Customer Reviews

Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith

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In this book, Scott Hahn writes three separate topical essays, which are further divided into chapters. In this online review, I'll [ap]praise each section.

The first subdivision is titled "Natural Reasons," which introduces the reader to natural theology: knowledge of God ascertained from reason and creation (or, natural revelation) without the aid of divine revelation. Hahn demonstrates that natural faith (faith in objects other than "God") is a common phenomenon, which we all exercise on a regular basis, often without realizing it. Not only that, but faith is necessary and therefore consistently applied in many instances, especially in the scientific field. In addition to this form of faith, the author proves the parallel case with morality in very clear and brief terms (Bravo!). I especially enjoyed this brief excerpt: "Or they say, 'You should never impose your morality on other people' - which is itself a moral prescription! In rejecting morality, people must paradoxically embrace a morality that is opposite and equally imposing" (p. 41). Upon making a case for natural theology and natural law - with abundant references and suggestions for further reading in the endnotes - Hahn explains how this exercise cannot bring one into the realm of divine faith and the subsequent Christian way of life because reason has its limits, yet points to divine faith, and is then elevated by that faith.

The middle theme of the book surveys and summarizes a Biblical defense of Catholic 'distinctives' in the realm of Christianity for those uninitiated in Catholic apologetic works designed for those who engage in discussions with Protestant Christians. This is a very charitable, well-worded, and concise treatment of the common objections non-Catholic Christians raise; these particular "reasons to believe" should become common knowledge among Catholics who move in today's multi-denominational culture. They will strengthen your faith as a Catholic Christian and give you a means to - lovingly - explain the prevailing objections on the street. For those who have read books such as Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians", Catholic for a Reason: Scripture and the Mystery of the Family of God (Catholic for a Reason), or Where Is That In the Bible?, this section will bore you. But don't let that deter you from adding this text to your library... why you ask? The answer lies in the Tertia Pars (third part)!

The third and final essay of this book, "Royal Reasons," is a summarized treatment of how the Catholic Faith and Church is the divine culmination of Israel's history in the Old Testament. Dr. Hahn focuses upon the theme of the Davidic Kingdom, which is absolutely central to the way the Gospels speak of Jesus and his Church - for Jesus came to renew, fulfill, and transform the latest and greatest covenant God made with Israel: the Davidic Covenant (See 2 Samuel 7)! The reader - if unfamiliar with the dense and valuable information packed in these chapters - should carefully read and re-read pages 141-197. In my own experience, a clear presentation of these points has done more to advance my own personal understanding of the New Testament than the study of any other paradigm. The original authors of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) presumed their audiences to have been familiar with what Hahn unpacks in (or one could say, packs into) Chapters 11-15 of "Reasons to Believe." You will feel as if you're engaging in the sweet course at the end of a meal as you devour the royal reasons.

Finally, as in all of Hahn's books, the endnotes are jam-packed with great insights as to what to read to go deeper, and deeper is where you'll want to dive when you finally put down this book.

As a parish director of adult formation, I am going to purchase a number of copies and give them to those Catholics on the fringes that are searching. I believe this book is the answer they are looking for, and I pray it will both deepen the laity's resolve to embrace the Faith wholeheartedly and instill a desire to engage in [and aid] the primary mission of the Church on earth: evangelization.

I was fortunate enough to pick up a signed copy of Dr. Hahn's latest book at the Franciscan U. bookstore while traveling to the Steubenville area on business. I read the book on the way home and heartily recommend it to all Catholics. It is a concise, easily-digested volume that will shore up your faith so you will be prepared to give an explanation for the hope that is in you. I've read many books on Catholic apologetics, and this one may be the best (although, as a previous reviewer noted, it does have a few typos). I especially enjoyed Hahn's treatment of natural law, which is perhaps the best apologetics approach to take with non-Christians (as they will often not recognize the authority of supernatural revelation (e.g. the bible)). I also appreciated Hahn's synthesis of old and new testament covenant theology. He clearly demonstrates that the eucharistic Church is the "Kingdom of Heaven" toward which the old and new testaments tend. Finally, I thought Hahn's appeal to humility and gentleness when engaging in apologetics was especially prescient; while one may argue logically and correctly, if we lack love, we're like a resounding, futile gong...

Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith by Scott Hahn released just a few days ago is another fine book. His latest book is more in the line of general apologetics than his previous books that mainly pertained to a specific topic.

