How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics [Paperback]

Mark Brumley (Author), Avery Cardinal, S.J. Dulles (Introduction), Charles J. Chaput (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

Catholic apologetics is back. It's everywhere. As a professional apologist, Mark Brumley sees this renaissance as an immensely good thing--an essential part of the Church's evangelical mission. Even so, grave dangers attend the apologetics renaissance. Some of them are so serious that, left unaddressed, they threaten to undermine the good apologetics can accomplish. Brumley calls these dangers the Seven Deadly Sins of Catholic Apologetics and Evangelization. Like the seven deadly sins of the moral life, they are "deadly" not merely as isolated, individual acts but as vices or evil habits--habitual tendencies to act in a certain way. In this volume, Brumley exposes them for you.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Not long after converting to the Catholic faith, noted author and apologist Mark Brumley found himself in a discussion with a Protestant friend. Secure in his newfound faith--and feeling somewhat superior to his "less-enlightened" friend--Brumley smugly said, "Yes, I, too, used to think as you do." It was an outburst of pride that undermined Brumley's arguments for the faith and likely drove his friend further away from the truth. Brumley had just committed one of the seven "sins" he describes in his remarkable book, "How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Catholic Apologetics and Evangelization." In "How Not to Share Your Faith," Brumley describes seven of the most common and tragic mistakes he and other apologists have made over the years in their attempts to defend and explain the Catholic faith. More importantly, he reveals how you can avoid these mistakes and become far more effective at sharing your faith in a charitable way. Brumley's book isn't only about how to argue more effectively or how to make your points more clearly. It's about finding the most effective way to share your faith--even if that means losing an argument from time to time.

About the Author

Raised without a specific faith or religious exposure, Mark Brumley began a long spiritual journey that led him through several Protestant denominations to arrive finally at the Catholic Church in 1980. Since then he has taught and lectured about the faith in a wide range of forums, including as an adjunct professor for the Institute for Pastoral Theology of Ave Maria University. He is an editor at Ignatius Press, and serves as general editor of the "Ignatius Catholic Encyclopedia of Apologetics." He lives with his wife, Debbie, and their five children in Napa, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Catholic Answers (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888992301
• ISBN-13: 978-1888992304
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good intentions aren't always enough. . ., May 2, 2005

By 

catholicreader77 (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics (Paperback)

There are plenty of well-intentioned people who want to stand up for what they believe and to defend their faith. They most especially want to bring others to the truth. This is a good and loving thing to do. But good intentions are not enough. There are ways that work and ways that don't. This book exposes the pitfalls that you'll want to avoid when sharing your faith. It is easy to read and very practical, with examples of better ways that are more likely to win minds and hearts.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done and Much Needed, January 9, 2007

By 

R. S. Corzine (Steubenville, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics (Paperback)

The biblical charter of Catholic apologetics is 1Peter 3:14-15:

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
but in your hearts reverence Christ as
Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense
to any one who calls you to account for
the hope that is in you, yet do it
with gentleness and reverence

But far too often Catholic apologists seem to have shortened this in their heads to "always be prepared to make a defense to any one" and then added silently -- implicitly, but really -- "the best defense is a good offense." The end result is not effective apologists but offensive Catholics.

Brumley provides a welcome correction that is stern without being preachy and will certainly make those who follow its advice not only more effective apostles but also better Christians.

I particularly like his section on what he calls "apologetic gluttony" which is the mistaken and misguided attempt to "prove" all of the mysteries of the faith, essentially biting off more than can be chewn. I expect that this may be a temptation that converts are particularly prone to. In telling the story of how you became convinced of the truth of the faith, it's easy to make it seem like an intellectual achievement rather than a gift of God.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and helpful, August 21, 2005

By 

S & N (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics (Paperback)

How Not To Share Your Faith shows the mistakes people make when trying to talk to others about their faith. This book is helpful in that it discusses in detail what to avoid when arguing with someone about your faith. It can be easy to think you are going about the discussion the right way, when in reality you are making everything worse. This book seems to be written mainly for apologists, but I think everyone who wants to defend their faith can glean something useful from this well-written book.