as ‘practical atheists’?”
Regarding the last chapter, it would have been nice to have a fuller synthesis of the Catholic understanding about the necessity of the Church for salvation. Specifically, affirming the ongoing validity and importance of the conviction that all people — whether non-Catholic Christians or non-Christians — are called to unity in the Catholic Church, and that we should be praying and working towards that.
Despite these critiques, Jimmy provided some invaluable explanations and insights regarding the Catholic understanding of how salvation works. I especially appreciated the times when he identified greater unity between Catholic and non-Catholic Christians than I had realized existed.
Thanks Jimmy!
May 27, 2015
I had certainly been looking forward to Jimmy Akin’s newest book The Drama of Salvation: How God Rescues You from Your Sins and Delivers You to Eternal Life as it has been teased for awhile on Catholic Answers.
The doctrine of salvation (Soteriology) is of course of supreme importance and like many important things it can be both easy and hard to understand. The subtitle of the book is actually a pretty good simplification of this branch of theology. The question “So what can I do to be saved?” is really the starting point to delving into this question.
One of the seeming goals of this book was to clear up confusion regarding this topic between Catholic and Protestants. Often there is no common vocabulary even when we are using the same words. So easy to talk past each other when we don’t spend time to define terms ourselves and also coming to understand how different groups use those same words. Another difficulty is that Protestantism in not monolithic when it comes these terms and different groups will have different understandings or nuances. As Jimmy Akin mentions:
> “This is precisely the kind of situation that St. Paul was addressing when he warned about quarreling over words. He instructed St. Timothy to charge his flock “before the Lord to avoid disputing about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers” (2 Tim. 2:14).”
Another points he makes is that often there can be different insights and that these insights do not necessarily conflict. Different emphasis can lead to a deeper understanding.
Jimmy Akin is really gifted when it comes to explaining things at a basic level. He grounds this book with a canvas of scripture showing how scripture uses words like justification, salvation, forgiveness, etc. This understanding, like most things in scripture, was revealed more fully over time until being made more manifest in the New Testament. His use of the Church Fathers and others show how the early Church also understood what was revealed by scripture.
I know I am describing this book badly as it is so filled with information and insights that it is hard for me to summarize. Still I will try. This book certainly deepened my understanding regarding salvation. Even in areas I was familiar with he was able make concepts more substantial. I especially liked the helpful terms he used to categorize areas, especially in places where there is not a common vocabulary.
One topic area I found especially helpful was the one on “Outside the Church, no Salvation” (“Extra Ecclesiam, nulla sallus”). While I already generally understand the nuances involved and where the rigorists go wrong, I really enjoyed the fuller historical context. Other areas of interest regarded the Council of Trent’s teaching on justification and also the discussion on the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. There are extensive bonus materials included in the book with many of the documents addressed in the book.
You don’t have to be a theology nerd to be able to read this book. This is written for a general audience and Jimmy Akin’s clear writing makes it worthwhile for everyone.
The doctrine of salvation (Soteriology) is of course of supreme importance and like many important things it can be both easy and hard to understand. The subtitle of the book is actually a pretty good simplification of this branch of theology. The question “So what can I do to be saved?” is really the starting point to delving into this question.
One of the seeming goals of this book was to clear up confusion regarding this topic between Catholic and Protestants. Often there is no common vocabulary even when we are using the same words. So easy to talk past each other when we don’t spend time to define terms ourselves and also coming to understand how different groups use those same words. Another difficulty is that Protestantism in not monolithic when it comes these terms and different groups will have different understandings or nuances. As Jimmy Akin mentions:
> “This is precisely the kind of situation that St. Paul was addressing when he warned about quarreling over words. He instructed St. Timothy to charge his flock “before the Lord to avoid disputing about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers” (2 Tim. 2:14).”
Another points he makes is that often there can be different insights and that these insights do not necessarily conflict. Different emphasis can lead to a deeper understanding.
Jimmy Akin is really gifted when it comes to explaining things at a basic level. He grounds this book with a canvas of scripture showing how scripture uses words like justification, salvation, forgiveness, etc. This understanding, like most things in scripture, was revealed more fully over time until being made more manifest in the New Testament. His use of the Church Fathers and others show how the early Church also understood what was revealed by scripture.
