Review of Unearthing the True Cross

[Abiodunakinola]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Unearthing the True Cross" by Tom Mach.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Dante Leone was digging on the Mount of Olives and found five wooden pieces, which were the actual cross of Jesus, along with an ancient scroll. This occurred after a man sold Dante a map that he claimed to have found at Qumran Cave, asserting it would lead anyone to the place where Jesus died. During the discovery of these artifacts on the Mount of Olives by Dante, an orphan girl named Abiella, who was mute and deaf, was left behind by her group, leading her to find her way to where Dante was. She was healed after Dante laid part of the artifact on her and prayed. Following this incident and some miracles performed using these artifacts, news about these miracles started spreading, and some Muslims began converting to Christianity. Because of this, Muhammad, along with his son Malik, decided to kill anyone attempting to promote or testify about this artifact, especially to their Muslim peers. Will they succeed in their mission? Find out by reading “Unearthing the True Cross” by Tom Mach.

The story is interesting, and the characters are well-developed. Dante, a character in the story, shows remarkable kindness to people of all faiths. One day, Amin, who had become blind as a result of a car explosion, came to Dante to regain his sight. Despite Dante knowing Amin as a Muslim and understanding how Muslims detest Christians, counting them as infidels, he prayed for him with the relic, and Amin regained his sight. The way Dante also adopts Abiella and takes care of her like his biological daughter is touching. Another thing I like about Dante is how he made it known to people that it's not the cross itself that performs the miraculous healing, but trusting in Jesus that brings about the healing.

Another amazing character is Mona Leone; the way she supports Abiella in her acting career is impressive. She became her manager and secured many jobs for her. Also, one of the characters, Omar Kalid, demonstrates through his attitude that the Islamic religion is a peaceful religion, which is fantastic. The book also includes a great plot twist. In the story, one of the characters, Malik, at first, hates fighting against any religion and finds no reason to persecute infidels or any Muslim converting to Christianity, but he persecuted people promoting the relics due to the fear he had for his father, which makes me conclude that he would change following his father's death, but things did not turn out as expected, as he focused all his energy on persecuting anyone promoting the miracle performed by the artifacts.

The thing I don't like about this book is how the story is narrated in a way that suggests that Christianity is the only right religion, unlike Muslims. This fact becomes more apparent when the story says on page 223 that Omar Khalid, an imam, made a statement contrary to the common Muslim belief that “if only the world could touch the True Cross of Jesus, they would find peace.” Some Muslims reading this book may dislike the book's setting. The story would make more sense if the book's theme were written as unbelievers (non-religious) against Christians instead of Muslims against Christians. Another point about this book, which is in PDF format, is the lack of page numbers, making it a little difficult to navigate.

The author's writing style is conversational. The book is professionally edited, although I found a few errors. Therefore, I would rate this book three out of five stars. I deduct two stars due to the negative points I mentioned above. I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction who enjoy reading Christian books. Some Muslims who don't find any reason to fight infidels and who don't support religious fighting can also enjoy this book.

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Unearthing the True Cross
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[Conshelle Dwight William]

Unearthing the True Cross by Tom Mach unfolds an intriguing story centered around the discovery of artifacts linked to the cross of Jesus. Dante Leone, the protagonist, displays remarkable kindness across faiths, performing miracles that attract attention and even lead to conversions. The characters, like Dante and Mona Leone, are well-developed, contributing to the narrative's depth.

[Seetha E]

I must say, this is a one-of-a-kind tale.
The know-it-all attitude of self-help books, as well as putting down another to highlight their own in religion-based books, turn me off. I appreciate your honest input. But I'll pass on this one.