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Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians"

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This is a very powerful book. I say that having been a Bible thumpin' Protestant for most of my short life. I was raised as a Southern Baptist, but during my teen years I began to "feel out" various other Christian faiths in an attempt to find the one that was right for me. These included the C.O.G.I.C, Congregational, Pentecostal, many variations of Southern Baptists, and mulitple non-denominational churches. What I found in each of these was a set of core beliefs that did have Biblical basis, but plenty of "gray areas" that were often open to personal beliefs or, as Mr. Keating mentions in his book, the beliefs of the preacher at each church. I continued my search, running into plenty of "feel good" churches that wanted to accept a person for what they were, with no real definitions of what may or may not be right and wrong. Certain things were obviously wrong, like murder, theft, coveting other's things, etc.(also known as the Ten Commandments). However, things like contraception, alcohol consumption, and even things such as abortion weren't clearly defined. My search continued, uneventful and often with disappointment, until I met a woman who introduced me to the Catholic Church. Not only did I find that most of the things I thought I knew about the Church were unintentionally ignorant teachings from people I knew and trusted, many of them were out-and-out intentionally misleading. I was originally given "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" early on in my study and investigation of the Church. I must admit that I was initially turned off by Keating's sometimes brash style of writing. I put the book away for a long time but always kept it in arm's length. I entered the Church in 2000, but could not pick up this book until the end of 2005.

It is a wonderful apologetic, breaking down many of the ignorances about the Church that are perhaps unintentionally taught by Protestants across the world. It takes many of the strongest naysayers of the Church, such as Loraine Boettner, Jimmy Swaggart, and Jack Chick, and breaks down their accusations and proclamations systematically using the Bible as a primary weapon in the defense. This is crucial when dealing with Protestants, since the bulk of them believe that the Bible is the sole source of religious teaching. Keating tackles such things as Mary, transubstantiation, confession, baptism of infants, and the honoring of saints, among other topics, all the while using the Bible as much as possible to justify his stance.

The only thing that does somewhat turn me off about this book is that Keating can sometimes come across as too harsh when giving his arguments. Don't get me wrong, what he says is justified, but I don't suggest giving this book to someone who is only beginning to become interested in the Roman Catholic Church. That's the only real gripe I have with this book. With no intentions of disrespecting the author, I suggest giving someone "Why Do Catholics Do That?" by Kevin Orlin Johnson. It's a nicer, toned-down apologetic that may not come across as offensive as some of Keating's writings. Another good book is "Answer Me This!" by Patrick Madrid. It literally takes a list of common questions that Protestants have about the Church and answers each one individually. Scott Hahn is another apologetic who has written a number of books that can enrich your study of Catholicism.

Keating provides an appendix that gives the reader sources for Catholic and anti-Catholic literature. He also provides a strong bibliography full of sources for further study.

As stated before, Keating's style of writing can sometimes turn off readers who are early in their studies of the Catholic Church. However, everything that he says is true, hard to swallow as it may be. I say this being one of the people who formerly believed most of the things he refutes in his book. I highly recommend this book, though if you aren't Catholic, or offend easily, you may want to read other books first before tackling Keating's offering.

I don't know whether Mr. Keating or his fellow Catholics will welcome or much appreciate a commendation from a very committed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- I know his fundamentalist despisers won't -- but here goes anyway. There may in fact be some added value in a positive review from someone who is, on the whole, neutral between the claims of Protestantism and those of Rome.

I think this is a fine book. It makes a good, solid case for Catholicism, but, not surprisingly, that isn't the aspect of it that interested me most.

Mr. Keating is devastating in his critique of Protestant fundamentalist anti-Catholic propaganda, including Lorraine Boettner's dreadful book. I've had a great many dealings with the same kinds of people and literature -- sometimes with the very same individual specimens -- and he is precisely right in what he says about them. They are not to be trusted nor relied upon. I've found exactly the same methodological flaws in their work that he has -- to say nothing of the same tone and the same rather ungodly zeal to condemn others.

I enjoyed this book very much, and have cited it approvingly in several things that I myself have written. I recommend it highly.

