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It was 500 years ago, but Christianity is still reeling from the Protestant Reformation. Honest efforts through the past five centuries attempted to reconcile Catholics and Protestants. Some-less honest wars were fought over the division. Letters have been drafted, some even agreed upon, but division still remains. Apologists have been writing excellent defenses and thorough explanations of the Faith ever since, but who has the time to piece all of those volumes together?
A few months back, I was innocently surfing the blogosphere and stumbled upon a piece that seemed honestly inquisitive about Catholicism. Just trying to be helpful, I did my best to address the confusions. Well, that was a mistake. I've been actively studying the Faith since I was 5 years old, but the mess of a discussion that followed was way out of my league. I logged off the web feeling defeated and inadequate.
So when I had the opportunity to read and review a book that promised to go in-depth on answering Protestant objections to Catholicism, I was thrilled. The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections by Trent Horn does not disappoint!
He covers Sola Scriptura and the Canon of the Bible, the Papacy, the structure of the Catholic Church, justification, Purgatory, the Eucharist, the Saints and the Blessed Virgin, and dozens of subtopics in each category. Each defense is cross-referenced with scripture and the best of historical and current theologians, both Catholic and Protestant.
The book isn't a quick-answer pamphlet that you leave in the back of a church. It's promoted as a book for a "well-informed layperson," and I think that is accurate. It presupposes a level of familiarity with the Catechism, the Bible, and history of the Church. These aren't absolutely necessary for enjoying the book but will make the reading a lot faster.
When you start reading this book (because you really should), I recommend that you keep a good Bible and scratch paper nearby. The author spends a lot of time referencing Scripture, and I enjoyed looking up the verses to see exactly what he was talking about. He also has hundreds of references which is equally helpful, but it can be difficult to keep all the names straight. Taking notes will definitely help!
Someday, I would love to go to the seminary in Detroit and study apologetics. Someday, I would love to be able to read Thomas Aquinas' Summa and study the Bible from the Greek (maybe Hebrew too if I get REALLY brave and bored). In this season of my life, I'm more likely to spot a unicorn at the local supermarket than be able to study my faith as much as I would like. The Case for Catholicism allowed me to fulfill some of those dreams inside of 350 pages, and that is absolutely invaluable to me.
Our Faith is so rich, so beautiful, and so true. It is worth defending to the best of our ability, and this book will help you do just that. I don't intend to insert myself into any more online debates for a long time, but should I find myself in an argument unwittingly, I'll be so thankful for the newfound knowledge from The Case for Catholicism that will help me share the glory of the Catholic Faith.
Copyright 2018 Hilary Thompson
It was 500 years ago, but Christianity is still reeling from the Protestant Reformation. Honest efforts through the past five centuries attempted to reconcile Catholics and Protestants. Some-less honest wars were fought over the division. Letters have been drafted, some even agreed upon, but division still remains. Apologists have been writing excellent defenses and thorough explanations of the Faith ever since, but who has the time to piece all of those volumes together?
A few months back, I was innocently surfing the blogosphere and stumbled upon a piece that seemed honestly inquisitive about Catholicism. Just trying to be helpful, I did my best to address the confusions. Well, that was a mistake. I've been actively studying the Faith since I was 5 years old, but the mess of a discussion that followed was way out of my league. I logged off the web feeling defeated and inadequate.
So when I had the opportunity to read and review a book that promised to go in-depth on answering Protestant objections to Catholicism, I was thrilled. The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections by Trent Horn does not disappoint!
He covers Sola Scriptura and the Canon of the Bible, the Papacy, the structure of the Catholic Church, justification, Purgatory, the Eucharist, the Saints and the Blessed Virgin, and dozens of subtopics in each category. Each defense is cross-referenced with scripture and the best of historical and current theologians, both Catholic and Protestant.
The book isn't a quick-answer pamphlet that you leave in the back of a church. It's promoted as a book for a "well-informed layperson," and I think that is accurate. It presupposes a level of familiarity with the Catechism, the Bible, and history of the Church. These aren't absolutely necessary for enjoying the book but will make the reading a lot faster.
When you start reading this book (because you really should), I recommend that you keep a good Bible and scratch paper nearby. The author spends a lot of time referencing Scripture, and I enjoyed looking up the verses to see exactly what he was talking about. He also has hundreds of references which is equally helpful, but it can be difficult to keep all the names straight. Taking notes will definitely help!
Someday, I would love to go to the seminary in Detroit and study apologetics. Someday, I would love to be able to read Thomas Aquinas' Summa and study the Bible from the Greek (maybe Hebrew too if I get REALLY brave and bored). In this season of my life, I'm more likely to spot a unicorn at the local supermarket than be able to study my faith as much as I would like. The Case for Catholicism allowed me to fulfill some of those dreams inside of 350 pages, and that is absolutely invaluable to me.
Our Faith is so rich, so beautiful, and so true. It is worth defending to the best of our ability, and this book will help you do just that. I don't intend to insert myself into any more online debates for a long time, but should I find myself in an argument unwittingly, I'll be so thankful for the newfound knowledge from The Case for Catholicism that will help me share the glory of the Catholic Faith.
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Copyright 2018 Hilary Thompson
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