Opus Dei
There are few organizations as polarizing as Opus Dei in the Roman Catholic Church. Made (in)famous in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code its membership of around 85,000 persons seems to attract a disproportionate amount of attention. Veteran Vatican reporter John Allen has done, consequently, a great service to those interested in learning more about "The Work" in his estimable book Opus Dei . Let me begin with a caveat: I began reading this book with a presupposition that I would come away thinking less of Opus Dei. Interestingly, Allen's balanced treatment highlights many of the positive qualities and characteristics of Opus Dei while at the same time acknowledging shadowy areas in its practices. The book is partitioned into four main sections: the Essentials of Opus Dei, Opus Dei from the Inside , Question Marks About Opus Dei , and finally a Summary Evaluation . Each section relies heavily on information provided both by current and former members of Opus Dei. This...