From the perspective of this non-Roman Catholic clergyman, historian, and theologian, Karl Keating has done an excellent job of identifying "anti-Catholicism" for what it is, while at the same time, providing clear answers to questions Protestants frequently ask of Catholics.

The book's only significant flaws lie in the tendency of the author to:

1) Not always clearly differentiate between "anti-Catholicism" (which is morally equivalent to anti-Semitism or racism) with legitimate theological disagreement.

2) Lump together many Protestant groups that frankly don't necessarily fall under the category of "fundamentalist", ie. Evangelicals and Pentecostals.

Other than this, however, Keating has done an excellent job. He has certainly raised the standard of debate for Protestant Christians by demonstrating the obvious silliness (and in some cases, deliberate dishonesty) of several of the major "anti-Catholic" organizations. A Protestant apologist who encounters a Catholic familiar with Keating's material will have to rely on a grasp of Protestant theology, instead of (all too typical) third-rate propaganda.

This book has really caused me to think. I thank Mr. Keating for writing it. May God bless us all as we continue to search for His Truth in all its fullness.

This book has quickly become the standard reference work for Catholics who want to defend their faith from Fundamentalist attacks. Keating, director of the apologetics group "Catholic Answers" and a lawyer by training, starts by examining fundamentalism, its beliefs, and its origins, and then delves into the leading anti-Catholic groups. He follows that up by presenting their arguments against Catholic teachings, in their own words, and then gives scholarly, well-researched rebuttals that are easy enough for Joe Six-Pack in the pew to grasp and remember to be called forth when he is challenged on his faith.

While the examination of anti-Catholic groups is a bit dated (these groups understandably come and go under the shadow of night), their arguments are centuries-old and continue to challenge Catholics. Keating covers everything from distortions of history (the Inquisition, the Crusades) to purgatory to the Mass and Saints. Especially helpful are the appeals to the scriptural basis of the disputed doctrines. While not everything can be satisfactorily defended from Scripture alone, these rebuttals are important to defend against the charges of so-called Bible Christians. However, a few of the scriptural defenses are a bit of a stretch.

The index and appendixes are especially helpful for quickly finding a topic under question. One problem with the age of this book is that it is not cross-referenced with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Perhaps a future edition will include such helpful references that will make this book even more valuable. The main problem with a book of this type is that, in the interest of brevity and memorization, it can sometimes overly simplify some complex doctrines. Some of the Church's doctrines took centuries of theological wrangling to formulate, and their presentation in the book may leave the Catholic reader with an insufficient understanding of the doctrine. Then, when a Fundamentalist comes up with a tougher challenge to the doctrine, the eager Catholic apologist may be caught flat-footed. Keating acknowledges that his book is not a complete treatment of Catholic teaching, and encourages anyone interested in the area of apologetics to do more study.

Bottom Line: I heartily recommend Catholicism and Fundamentalism to all Catholics, as the first book to add to your Catholic library after the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Sometimes there's no better way to learn something than to learn how to defend it. That method seems to work for doctoral dissertations, and I think it works for learning the tenets of the Catholic faith.

I was raised in a Fundamentalist church and was very happy there until about four years ago when I strangely began to feel that something was....missing. I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I began praying about this odd notion of mine, asking the Holy Spirit to lead me to a place of spiritual fulfillment.

When those first few Catholics and their books on apologetics came across my path, I was aghast. Surely God wouldn't call me to become CATHOLIC! Why, everybody knows that Catholics aren't even saved! Catholics defy the Second Commandment and worship idols! Catholics wrongly believe that you have to confess your sins to a priest! Every true Christian knows that we don't even NEED priests! Whatever else Catholics believe, it is wrong. Period.

This book was one of the books I was given. Karl Keating explains the major misconceptions of Catholicism so clearly. I finished this book in one day and when I closed it, I felt that I had been set free to worship God in the most satisfying, most spiritually fulfilling, most Spirit-led way ever devised by, well, God. I am now in RCIA class along with my husband (who was raised in a church that is typically stridently anti-Catholic) and we are experiencing spiritual growth that neither of us have ever known before. I feel now that I am not walking with the Lord daily -- it's more like a minute-by-minute thing, this closeness I feel to our incredible Jesus.