What I liked about this as an apologetics work is that it started out by addressing reason and natural theology. Natural theology being defined as what we can no about God with revelation from him. He specifically talks about reason and how to talk to atheists and agnostics, something left out of many apologetics works. The first four chapters deal specifically with this and there is a lot of good information contained. It is of course not an exhaustive treatment of this, but a good solid introduction to the subject. He references books like Handbook Of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreft and Fr. Tacelli which is an excellent deeper reference. His coverage of Aquinas "five ways of knowing God: as he puts it is succinct and easy to follow.

Later chapters deal with apologetics and working with other Christians via the Bible and offers good advice on how to do it and not get into proof text wars. These following chapters covers standard Catholic apologetics fare such as the Communion of Saints, Mary, the Mass, and the Pope. He notes these are not meant to be exhaustive and that whole books can be written on nuances of these subjects (as he has done in the past), but he does pack a lot of information to go over in these chapters. If you have read a lot of apologetics there is no real fresh ground here, but it is a good reference. But he does offer some good advice for those like myself who have read much on this subject and start to find it boring and that is to go deeper into theology.

Concluding chapters deal with the Kingdom of God and the book really shines here. No surprise that when Scott Hahn talks on Covenantal Theology and how the Old Testament applies to the New Testament and specifically the Davidic Kingdom it becomes really interesting. At first I was lost to how this was applying to the previous more straightforward apologetics chapters, but he does wrap up some important points on the Queenship of Mary, the Papacy, and especially the Kingdom of God and how it relates to the Church.

As is usually the case Scott Hahn's sub chapter titles are full of puns. Some people are put off by punning subtitles in a serious work, but I like them. I share Scott's puns are always intentional attitude. Though his straight writing is fun also. His love of these various subjects shines through in his work and you never feel he is writing over your head, but that he is writing to you. So if you are looking for a solid apologetics work then I can highly recommend this one.

A couple of minor things though need to be fixed in any subsequent reprinting of this book. The introduction mentions many in the field of apologetics by name. I am pretty sure there is no Father Mitch Pacina S.J. More then likely this refers to Fr. Mitch Pacwa S.J. He might also want to change the reference to James Akin to Jimmy Akin as this is his preference.

This book is ok if you are either not a Catholic and curious, or a Catholic who is absolutely clueless about why we believe what we do. I bought this book thinking it would help me in the field of apologetics (should I come across a protestant who attacks Catholic doctrine: perpetual virginity, the Eucharist, etc). What I found, about fifty pages in, was that this was really an intro (and a watered-down intro at that) into the beliefs of the Church. One would be much better off with Karl Keating's "Catholicism and Fundamentalism." Or, if you are really hardcore, either Henry Denzinger's "The Sources of Catholic Dogma," or Jurgens' "The Faith of the Early Fathers" in three volumes. Both Denzinger and Jurgens provide excellent, the best I've come across so far, historical content, while Keating will teach you how to argue what you believe (mostly by presenting Protestant arguments and defeating them with the Catholic). This combination of books will prove very helpful for the Catholic who wishes to defend his faith against vicious anti-Catholic Protestanism--not attack the latter. You may also wish to supplement this with "The New Jerome Biblical Commentary" by Raymond Brown et al.

All that being said, if you have never read anything at all about why Catholics believe what they do, this is NOT BAD. However, you can do better.

This book is really three things in one. The first part of the book is a straightforward defense of the faith, where Mr. Hahn briefly answers many of the common misconceptions about Catholicism with rational argument, and then through Biblical analysis. This segment seems to be written mainly for Protestant inquirers and Catholics who want to be better equipped to defend the faith. While very well written, there are many other sources of apologetics that treat these subjects in far more detail (Hahn mentions a number of them himself).

The second part of the book is a high level interpretation of the Catholic Church considering the Bible - Old Testament and New - as an epic story about a kingdom. Hahn starts with the first words of Genesis and wraps up 40 or 50 pages later in Revelation. His view casts the Catholic Church in a new light, and a fuller one than I had ever imagined. Hahn, a Biblical scholar, is able to connect the dots between the ancient meaning of the Biblical texts and what we experience today of Christianity and the Church. In presenting his case, Hahn does much more than defend the faith - he puts the Bible in a clear perspective, transforming it from a collection of seemingly unconnected parts into a unified whole. This has value for readers of every stripe.

The third part of the book is an extremely lengthy list of recommended reading. Actually it is more than a list. Hahn takes the trouble to explain what the books are about and why they are important, and there are enough of them to last a lifetime. I'd say the list alone is worth the price of the book.

Scott Hahn wrote the modern book on apologetics... oh golly, how lame am I? But seriously, Hahn studied his way into the Catholic church, reading hundreds upon hundreds of books and considering arguments from all sides. He brings this wealth of knowledge into this book. The book goes through the whole spectrum of apologetics, from theism, to Christianity, to Catholicism. It isn't horribly and deeply in depth, but it isn't supposed to be. This is supposed to be an introduction, a book for one to get their feet wet and take in an overview of the basic arguments for Catholicism.