I know I am describing this book badly as it is so filled with information and insights that it is hard for me to summarize. Still I will try. This book certainly deepened my understanding regarding salvation. Even in areas I was familiar with he was able make concepts more substantial. I especially liked the helpful terms he used to categorize areas, especially in places where there is not a common vocabulary.
One topic area I found especially helpful was the one on “Outside the Church, no Salvation” (“Extra Ecclesiam, nulla sallus”). While I already generally understand the nuances involved and where the rigorists go wrong, I really enjoyed the fuller historical context. Other areas of interest regarded the Council of Trent’s teaching on justification and also the discussion on the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification signed between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. There are extensive bonus materials included in the book with many of the documents addressed in the book.
You don’t have to be a theology nerd to be able to read this book. This is written for a general audience and Jimmy Akin’s clear writing makes it worthwhile for everyone.
June 15, 2015
The Drama of Salvation is the latest book from Jimmy Akin, senior apologist at Catholic Answers. The main aim of this book is to open a dialogue between Catholics and Protestants where they understand what the other is talking about. Akin hopes that Catholics and Protestants will stop talking at each other or past each other and instead engage in real and meaningful conversations, where they come to the realization that they either agree on some points or their disagreements aren't as drastic as often thought. There are nine chapters and seven bonus sections. The chapter titles are as follows:
1. The Drama of Salvation
2. Salvation Past, Present, and Future
3. Temporal and Eternal Salvation
4. Doing Penance
5. Indulgences
6. Faith, Works, and Boasting
7. Justification in Catholic Teaching
8. Justification and Ecumenism
9. Outside the Church, No Salvation?
The chapters were busting at the seams with information and very well organized. Akin used not only the Catechism to make his point, but relied heavily on Scripture. In his use of Scripture, he helped clarify key points regarding salvation that would make for effective dialogue with Protestants. I found this especially true in the chapters on justification. For the most part, Protestants have a view of salvation and justification being a one-time thing. They also believe that their salvation cannot be lost. Akin, with the use of Scripture, explains that Catholics believe that salvation is an ongoing process. He also shows how justification happened in the past, the present, and will in the future. Akin goes further to explain that the original Reformers actually had very Catholic beliefs about salvation and justification, and that ideas like "once saved always saved" are fairly new to the scene.
One of the most helpful chapters for me was the one on indulgences. As a former Protestant, I still struggle with this Church teaching. This chapter answered a lot of my questions, and made me feel a bit more at ease with the subject. I can't say that it was a light switch that flipped and I'm Mr. Indulgence now, but I do have a new understanding and respect for them and hope to slowly become more accepting of them and utilize them. This chapter is great for Protestants, converts, and even cradle Catholics. In addition to the nine chapters listed above, there are also bonus sections. I won't list them all out, but as a Pope Benedict XVI fan, it's no surprise my favorite one was "Pope Benedict XVI on St. Paul and the Doctrine of Justification."
I highly recommend this book for Catholics and Protestants. Most books written of this nature eventually turn into an attack on one side or the other. Instead, Mr. Akin does a masterful job of presenting just the facts in a way that both sides can better understand the other side. By doing this, he has provided a way for meaningful dialogue to occur. I know it is probably a pipe dream, but I would love to see this book written again, but replacing Protestantism with Eastern Orthodoxy. I often find myself wishing I could have better discussions with them, but maybe I am in the minority when it comes to that. Anyways, like I said earlier, I highly recommend this book, and recommend you buy it, read it, and re-read it. You won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't!
1. The Drama of Salvation
2. Salvation Past, Present, and Future
3. Temporal and Eternal Salvation
4. Doing Penance
5. Indulgences
6. Faith, Works, and Boasting
7. Justification in Catholic Teaching
8. Justification and Ecumenism
9. Outside the Church, No Salvation?
The chapters were busting at the seams with information and very well organized. Akin used not only the Catechism to make his point, but relied heavily on Scripture. In his use of Scripture, he helped clarify key points regarding salvation that would make for effective dialogue with Protestants. I found this especially true in the chapters on justification. For the most part, Protestants have a view of salvation and justification being a one-time thing. They also believe that their salvation cannot be lost. Akin, with the use of Scripture, explains that Catholics believe that salvation is an ongoing process. He also shows how justification happened in the past, the present, and will in the future. Akin goes further to explain that the original Reformers actually had very Catholic beliefs about salvation and justification, and that ideas like "once saved always saved" are fairly new to the scene.
