No Price Too High: A Penecostal Preacher Becomes Catholic: The Inspirational Story of Alex Jones

Before I heard Alex Jones speak in person for three hours I had no intention of buying his book. I thought I could get his message by listening. I did get it - and I wanted more. Because the book was written "as told to Diane Hanson", it is very much like he talked. I did laugh a lot more while hearing him because he has a great sense of humor, and a gentle but dynamic delivery, which for me added much to the impact of his message. Other reviewers have done a good job of outlining the content of the book. What I want to add is that for me Alex Jones articulated what it is that brought me back to practicing my faith, and keeps me there, in spite of many challenges I find in the lack of responsiveness of much of the hierarchy and missing some of the very dimensions of spiritual life that Alex Jones had in his previous Church. I would strongly recommend this book to any "cradle Catholic" for an enriched perspective of what they have received by being born into Catholicism. Hopefully, some day we can keep what we have received and have it further enriched by what Alex Jones has to share with us.

"No Price Too High" is the true story of Pastor Alex Jones' movement from being a lifelong Pentecostal to being baptized a Catholic (with his wife and 50% of his congregation) in 2000 at the age of 60. In doing so, Jones had to abandon his career, the church he founded, and face innumerable personal and professional obstacles. Jones' journey towards Catholicism began with a Wednesday night Bible Study when he asked participants "How would you like to get into a time machine and go back two thousand years to the time of the early Church?" They liked the idea so Jones' embarked on an investigative journey into Church history - a journey in which he discovered the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, Apostolic Tradition, and the truth about the Catholic Church. Jones' provides ample details about his theological "conversion" and the difficulty of accepting a Church he believed all his life to be "not Christian." He shares his experience of coming "face-to-face" with authentic Christianity as it was handed down by the Apostles to the first generation of bishops, the Apostolic Fathers. And why he could not turn back. While "No Price Too High" highlights what he misses and the barriers presented by the US Catholic Church to non-euro centric cultures, Jones has, through recent travels, experienced African (has many of the those things he misses) and Eastern versions of the Church. He has found the Catholic Church to be truly one and catholic (universal). Jones does not claim the Catholic Church to be perfect and without its problems. He knows that there are "imperfect people (in the Church) with hidden agendas and imperfect people struggling with racism, duplicity, immorality, injustice, hypocrisy, and spiritual lethargy" - the usual list of human failings. But as a former pastor of two Pentecostal congregations, he knows that all who work in any human endeavor encounter the same human failings! "No Price Too High" closes with a narrative by Jones' wife, Donna, detailing her difficult journey towards Catholicism. She was "purely Pentecostal" and did not follow blindly. Alex and Donna Jones' inspirational story will be of interested to spiritual seekers, particularly Catholics who have left the Catholic Church for Evangelical and Pentecostal churches and non-Catholics enrolled in RICA programs (required for entry into the Catholic Church). Seeing the Catholic Church through the eyes of the Joneses, who had to dig deep in abandoning their lifelong-held faith, will be an eye-opener for seekers and/or those who are confused about the Catholic Church. Alex Jones serves today as a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.

As a former Pentecostal Protestant I cannot recommend this book highly enough. No Price Too High is one of the most inspiring testimonies I've ever encountered. I am so glad the Lord chose to use Rev. Jones and his flock to reveal His fullness of truth in such a blessed fashion. God bless this man (and his beautiful wife) for sharing this story with the world. My life has been enriched immensely by his seeking faith and continuing work in the Church. Buy this book. You will not be disappointed. Thank you, Rev. Jones.

As Alex Jones writes: Some of the reactions I got when Catholics found out I was coming into the Church were disheartening. One priest actually asked why I would want to come into the Church. And there were other Catholics who expressed similar sentiments. There was no universal concept. They felt everyone has his own religion and it works for him--so great! They believed the unity lies in the belief in God and in Jesus Christ, not in the governmental unity of the church. Hey, we're all going to heaven, so just stay where you are! They are trying to be magnanimous. What they failed to realize is that when a person's heart has been stirred to see the truth of the Church, that kind of thinking comes across almost as that of an apostate....I don't think those people know what they are saying. It is a tremendous hindrance to tell someone seeking the truth to say where he is. This is the story of a Pentecostal preacher (and one time anti-Catholic) who decided to pattern his worship services after the worship services of the earliest Christians. As he began to research this, he discovered that the earliest Christians were indeed Catholic. He found in the early writings of the church fathers, references to the sacraficial nature of the Mass and evidence that the Pope did indeed have authority over Christ's church. The second half of the book details his wife Donna's struggle as her husband began to feel drawn toward Catholicism. Eventually Alex Jones would convert to the Catholic faith, taking over 50 members of his congregation with him. Today, he is an ordained Catholic deacon. A must-read for Catholic converts and for Pentecostal Christians who may be interested in Catholicism.