Roman Catholicism [Import] [Paperback]

Loraine Boettner (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 559 pages
• Publisher: Banner of Truth Trust; 1ST edition (1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851510825
• ISBN-13: 978-0851510828
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,294,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

164 of 198 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Rational Evaluation, October 25, 2000

By 

Stephen J. Garver (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roman Catholicism (Paperback)

Given all the extreme rhetoric of many of these reviews, I'd like to attempt to present something closer to a rational evaluation, largely borrowing from a review I wrote for another book sales website.

Lorraine Boettner's thorough and expansive treatment of Roman Catholicism has certainly become a classic since its first publication in 1962, widely disseminated and used as a basis for further critiques. Boettner's book is, however, also infamous. The book's infamy stems from its method of argumentation which combines various strategies: not only biblical exegesis, citation of Reformed creeds, quotations from Protestant authorities, and social analysis, but also innuendo, guilt by association, half-truths, and distortions of Roman Catholic teaching. Today, the book is also rather dated, failing to take account of the Second Vatican Council and other developments in 20th century Roman Catholic biblical and theological studies. For all its 450 pages, there is very little of continuing and helpful substance. It is, however, fun to read and bears witness to the polemics of an earlier era (one would wish!).

I do not have the space here to give a complete analysis of Boettner's shortcomings, but will cite some representative examples. Moreover, I do not speak here as an apologist for the Roman Catholic church. I am, in fact, like Boettner, a Reformed Protestant, though also a philosophy professor at a Roman Catholic University. It does not seem to me, however, that the cause of Protestant Christianity is well-served by inaccurate portrayals of other traditions or criticisms that only attack straw men. I write this review, then, on behalf of truth.

Boettner's first chapter combines various ends: defining Protestantism, attempting to associate Catholicism with communism, accusing Catholicism of developing various heresies and inventions, and painting a portrait of the supposedly sad state of Roman Catholic nations. Let's consider his discussion of the "heresies" and "inventions" which he implies are held to be part of the unchanging and infallible teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and thus are "binding" upon all Catholics (pages 7-10).

In point of fact, very little of what he mentions would fall into that category. For instance, fasting on Fridays, the temporal power of popes, the withholding of the cup from the laity, and the use of Latin, have all changed since they were never a matter of Catholic "doctrine" per se. Moreover, Boettner distorts the implementation of many of these practices. For instance, the "imposition" of the Latin language by Gregory in AD 600 was done in order that the liturgy might be celebrated in the common language of the people (i.e., Latin), rather than in the Greek that was widely used up to that time. Likewise, while the discipline of celibacy was required for most priests since 1079, that is only true in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. In the Eastern rite, married priests have always been permitted and are to this day. Nor was the Bible ever "forbidden to laymen" by a Council of Valencia in 1229. For one thing, there was no council in Valencia in 1229 since it was under Islamic control. A local council with local authority, however, was held in Toulouse that year and it did temporarily (and quite understandably) limit the use of the Bible by roving lay-preachers who were spreading the Albigensian heresy.

As another example, we can consider Boettner's treatment of the mass in chapter eight. It is evident here that the book is quite dated, presupposing a eucharistic liturgy which hasn't been enacted (except rarely) in three decades (pages 169-171). Boettner's discussion of the Roman Catholic priesthood and the "sacrifice of the mass" gives little indication of any detailed knowledge about those doctrines, their histories, or their current status. For instance, he appears unware of centuries of debate among Roman Catholic theologians on whether the notion of the eucharistic "sacrifice" is to be taken in an "oblationist" or "immolationist" fashion. The "oblationist" view focuses more upon Christ's present priestly intercesssion before the Father. The "immolationist" view, on the other hand, focuses more upon Christ's presence upon the altar in a figure of death. While the latter view is certainly problematic for Protestants and the view against which we have traditionally objected, it is the former view ("oblationism") which has gained ascendency in the 20th century and thus must be addressed today. And I know of no Roman Catholic theologian who would agree with Boettner's description that the mass is a "re-crucifixion" of Jesus and few who would even accept the language of the mass as a "continuation" of the sacrifice of Calvary (page 174). Unfortunately, Boettner's almost complete lack of bibliographical references to Catholic authorities makes it difficult to know from where he drew his information.

I cite these few examples as representative of the ways in which Boettner's book falls short. As Protestants we certainly must maintain a faithful witness to Reformation truth, but that task is not advanced by careless scholarship, distortion of one's opponents, and slipshod argumentation. While there are some things of value in Boettner's classic book, I would advise those who are interested in understanding the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church to refer to offical documents (the catechism, councils, encyclicals) and their prominent interpreters among recent theologians.

48 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Reading this book actually brought me back into the Catholic Church, June 26, 2005

By 

Ambrose (Troy, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roman Catholicism (Paperback)

I read this book back in the early 90's when it was given to me by a fundamentalist co-worker. I was a lax Catholic at the time who sailed through 12 years of Catholic schooling without ever really delving deep into my faith. I read the book with interest, and an open mind, since I already began having some serious challenges with what my friend was teaching me about the "obvious contradictions" (as he saw them) between Biblical teachings and Catholic doctrine. I found many of Dr. Boettner's historical accusations so over the top, and distorted that I soon began to question his scholarship (not to mention his motives) on everything else.

My curiosity was piqued and I began to devour every book I could find that would shed some light on how the early Christians read and understood scripture (starting with William A. Jurgens', "Faith of The Early Fathers") . It took the good Dr. Boettner to get me interested enough to finally begin searching for the truth - and it led me deeper into the Faith I was raised in. Thanks Dr. Boettner!

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Defective when written; 40 years haven't helped it any., December 15, 2002

By 

"cdwitmer" (Tachikawa, Tokyo Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roman Catholicism (Paperback)

I am a Christian firmly entrenched in the same general branch of Protestantism as the author (Calvinism), and I own several of his books. I would say this has to be one of his worst. I doubt he intended to write a diatribe; I am willing to be charitable and give him the benefit of the doubt. But, when searching for words to describe his treatment of Roman Catholicism, "charitable" doesn't come to mind. I'm not an expert on RC doctrine, but my impression is that the book repeatedly falls into the grave error of taking an aberration of one segment of Roman Catholicism or at a particular point in time, and painting the whole church with that brush. The net result is that even though he may have had the best of intentions, the book verges on slander at times. This is a shame for various reasons. I think there is a strong case that can be formulated against the Roman Catholic church -- it is more in need of reform than ever -- so why knock down straw men? If one's book is full of grotesque caricatures, one's legitimate points will not get the hearing they deserve. On top of that, the book is sorely out of date. I think it merits two stars, but even then only with reservation. I don't recommend this book to anyone who doesn't have a strong theological background already. Then, if you are in a position where you need to do extensive research of Roman Catholicism (as a Protestant) or of Protestant critiques of Roman Catholicism, then this book should probably be just one of many that you read. Don't take anything in this book as authoritative without corroborating it elsewhere first! Let us all pray for God's working to protect all the churches from sin and error. We all have a lot of house-cleaning to do.