Customer Reviews

Christ Among Us: A Modern Presentation of the Catholic Faith for Adults (6th Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

The first two books (other than the Bible) I read when I started thinking about becoming Catholic were Thomas Howard's "Evangelical is not Enough" and "On Being Catholic"--both of which I recommend highly. Yet, neither of those books answered all my questions. Neither is comprehensive and both operate at a pretty high level of abstraction. I also needed answers to questions like "why do Catholics do that"? Wilhelm's "Christ Among Us" was one of the first books I found that answered those sorts of questions. It has three great virtues: (1) It is highly readable and quite accessible. (2) It includes extensive citations to and quotations from primary church documents, which allows you to check what Wilhelm is saying. (3) It is quite comprehensive, covering a very wide range of theological and practical issues. Why then do I not rate "Christ Among Us"ore highly? Mostly because its politics are quite left of center and, relative to other theological works I've read, its doctrine seems pretty liberal too. If what you're looking for is an inclusive politically correct statement of the faith, "Christ Among Us" will probably make you very happy. If you're an admirer of the "beauty of inflexibility," however, you won't find "Christ Among Us" as useful. As someone who finds Catholicism most attractive when it stands for moral truths in a post-modern world, I tend to fall into the latter camp and, consequently, down-grade it.

The author provides suggestions for using his work as a text for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). However, this is misleading to the casual reader, as it is not included in the list of catechetical texts in conformity with the "Catechism of the Catholic Church,". Personally, I disliked his clouding of modern moral issues and his frequent escapes to "many theologians think...", instead of describing the actual teachings of the Catholic faith.

This is one of the most comprehensive and readable overviews of Catholicism you'll find. I continually recommend it to anyone who is interested in Catholicism. As evidenced by some of your other reviews, folks who adhere to a rigid, fundamentalist form of Catholicism are put off by this book. Those who are looking to discover what Spirit-filled, alive Catholicism is about will find this book very helpful and inspiring. There are many faithful Catholics out there who think this is a wonderful book. I'm one of them!

I read some of the reviews for this book and hesitated to buy it, wondering if it would be filled with heresy or Protestant theology disguised as Catholic Faith. To my great pleasure the purchase was worth it, the book contains a lot of thought provoking material.

It does have some quotes from various books that I didn't think were true and a few that were not helpful but it always seemed to raise the kinds of questions that somebody searching for a firm foundation for their faith will want to have answered.

It covers a wide spectrum of Catholic belief, offers references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and plenty of scripture to help a reader understand why Catholics believe as they do. I think highly of this book even though I do not endorse every comment made in it.

The book is divided into twenty six (26) chapters:

OUR LIFE AND GOD
GOD'S PLAN FOR US BEGINS WITH CREATION
GOD'S GIFT OF HIMSELF AND OUR REJECTION OF HIM
GOD'S PLAN UNFOLDS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
PRIESTS, KINGS, AND PROPHETS PREPARE THE WAY
CHRIST COMES AMONG US
CHRIST REVEALS TO US HIS FATHER, THE SPIRIT, AND HIMSELF
CHRIST SAVES US BY HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
CHRIST SENDS THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FORM HIS CHURCH
THOSE WHO SERVE AS OUR GUIDES
THE GREAT BOOK IN WHICH WE MEET GOD
THE GREAT SIGNS IN WHICH WE MEET GOD
CHRIST UNITES US TO HIMSELF AND TO ONE ANOTHER BY BAPTISM
OUR WORSHIP TOGETHER: THE MASS
THE EUCHARIST IN CHRIST'S CHURCH TODAY
THE INNER LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN
OUR CHRISTIAN PRESENCE IN THE WORLD
SIN AND WHAT IT CAN DO TO US
THE CHRISTIAN'S CONTINUING CONVERSION
WHEN ILLNESS OR DISABILITY COMES TO A CHRISTIAN
CHRIST JOINS A MAN AND A WOMAN IN MARRIAGE
THE FAMILY THAT IS THE CHURCH
THE GREATER FAMILY TO WHICH WE BELONG
CHRIST'S CHURCH IN THE WORLD TODAY
LIVING DAILY THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
FULFILLMENT FOREVER

Some of the negative reviews suggest that heresy is all you're going to find in this book, but the truth is that there is almost nothing in it that is not also in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Perhaps the critics who wrote the negative reviews also regard the CCC as heretical, who knows? But this book - as the contents listed above show - covers the central elements of our Catholic faith without compromising it or abandoning it.

I commend this book to any reader who wants a good catechism for adults, and who is willing to face some challenges to spur them to further conversion and growth in grace.

There are some things that a prospective buyer should be aware of
(1) the binding is poor quality - typical of a cheap paperback
(2) the paper used for the book is low quality - it is like newsprint paper
(3) the printing is OK but because of the paper it is not the equal of other catechisms I have purchased - for example, THE TEACHING OF CHRIST published by Our Sunday Visitor is much better quality in both its binding and its paper.