Karl Keating takes on the fundamentalists. He gives an interesting synopsis of the types of attacks commonly launched by "Bible Believing Christians" against "Popery, and other "Romish" practices. From benign to obscene, he peels back the veneer of scholarship of certain professional anti-catholic "ministries" to reveal their gross distortions of Catholic Teaching. Keating lays a firm foundation for the remainder of the book by explaining the difference between doctrine and discipline before addressing the major issues with which fundamentalists have problems: Sacred Tradition, the Primacy of Peter, the nature of Salvation, Faith and Works, Celibacy, Mary. Keating does an admirable job of defending the Faith. His brief argument explaining the Catholic position on Biblical inspiration is compelling in its simplicity, and in my opinion leaves "sola scriptura" quite alone, and searching for rational support. The chapter on "Practical Apologetics" is okay -- the message being "know your Bible and you can defend the Faith!" Keating is not as gentle as Schreck in "Catholic and Christian" and provides a more rockin' read. This one is a great introduction to Catholic apologetics.

This book was instrumental in affecting my conversion to Catholicism. I was raised as a fundamentalist.

As much as fundamentalists proclaim emphasis on the Bible, I don't think most of them read it as much as they say they do. Growing up, I always believed in it, but rarely studied it.

When I was 26 I began a comprehensive study of the Bible. My faith had become stale, and I thought that would re-invigorate it. But it resulted in my doubting of many fundamentalist doctrines I took for granted. What the auther explains on Pages 102-103 about fundamentalists converting to another branch of Christianity is exactly what happened to me.

I joined the Methodist church immediately after leaving fundamentalism. I was well aware of anti-Catholic prejudice among some fundamentalists, having been exposed to it the first 26 years of my life. To a lesser extent, fundamentalists are also critical of mainline Protestant denominations, such as the one I had joined. And from my experience, I found out that their criticisms are totally untrue.

Now, if fundamentalists' perceptions of mainline Protestants were unfounded, can they be trusted in their critique of the Catholic church? About the time I asked that question, Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating was published. I read it, and re-read some portions many times. There is a vast difference between actual Catholic beliefs and fundementalists' perception of Catholic beliefs.

A few years later, I moved to another city, and went seeking a church. I attended quite a few, mostly Methodist churches, but I also visited Episcopal, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches. I wasn't content with any of them, it seemed, and there was no way I would consider joining one of the fundamentalist churches. Finally, I attended a Catholic mass. I was less apprehensive about it since I had some understanding of Catholic beliefs from reading Keating's book. As providence would have it, the parish I visited had just started an RCIA program, and I enrolled. What better way to learn about the Catholic faith? The more I learned, the more I realized that the Catholic church is more consistant with the Bible and the teachings of Christ than any other church I had been previously associated with. I was received into the Faith on the Easter Vigil in 1997. Had it not been for "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" I might still have reservations about Catholic beliefs, and I probably would never have ventured into mass on that fateful Sunday in 1996.

While I don't hold the same affection for this book as I did two years ago, I still view it as a good work overall. No, its not in any way thorough (its largely a collection of tracts, and each point he discusses have been addressed elsewhere in books going into the hundreds, even thousands of pages), but its an excellent starting point. My biggest problem seems to be with his approach and writing style.

First of all, the writing style does come off as a bit harsh at first. While it can be said that he is going on the offensive against people who are are far less charitable in their accusations (Chick, Swaggert, Brewer, etc), the issues he discusses are not unique to anti-Catholic fundamentalists. Therefore, I think it would have been better to leave his polemics at the beginning of the book, instead of extending them to the later chapters where doctrinal differences are discussed, since I could envision many very nice, charitable Protestants interpreting his somewhat negative attitude as applying to them, too. I don't think that this was his intent, but it doesn't rub off well. However, most Protestant friends who I've loaned this book to don't mind, generally saying "Well I don't mind, it just shows how passionate he is about it." Still, it remains a concern to me since I value charity so highly.

