Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Church Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church Paperback – March 1, 2001

I give this book 4.5 stars. I deducted 1/2 a star, not because of any disagreement in theology I might have with the Catholic faith, but because of a few things the book lacks.I have been in many churches that preach the worst about Catholic Christianity from the pulpit. My late father was a non-practicing Catholic and I learned a little from his testimony about his experiences. Needless to say, I grew up with a skewed view of Catholicism. In working with several devout, intelligent and scholarly Catholics in my ministry, I have found that my initial views were wrong. While I do disagree with several Catholic theologies, I have grown to respect Catholicism and disregard that skewed reasoning with which I was initiated. This book does a superb job of doing this. Few Protestants are going to read through the Catholic Church Catechisms. But, this book does a pretty good job of explaining the general beliefs of the Catholic Church while referencing the CCC and Scripture.Peter Kreeft begins with 10 chapters (154 pages) of what Catholics believe. He then devotes 10 chapters (126 pages) to how Catholics live and 10 chapters on the Sacraments and prayer (143 pages). The "Contents" page does a good job of pointing one in the general direction regarding the topic, and then at the beginning of each chapter, he gives a detailed and numbered topic list for the chapter. For instance, Chapter 5 is titled "Jesus Christ" in the Contents and the beginning of the chapter lists 27 topics including: 1: The Centrality of Christ through 27: Christ the conqueror of the world. This layout is unique and helps point the reader in the general direction.Kreeft does a superb job of explaining in plain English why Catholicism believes its theology and even goes as far to explain very objectively why Protestants object to some Catholic beliefs, such as Marian theology. He does not go into the extreme Protestant positions (such as the ones I was indoctrinated with), but instead gives the even-handed Protestant objections and why they exist.My critiques (why I deducted 1/2 star):- The book lacks an index. This makes finding content in the book much more difficult. The Contents and Chapter details help, but not as much as an index could have.- While this is not a book on Catholic- Protestant relations, Kreeft does delve into some Protestant objections. And since he touches on the topic, it would be helpful for Kreeft to use his superb gift of correct wording to explain why Protestants have some of the more extreme views. It would help Catholics understand this and help Protestants see the err in their ways.The book is supremely well written and covers most topics that would help a non-Catholic understand Catholicism. I bought this book based on the Catholic Christians' reviews below, and was not disappointed in the least. I thank God that it was written since Christianity is not supposed to be divided, and the way to heal the wounds is not through extremism, but devotion and understanding to help reach other through respect and understanding. I recommend this book to all Christians and to non-Christians who find an interest in the study of religion.

I highly recommend this book to not only all Catholics, but to all Christians. If someone has any doubts, questions, concerns, or misconceptions about the Roman Catholic Church, this book will be of great help. The author, Peter J. Kreeft took the Catechism of the Catholic Church and made it understandable to all people. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is full of language that is sometimes hard to follow and understand, however, this book clears it all up. I learned so much about my faith that I didn’t know or wasn’t sure of before reading this book. It is also a page turner, especially for anyone with a love for the Catholic Faith and/or a desire to learn about the Catholic Faith and Church. And, not only does the book teach you more about the Catholic Church, but it also teaches you about and brings you closer to Jesus and Mary in addition to God the Father and the Holy Spirit. This book also teaches the reader how to live a good, religious life, that is, how to put everything into practice so that one lives for God and not the world!

Profound read! Each sentence provides hours of insight. It is definitely written for a contemplative thinker.A perfect companion to the catechism.

and then you will want to hang onto it as a reference book for your own personal library. Dr. Kreeft is a professor of Philosophy at Boston College and has authored many, many good Catholic books. Additionally, he is a outspoken defender of the Catholic Faith.Catholic Christianity is a common sense, plain English, easy to read commentary on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It makes a great companion to the Catechism offering easy to read explanations for most of the content of the Catechism. It would also make a good introduction to the Catechism. If you have been a bit intimidated by the size and language of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this would be a good way to get started. It will give you a good overview that you can then follow up with the actual text of the Catechism. But this book, as good as it is, can in no way replace the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Dr Kreeft himself writes in the Preface, "Let no one read this book instead of that one."This book will not act as an impediment to ecumenism, nor is it in any way anti-Protestant. Instead it can exert a strong unifying effect, presenting the Catholic faith as it does in plain English without the use of technical theological jargon.All of us need to understand that the Catechism of the Catholic Church is a tremendous gift to all who would understand the Catholic Church, its teaching and its practices. There is no excuse for anyone not knowing their faith in all its beautiful fulness. Every Catholic, everyone who loves a Catholic, and anyone interested in understanding the faith of the Roman Church can benefit from the Catechism and from Catholic Christianity.

If you want just one book of Catholic apologetics this is the one to get. All my catechumens say that it is highly readable and reasonable. It is not strictly speaking theology but a logical defence of the faith. Read in conjunction with the Catechism of the Catholic Church , it complements perfectly and really helps beginners to open their minds to receive the faith.

I love the way this book is set out. Facts about the Catholic Church are clearly explained. Good for use by laity and catechists, or whomever likes to debate using apologetics. Excellent resource.

Absolutely fabulous study

very happy

Excellent resource alongside the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Easy to read.