The first section deals with arguments for the existence of God. The second chapter deals with common Protestant objections (Mary, Eucharist, Papacy, etc.) But it is the third section which goes into some very interesting typology that one may not have seen before. Hahn in careful detail elaborates on the kingdom of David being fulfilled and passed on to Jesus. It's very fascinating stuff, and Hahn goes into much more detail than I have ever seen. I've also never seen a serious attempt at a rebuttal of this whole typological understanding that Hahn goes through in the third section. Just this last (third) section alone is worth buying the book.

Since most all the other reviews mention all the good of this book (and I agree), I will only mention one thing that I didn't like but that probably isn't the author's fault. And that is the fact that not only are the footnotes in the back of the book as opposed to the bottom of the page, but the footnotes aren't even made on a page. In other words, while reading the book, you have no way of knowing if something is referenced other than jumping to the back of the book and seeing if there is a footnote. That's a pet peeve of mine. But that's really the only problem.

First, it should be noted that this book is by no means exhaustive and Scott Hahn repeats this several times. Hahn's latest book was clearly not written for the benefit of non-believers. "Reasons to Believe" conveys a very basic overview of the best arguments for several Catholic doctrines. The third part of the book, which deals with the Kingdom of God, is by far the best and is by itself worth the price.

Although this book is not a classic, it is a fun read for people interested in apologetics. I recommend Peter Kreeft's works for a more exhaustive treatment of Christian apologetics. For deeper dives into Catholic apologetics, try Hahn's The Lamb's Supper: The Mass As Heaven on Earth (which IS a classic) or my own book, Dear Brother - especially if you are looking for more biblical and patristic references.

Dr. Hahn demonstrates his oft-cited debt to Dr. RC Sproul in this little introduction to Christian apologetics. Despite the Catholic/Protestant difference, the influence of Dr. Sproul on Dr. Hahn is evident in this work. Including, I think, a misunderstanding of presuppositional apologetics as a form of fideism. That mild criticism aside, this is a fine work and a solid introduction that could be equally useful for personal or group study.

Dr. Hahn provides the introduction by way of the common ground of natural philosophy and theology that all men share in common. With a basic understanding of the laws of logic, Dr. Hahn provides deep insight into the logic and reasoning tools for apologetics. In the second part, Dr. Hahn focuses on the areas of distinction that separate Catholic and Protestant and in the process provides the biblical tools needed to defend the Catholic faith with scripture. In the final portion of the book, Dr. Hahn returns to a theme familiar to any who have read his other works, the importance of covenant theology in understanding salvation history which reveals God at work in our lives and in the life of his kingdom, the church.

The text is easy to read and well organized as is common for Dr. Hahn's work. Like his mentor, Dr. Sproul, he has a gift for sharing complex issues in a way that makes them seem almost common sense. Always an enjoyable and rewarding study, Dr. Hahn has once again given us much food for thought on how we can more effectively share our faith.

Don't get scared off by the term "apologetics." Besides being useful to explain the Faith to others, Scott Hahn's new book is useful to reinforce for ourselves why we believe. The Scriptural secection is especially strong, but for people still wondering about such basics as the existance of God, the Logic section is very clear as well.

Dr. Hahn has not just "done it again" as this book far exceeds what he's done in the past. As aptly summarized by other reviewers, the book is partitioned into three sections, each forming an eloquently persuasive apologetic appropriate for different groups: first, for unbelievers; second, for non-Catholic Christians; third, for Catholics themselves - though each of the book's sections has broad appeal and would prove beneficial to anyone reading them.

For instance, in one of the most surprising and impressive passages of the first part of the book, Hahn makes readily understandable the traditional proof for God's existence from motion (sic!). Though Aquinas calls this proof "the most evident," lately, various factors militate to render it "most obscure." Using the metaphor of a train with no engine, Hahn deftly shows that, no matter how long - no matter how many cars are added, the train will not move unless there is a "first mover" (namely, the engine or, with regard to motion in the universe, God).

I highly recommend this book for just about anyone - even high schoolers can benefit from it. It is useful for personal enrichment, for a course (in secondary or post-secondary school) on faith and reason, for an intro to Catholicism course, for parish adult-education programs, to give as a gift to friends and family members, and so on.

This is, by far, one of Dr. Hahn's best works - and that's saying much, since his other books are full of profound insights and fresh, helpful explanations of otherwise difficult doctrines.