Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Church Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church [Paperback]

Peter Kreeft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

For the first time in 400 years the Catholic Church has authorized an official universal catechism which instantly became an international best-seller, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Using this official Catechism, the highly-regarded author and professor Peter Kreeft presents a complete compendium of all the major beliefs of Catholicism written in his readable and concise style.

Since the Catechism of the Catholic Church was written for the express purpose of grounding and fostering catechisms based on it for local needs and ordinary readers, Kreeft does just that, offering a thorough summary of Catholic doctrine, morality, and worship in a popular format with less technical language. He presents a systematic, organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental Catholic teachings in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition.

This book is the most thorough, complete and popular catechetical summary of Catholic belief in print that is based on the universal Catechism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 425 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898707986
• ISBN-13: 978-0898707984
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

--------- AUDIO LECTURES --------- $1 each (MP3)

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RECORDED LECTURES:
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---"Beauty" -- The branch of philosophy dealing with aesthetics.
---"C. S. Lewis and Mere Christianity" -- C.S. Lewis' masterpiece
---"Christianity in Lord of the Rings" -- The cleverly disguised role of God
---"Culture War" -- A call to arms, mapping key enemies and battlefields
---"Existence of God" -- A magnificent overview of the arguments
---"Good, True, Beautiful" -- C.S. Lewis on three great transcendentals
---"Happiness" -- How do you get it? Christ's version vs. the world's
---"Heaven" -- The heart's deepest longing
---"Hollywood Screenwriting" -- Encouragement to film's creative storytellers
---"If Einstein Had Been a Surfer" -- Rediscovering intuitive thinking
---"Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" -- The famous argument for Christ's identity
---"Problem of Pain" -- C.S. Lewis's brilliant exposition on suffering and evil
---"Sex in Heaven" -- Imaging the fire of God's love
---"Sexual Reconnection" -- Healing the link between sex & love
---"Shocking Beauty" -- The live character of Christ
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Lecture scheduling and more info:
http://www.peterkreeft.com



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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

139 of 142 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars View of book from a Protestant perspective February 11, 2006

By David C. Leaumont

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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. Read more ›

71 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for every Catholic or eveyone who loves a Catholic! September 22, 2001

By Linda McDonough

Format:Paperback

Whether you are Catholic and wanting to learn more about your faith or a non-Catholic wanting to understand either the Catholic Church or the beliefs of a Catholic friend, this book is for you. This book does so much more than "give the facts" about Catholic beliefs- it gives you the reasons why Catholics believe what they do. Kreeft clearly has the non-Catholic Christian in mind when he writes- providing Biblical and historical reasons for beliefs and practices. Furthermore, his writing style is not only easy to read, but engrossing. His love for God, the Catholic Church and the Bible is infectious. I would especially recommend this book for non-Catholics who are married to or plan to marry a Catholic spouse.

60 of 67 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating! February 25, 2003

By Thomas More

Format:Paperback

Reading this book was one of my first steps in the direction of the Catholic Church. Growing up, I had always heard vague disapproval of the Catholic Church; lots of unspecific allusions to Mary-worship, "working your way to heaven", etc. Reading this book, however, lifted the veil and revealed the beauty, depth and truth that is the Catholic faith. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is willing to lay aside preconceived biases and begin an open-minded examination of the Catholic faith. I'm confident that in so doing you will be surprised by truth.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great synopsis of the Catholic faith December 11, 2003

By Javier A. Plumey

Format:Paperback

This book is by no means the ultimate guide to Catholicism. Instead, it provides an overview of the beliefs held by the Catholic church as presented in the Catechism of the Church. Anyone new to the faith should pick up one of the many great introduction and apologetic books by authors like Tim Staples, Patrick Madrid, Scott Hahn, and Karl Keating. Their books explain the faith from the perspective of dealing with myths, misunderstanding, and outright lies of the Catholic Faith.

I enjoyed reading this book because it makes references to the catechism, which in turns makes references to sacred scripture and the writings of the earliest Christians. Peter Kreeft, though at times a bit dry and verbose, does an outstanding job of putting the pieces together. I highly recommend this book if you are a Catholic who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the faith.

To respond to some of the other reviews, it is important to remember that we are all in search of truth. The author's references to Protesantism are made to illuminate the similarities and contrasts of the two modes of Christianity. What is termed "Protestant Bashing" should refer to a situation where someone deliberately says malicious things about a faith. Defending someone's beliefs against those of another belief system is not bashing, but rather argumentative discourse.

The book is highly accurate, but if you are looking for responses to any of the typical and commonly-addressed anti-Catholic arguments, look at some of the apologetics books on the authors aforementioned.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the Faith January 22, 2004

By Rich Leonardi

Format:Paperback

Kreeft's "Catholic Christianity" is an excellent overview of the Faith, organized to parallel and explain the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Particularly useful are his explanatory analogies and defenses of Church teachings from misinformed and hostile critics. For instance, he uses the analogy of a flower to describe the three theological virtues, likening faith to the root, hope to the stem, and love to the flower or bloom.

His chapters on the Liturgy introduce readers to a solidity and "vertical" dimension missing from the guitar-strumming, irreverent exercises in self-worship that many Catholics experience at Mass.

In a section on the universality of Christ and the salvation of non-Christians, Kreeft correctly identifies the Church's "Christocentric" view: one must have faith in Christ to be saved, but that faith may be implicit or unclear or unaware of itself, as is the case with a good, God-seeking pagan who is unaware of the Gospel. He contrasts that with the conservative "ecclesiocentric" view of some within the Church who claim explicit membership is required for salvation and with the equally-wrong (and liberal) "theocentric" belief that all who seek God in any way are saved.

Similarly, "Catholic Christianity" is a corrective to revisionist presentations of the Gospel. In the section on the meaning of the names "Jesus" and "Christ", Kreeft cites paragraph 549 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "By freeing some individuals from the earthly evils of hunger, injustice, illness and death, Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless he did not come to abolish all evils here below, but to free men from the greatest slavery, sin...." Hence, the primary message of the Gospel is salvation, not the materialism that lurks behind some modernist, unorthodox views of social justice.

This book solidifies Kreeft's reputation as a latter-day G.K. Chesterton.

A suggestion to Ignatius Press: include an index in subsequent editions. Read more ›