HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILT WESTERN CIVILIZATION

The author attempts to dispel the stereotype of the Christian Church in the Middle Ages as being an institution of “corruption, ignorance, repression, and stagnation.” His examples include the Church’s involvement in the preservation of literature, the support of art and architecture, the revival of codified law, the advancement of science, and the invention of charity. Barrett Whitener uses subtle inflection and frequent variation in his intonation to keep the listener engaged with the stodgy rhetoric; his pauses and changes of tone make the author’s punctuation easy to discern. Whitener reads without haste, and his deep voice further adds to the pleasure of learning how popular prejudice has deceived us by ignoring the facts. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]