One of the most helpful chapters for me was the one on indulgences. As a former Protestant, I still struggle with this Church teaching. This chapter answered a lot of my questions, and made me feel a bit more at ease with the subject. I can't say that it was a light switch that flipped and I'm Mr. Indulgence now, but I do have a new understanding and respect for them and hope to slowly become more accepting of them and utilize them. This chapter is great for Protestants, converts, and even cradle Catholics. In addition to the nine chapters listed above, there are also bonus sections. I won't list them all out, but as a Pope Benedict XVI fan, it's no surprise my favorite one was "Pope Benedict XVI on St. Paul and the Doctrine of Justification."
I highly recommend this book for Catholics and Protestants. Most books written of this nature eventually turn into an attack on one side or the other. Instead, Mr. Akin does a masterful job of presenting just the facts in a way that both sides can better understand the other side. By doing this, he has provided a way for meaningful dialogue to occur. I know it is probably a pipe dream, but I would love to see this book written again, but replacing Protestantism with Eastern Orthodoxy. I often find myself wishing I could have better discussions with them, but maybe I am in the minority when it comes to that. Anyways, like I said earlier, I highly recommend this book, and recommend you buy it, read it, and re-read it. You won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't!
December 11, 2021
I like Jimmy Akin's radio program and I bought this book because of that. I think he did a good job in explaining the difficulties concerning justification by faith. The issues regarding salvation and the role of the Church into it were harder to read through, but I think for his fault.
June 30, 2021
A great book that helped clear up any misconceptions I had about justification and salvation. There was a lot to unpack in this book and I immensely appreciate Akin's writing style. Beautifully done!
March 1, 2019
I enjoyed this book. Jimmy Akin did a fantastic job. It was very deep and not light reading material but I really found this book helpful.
January 28, 2023
The Drama of Salvation is an updated and expanded version of a previous book by Akin titled “The Salvation Controversy.” In both works, Akin tackles issues related to the concept of salvation such as justification, indulgences, and penance, among other important issues. What I like about The Drama of Salvation is that it adds chapters regarding salvation outside the church and how Catholic teachings are both alike and differ from protestant teachings on topics like Grace Alone and Faith Alone. Unfortunately Akin cuts out his chapter from the previous book in which he gives an alternative to T.U.L.I.P that can fit within Catholic teachings but it’s not too big a loss and some of the same concepts are addressed in other chapters. Overall, I’d say this is a great work for any catholic, protestant, or non-christian to read in order to get a better understanding of how the Catholic Church believes Salvation can be attained.
September 18, 2022
Very informative, detail, and clear book. One of the best I have read so far on the topic. I like how Jimmy Akin included several of the major source documents that he covers in the book in in the appendix.
March 28, 2023
Excellent book for apologetics and understand protestant catholic dialogue on Salvation. This book presents the Biblical view on Salvation and defends it from recent distortions found in separated churches.
May 27, 2025
Jimmy Akin takes a subject made difficult because of the Protestant division on the subject of salvation, and makes it understandable to a cradle Catholic like myself.
December 1, 2024
Nov 2024. Hoping this one will fill the gap in Akin's THE FATHERS KNOW BEST. Finished. I think he solved all my "Letter to the Romans" problems.
December 24, 2024
Definitely one of Akin’s best. He does a great job explaining Catholic and Protestant views on justification and sanctification.
March 30, 2022
Apologist Jimmy Akins, conclusively treats the topic of salvation and justification. Why we need to be saved, how we are saved, the relationship between faith, works of the law, and good works in the Christian understanding of salvation. He draws on the teachings of the Bible, the church fathers, and the magisterium. The book ends with a full stop.
November 3, 2015
Comprehensive look at justification and the Catholic Christian view of salvation and what unites us with Protestants and what still divides. Heartening that there is alot more in common when you get past the language and theological emphases. Bottom line is that we are all saved by God's grace and that we cooperate by faith working through love but even then it is still God's grace that enables the gifts of faith, hope, and love. I liked that Jimmy also included documents like Dominus Iesus which is a brilliant document by then Cardinal Ratzinger.
August 15, 2015
Nails The Salvation Perspective of the Church well.
I really like how Jimmy Akin talked about definitions of terms from both sides of the salvation of justification controversy. Dealing with communication people in the same family as delicately.
I really like how Jimmy Akin talked about definitions of terms from both sides of the salvation of justification controversy. Dealing with communication people in the same family as delicately.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews