Customer Reviews

Salvation: The Bible and Roman Catholicism

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This book is an excellent review of the major doctrines of Catholicism and how they are in disagreement with the teachings of the Bible. Strong Biblical support is given for every point. It is significant that the author is a former Catholic and that he had significant Catholic training. The second half of the book gives one of the most complete & yet concise presentations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I have read. It stands in stark contrast to the claims of Catholicism as to the way to obtain eternal salvation.

This small book is divided into three parts. In Part I, the author compares Roman Catholicism with the Gospel. Of particular interest is his comparison of Roman Catholic beliefs with those of the Judaizers, Paul wrote against in the book of Galatians. "It is quite clear from this that in Roman Catholicism faith in Christ alone is not sufficient for salvation. It is also necessary that one keep the Ten Commandments, be baptized, become a member of the Roman Church, and partake regularly of the sacraments. It is not Jesus alone, but Jesus plus all these other things." Page 91 - 92. He then provides a comparison chart that depicts parallels between Roman Catholicism and the Judaizers of Paul's day.

Part II is entitled The Way of Salvation. It is basic Christian doctrine. It defines the problem mankind has in being alienated from God, what Jesus Christ did for us, the necessary of repentance and faith, and the results of our salvation. It is basically the Biblical doctrines of the Christian faith in a compact form and depicts that the Roman Church has really missed the message of the Gospel. "The Lord Jesus Christ has perfectly fulfilled the demands of God's Law to which every one of us is accountable" (p. 113). "Unless a man repents towards God he cannot savingly believe in Jesus Christ" (p. 121). He explains the concepts of justification, sanctification, and glorification in terms that are very easy to understand with getting too much into the complexities of these subjects.

The finally part is Appendices. As there is always the accusation that one is inaccurate in his statements regarding the Roman Church, Webster provides quotations from official and authoritative statements on the distinctives of Roman Catholicism. There are Trent and Vatican Councils references on the Mass, on the Priesthood, on Confession and Penance, on the Eucharist, on Baptism, and on Salvation totally documented from official Roman Catholic sources.

I recommend that the reader start with Part II first before reading the rest of the book as it provides a beautiful portrayal of the basic Gospel message before getting into the actual doctrinal difference between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity. This is a very excellent book for those that are new to apologetic literature.

When I read this book I was struggling to find the church that most closely resembled the church that Jesus founded. I had grown up in a very strong Catholic family, attended Catholic schools, became a Eucharistic minister , my faith was very important to me. Then I met someone who questioned the things I had been taught all my life, whose arguments were found in the bible which I also beleived in. In my search to discover the truth I came across this book. This book methodically takes differences in doctrine between the Catholic church and other christian churches and compares source documents of the Catholic church for those teachings with scripture. The reader can then draw his or her own conclusions. I have and will continue to recommend this book for anyone struggling with the differences in doctrine as I struggled.

Though small in size, this book contains much information. Having been challenged by a friend, I read it at a time when I was sincerely searching for answers. I found the book to be thorough and comprehensive in its approach, though somewhat emotional in tone at times, stemming, no doubt, from the author's deep convictions. Mr. Webster raises and addresses many doctrinal differences between Catholics and Evangelicals. Several times while reading it, I found myself thinking, "I didn't know the Catholic Church still taught that...."

Mr. Webster has made a concise presentation of the topic--very worthwhile reading for all!

I opened this book already aware of many of the faulty beliefs of the Catholic church, but this book provided me with many new details that I as a Non-Catholic had not known before. For, instance the fact that your Salvation is tied to your attendence of the Catholic mass and your participation in the transubstansiation and that this will affect how much time you will have to suffer in purgatory for your sins. If you have ever found yourself wondering way some denominations are so hard on the Catholic Church, this book will give you a good education. My only complaint is that it could have covered much more than it does. It's a little narrow regarding the number of issues it covers.

I am not a Catholic. I have never attended a Catholic Church. I have had a few friends who were formally Catholic but became true disciples of Jesus so my reading of this book was coming from someone who knows nothing about Roman Catholicism. Yet I am grateful to William Webster writing this short book that is not only full of references from official Roman Catholic dogma but counters Catholic teachings with the truths found only in the inerrant Word of God.

The book covers nearly all the major doctrines as they pertain to salvation and authority. Part I of the book covers basics of Roman Catholic theology. Part II covers the way of salvation as revealed to us in the Bible and compared to Roman Catholic teachings. Webster concludes with seven appendix that covers various Roman Catholic teachings and what official Catholic theologians have said on the subjects.

Overall if you are like myself and unfamiliar with Roman Catholic teachings, this book is quite helpful as an introduction while pointing the reader to the steadfastness of biblical truth. May the Reformation of the Church go forth in power!

Not good. He quotes church documents and authorities, and then proceeds to get church teaching wrong. The chapter on baptism was hilarious. People need to learn that being raised Catholic, being an alter boy, receiving the Eucharist, attending parochial school etc. etc does not make one an expert in Catholicism or imply in the slightest that they should have any clue about Catholicism. I'm sure Bill's a nice guy, but this book didn't do anything for me.

If you are going to buy this book, don't forget that if we take a look at the protestantism we will find that there's no such a thing as the "biblical christianity". Some say that saving faith doesn't include obedience to Jesus as Lord. Some say that baptism is a channel of the salvation (evangelical lutherans and some baptists), but most denied this.
Read "The Problem with Evangelical Theology" by the NT exegete Ben Witherington. He is evangelical and "Not by Faith Alone" by the Westminster Semminary theologian Robert Sungenis (a convert from fundamentalism).