Intelligent Person's Guide to Catholicism (Continuums Icons) [Paperback]

Alban McCoy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Continuums Icons | Publication Date: May 1, 2005

In this illuminating and engaging book, Alban McCoy imaginatively and intelligently addresses the key questions that non-Catholics-and even Catholics- have about Roman Catholicisim. Are faith and reason enemies or allies? Do we need proof of God? Can God and evil both exist? Do we need the Pope? Is annulment divorce by another name? Why are women not ordained as priests in the Catholic Church? In an age where morality is increasingly challenged and reassessed, Alban McCoy demonstrates the relevance of the Catholic Church's moral teaching to the modern age and shows how Roman Catholicism is fully engaged with the realities of life and of the Spirit. Alban McCoy is Chaplain to the University of Cambridge. He is also a literary editor of The Tablet. His book, An Intelligent Person's Guide to Christian Ethics, is also in the Continuum Icons series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'At every turn he challenges complacency and makes ancient wisdom fresh, exciting.' - Commonwealth"

About the Author

Alban McCoy is Chaplain to the University of Cambridge. He is also a literary editor of The Tablet. His book, An Intelligent Person's Guide to Christian Ethics, is also in the Continuum Icons series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826476724
• ISBN-13: 978-0826476722
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Excellent, Excellent, June 30, 2004

By 

Oswald Sobrino (Traverse City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Intelligent Person's Guide to Catholicism (Paperback)

Father McCoy sets forth authentic Catholic teaching with precision and insight. He correctly states the basis of the Church's inability to ordain women and is quite persuasive in pointing out that the modern Western view that an individual has a right to ordination is utterly off-base (p. 55). He also cogently explains the basis of the Church ban on contraception by lucidly noting how those in favor of contraception labor under the assumption that there is an "inalienable right" to sexual activity (p. 113). These are only two of the many issues discussed in the book, but these two show that Fr. McCoy is intent on explaining Catholic teaching and not on revising it as so many books penned by theological liberals do.

The best part of the book, in my view, is McCoy's discussion of the "Seven Deadly Sins" (pride, sloth, envy, avarice, gluttony, wrath, and lust). He discusses them through a masterful presentation of Christian anthropology--the Christian view of the flourishing human person. He shows how the seven deadly sins are related and how they impoverish our existence. He shows how these sins are very much alive today and do not just form an archaic list from another age.

Here is Catholicism truly presented in an intelligent manner. This book would truly be a valuable addition to anyone's library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding and grown up, September 22, 2009

By 

F. P. ODonnell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Intelligent Person's Guide to Catholicism (Continuums Icons) (Paperback)

This is an outstanding explanation from an adult and common sense perspective of a number of aspects of Catholic Christian teaching. Alban McCoy was the Catholic chaplain at Cambridge University, and this book records a number of the lunch hour debates he engendered in that role with intelligent and questioning young adults. It is a must read for anyone puzzled by Catholic doctrine, whether Catholic or not, and anyone interested in the "whys" of Catholic teaching.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but not always on track, September 12, 2009

By 

E (Sandhausen, Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Intelligent Person's Guide to Catholicism (Continuums Icons) (Paperback)

I was excited to discover this book and hoped to find an in-depth look at Catholic teachings and history. The topics Father McCoy covers are well chosen, including God and proof, our Lady, sins, and virtues, but I felt the author could have done more. I appreciated the more or less neutral tone and researched answers, but at times the author, I felt, deviated, from explaining Catholicism to explaining Christianity. I had hoped for more on the Catholic Church. As an introduction to Catholicism and Christianity with outstanding description and discussion of the seven deadly sins, highly recommended, but if you are looking for more, as I was, this book is not worth it.