Secondly, I found some parts to be dissapointing. The weaknesses were not weaknesses in Catholicism, but rather weaknesses in his research or just laziness. For example, while he's refuting "Roman Catholicism" by Lorraine Boetter, he rightfully shows how poorly that work was footnoted, and how some charges went completely without documentation. The problem is, Keating does the same thing. While discussing the Stossmeyer speech, he rightfully deems it a forgery, but gives no source to back it up. All he had to do was cite Newman Eberhardt's "A Summary of Catholic History", but strangely, he fails to do this (it is cited in the Catholic Answers Tract entitled "The Anti-Catholic Bible"). In another part, answering accusations that Catholics believe things with no Biblical support, he retorts that Protestants do the same thing, but offers not examples. The least he could have done was cite the Canon of Scripture, symbolic eucharist, altar call, The Sinners Prayer, etc., but he did not.

Once you get into the "meat" of this book, it gets much, much better. He does an excellent job of refuting arguments brought forth by fundamentalists who try to re-write church history, or place distinctive Catholic doctrines embarassingly late. Also, he does a fine job supporting the Eucharist, baptismal regeneration, and virtually all disputed Catholic doctrines from scritpure and history. No, his arguments are not thorough, and in a couple isolated occasions he offers scripture passages that don't really prove his point. This is a slight weakness in the book, not with the Catholic position.

I still recommend that people start here, because it really does a great job of giving an overview of the controversy, and outlines briefly the Catholic defense. But by all means, don't stop here.

Recommended readings:

For better treatments of Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura, read "Not by Faith Alone" and "Not by Scripture Alone" by Robert Sungenis. For a great book about the mass, try The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn. For marian doctrines, read "The World's First Love" by Fulton J. Sheen. For a classic work on the development of doctrine, read John Henry Newman's "An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine." For a most excellent work on the Papacy, read "Upon This Rock" by Stephen Ray.

Karl Keating's 'Catholicism and Fundamentalism' is really three books in one: (1) It is a point-by-point reply to many of the most well-known professional "anti-catholics" (Boettner, Chick, Rivera, etc.); (2) It is a systematic presentation of and defense of those uniquely-Catholic ideas that fundamentalists most often attack (purgatory, Mary as the Mother of God, auricular confession, etc.); and (3) It is a "what-do-I-do-now?" book for amateur apologists.

In the first part of his book, Keating presents the arguments of the fundamentalists in their own words. Unlike his counterparts, he does not misquote them or take their arguments/statements out of context. He fairly and accurately presents the charges of the fundamentalists, and responds to them. He shows how, ultimately, all of the modern arguments against the Catholic Church find their roots in Boettner's 'Roman Catholicism', and how Boettner's arguments themselves are based on misinterpertations and misinformation. He provides extensive footnotes citing both the arguments he is responding to and the sources for his information (the Bible, Church dogma, the early Christian writers, etc.).

In the second part of his book, Keating deals with many of the uniquely Catholic doctrines that fundamentalists usually have issues with. He demonstrates how these doctrines are Scriptural, logical, and necessarily a part of the teachings of the Church of Christ. Where there is no Scriptural support for a doctrine (such as the Assumption of Mary), he flatly admits that, and then demonstrates why there does not have to be. (Admittedly, most if not all of Keating's arguments are based on the idea that Truth can be discerned logically from Truth. If one disagrees with that, then one will have many problems with some of his logical defenses.)

In the third part of his book, Keating gives practical advice to those who would seek to become an amateur apologist. He provides suggested readings, and he gives solid advice about how one should engage in friendly arguments about the faith. If one has no interest in becoming an apologist, then one could easily skp the final 40 pages of the book and not miss anything. (And for the fundamentalists out there who choose not to read Keating's book, it should be noted that he makes very clear that the first thing that ANY apologist should do is to read the Bible--he emphasizes this fact repeatedly.)

In short, whether you are a Catholic who seeks either to deepen your faith or to find answers to your fundamentalist friends' questions or you are a fundamentalist who seeks to learn the Catholic responses from a Catholic, this book cannot be recommended too highly.

John Keating's Catholicism and Fundamentalism is a masterpiece of apologetics. This book was written in 1988, but the arguments raised and refuted are just as pertinent today. Whether you agree with his logic or disagree, you will find here a lucid explanation of Catholic teachings. Highly recommended to anyone seeking to honestly understand the Catholic view.