While I found much beauty, eloquence, and spiritual-depth in many parts of this book, I was deeply saddened by the many times that the author presents the Church's official teachings in a sentence or two and then spends a page or two politely refuting these teachings with the most liberal humanistic theology out there. I am honestly shocked that people actually use this as a catechism.

While I respect the author's right to follow his conscience and form his own opinions, I know it is dangerous and deceptive for him to plant seeds of doubt in inquiring minds that have not even had the chance to be taught the solid principles of why the Church stands for what it does in the first place.

As one who is possibly interested in converting to Catholicism because I am dismayed by people changing "churches" to be whatever they want them to be, when Churches should be faithfully administering Christ's appointed word and sacraments to lovingly change people to be who God wants them to be (for their own greater good), I find this to be a somewhat misleading "introduction to the Catholic faith."

Nonetheless, Praise God if this book does begin to plant the seed of faith in "modern" hearts who will later grow in churches that remain faithful to the real catechism.

Not only does this work currently not have an imprimatur, it originally had one. However, the Vatican, after many years and likely complaints, forced the bishop to withdraw his approval from the book. This is a very, very uncommon occurance, and shows the subtle danger in this book. Just because it selectively quotes Church documents does not mean that it is faithful to the teaching of the Church. The material on conscience and many moral issues are especially dangerous. This book DOES have an excellent lay-out, and is easy to read and understand. If only it actually taught Catholicism!

Do not be confused. This is not an authentic representation of the Catholic faith. Its presentation of some of the basic tenants of Catholicism, like the Real Presense of Christ in the Eucharist, are inaccurate. I would strongly recommend using the Catechism of the Catholic Church if you truly desire to understand what the church is teaching.

I've been using CHRIST AMONG US for several years now as a resource for RCIA catechumens and candidates. They find the text easy to read with user-friend language and explanations. It paints our Catholic faith in positive, life-affirming language that does not alienate or threaten.

I highly recommend it for any group that is beginning its journey in exploring the teachings of the Church.

It is not polemical or chauvinistic in its presentation of Catholicism. This may offend some traditionalists, but so be it. It brought my wife into the faith where a more aggressive presentation may have pushed her away, and so I would recommend "Christ Among Us" to anyone. It provides an excellent introduction to the vast scope of Catholic thought and tradition. One comes away with an understanding of basic theology, the origins of the Church, traditional Catholic beliefs and practices, and the changes and challenges in the post Vatican II Church.

As a former agnostic, I decided through some persuasion on the part of an esteemed friend to reconsider my position. For the most part, I consider myself somewhat a progressive in my worldview and thought. I was seeking reference material for a better understanding of the catechism of the Catholic Church. It was my hope that Anthony Wilhelm's book "Christ Among Us" would fulfill that requirement in an contemporary presentation. Unfortunately, this book does not meet the standard of providing a sound, doctrinally based view of Catholicism. It does not have an "imprimatur" and, therefore, is disqualified as a being doctrinally error free from the viewpoint of the Catholic Church.

A number of reviewers who highly rated this book castigated a number of negative reviews for being "ultra-conservative" or "traditionalist", doing so in a pejorative manner. This ad hominem characterization serves to underscore their personal agenda of advancing one's own world view or causes, even at the expense deforming their own faith's doctrines. They condemn the ignorance of others while flaunting their own. Catholic doctrine is not to be intended mutable, subject to ever evolving political and social-economical ideologies. It's intended to be a lasting moral guide and a set of traditions that were handed down through apostolic succession.

Some critical problems with the book can be summarised as follows:

1) The author has a penchant of supplementing or supplanting their philosophy and advocating modernistic causes by promoting a position against realism, especially as it applies to conservative values. This substitution of a relativistic moral system over an objective one is contrary to Catholic dogma.

2) A number of the referenced or recommended reading are incompatible with formal Catholic doctrine and furthers one away from a sound basing approved Catholic doctrine. What is more surprisingly, many of these writers are overtly dissenting of authorized Catholic tenets. It is one thing to be critical but another to be heretical.

3) The author throughout the book expounds the suzerainty of personal preferences. This includes encouraging individuals to amend faith to personally relevant moral beliefs as opposed to adopting the profession of established Catholic faith.

In conclusion, based on my reading of the book and lack of "imprimatur" from the Catholic Church, I would deem this book to be highly unsuited to provide a good grounding in valid Catholic catechism. There are some lauable attributes of the book, such as layout and formatting but to expound on them would only serve to sidetrack from the unsuitability of this book for catechism. For those interested in books that would provide appropriate guidance in the Catholic faith, I would recommend Peter Kreeft's "Catholic Christianity" and the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" as being much better choices.