Customer Reviews

Theology and Sanity

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Mr. Sheed proves once again that he is an educator and theologian par excellence. This work is a more detailed and in depth version of "Theology for Beginners" but a must read even for those who have read the "lighter" version. In fact start with "Theology for Beginners" and then read "Theology and Sanity."

I have read innumerable books on theology with an emphasis, but not exclusivity, on christianity. And this book explains with clear and beautiful reasoning the christian faith. You will not find a clearer yet amazingly comprehensive explaination of the Holy Trinity. If you think the 'triangle analogy' is a good model, you will forever look back on it as a simple 2-dimensional representation, with usefullness to be sure, but without life. Mr. Sheed brings the Trinity to Life!

Ever wondered how Christians have come to believe in Heaven, Hell, Angels and the Devil through scripture? Ever doubted that you could come to a rational belief of those concepts using logic, through combining philosophy and theology? Rejoice becuase Mr. Sheed reconciles both of those for you, beautifully and clearly.

By the end of this book you will understand why viewing life without a belief in God is insanity and why believing in God is having clear and sane thought. Do yourself, your soul and your spirit a favor. Read this man's works.

In an age where philosophy, academia, and society hold religious belief as subrational, Frank Sheed shines as a beacon for those who desire to begin the grave and joyous journey of reconciling faith with reason. His explainations of Catholic theology and the metaphysical realities it upholds prove to be some of the clearest of our time. His explaination of how those realities are translated into practical application,(morality), prove equally lucid. His embarkation into the mystery of the Holy Trinity leaves one with much to meditate upon. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to understand their Catholic faith. Only a minimum understanding of the Catholic faith is required to follow the author through some of the most complex teachings of the Church. Enjoy!

Sheed does a fine job here of concisely presenting the entire Catholic worldview in a single volume. His explanation of difficult philosophical and theological concepts (i.e. the Trinity) is done in a manner that can be easily understood by those with less expertise in these areas. This book is really a valuable piece, and should be on the bookshelves and in the minds of all Catholics.

Unlike the previous reviewer, Sheed never lost me, in the beginning or anywhere else. This is, admittedly, the Catholic view of the universe and I don't think Sheed intended it to be anything else. As such, it is much more an exposition and explanation of that view than a defense against various competing views, although there is some of that. So, if you are looking for defenses of the Catholic Christian faith against Buddhism, Islam, Judaism or even specifically contrasted to some Protestant beliefs, you won't find it done here explicitly. If you are a Catholic or are interested in learning more about how this magnificent religion views God and creation, there is no finer introductory work (although Sheed's Theology for Beginners is on the same par as Theology and Sanity, just shorter). I have now read four of Sheed's works and intend to read everything of his I can get my hands on. Two other points: 1. For the Catholic Church's thoughts on other religions, see the Catechism or the Pope's speech Dialogue with Great World Religions on May 19, 1999, or his Encyclical Fides et Ratio for starters, all available on-line. 2. For books on the Catholic argument for the teaching authority of the Church see Jesus, Peter, and the Keys, among many others.

I am a professor of theology at a Catholic university, and I find myself going back to Frank Sheed for help in expressing the depths of the faith in accessible language. I read Sheed and found him extremely helpful when I was a teenager, and now after years of graduate work in Theology I see MORE depth in Sheed's work than before and I marvel that he is able to express the faith so simply without compromising the nuances that a trained theologian would like to see. Absolutely the best intro to Theology for highschool ages and up.

Ever wondered what catholics really believe? Why they havesome strange views & practices? Written by a field-testedapologist, Theology and Sanity sets out in layman's terms a marvellously clear view of catholic theology. The title summarises the author's view that insanity is failing to see what IS -- and proceeds to describe what it is the catholic church SEES in its theological schema (ie just who and what are God, Jesus, apostles, Mary, angels, saints, pope, bishops - & theological underpinnings for catholic morality and practice) . Sheed's lucid descriptions are exceeded only by his wonderful prose. Highly recommended to both catholics and non-catholics. Companion volume: Society and Sanity -- an equally well-written exposition of catholic anthropology and sociology. Will be seen by some as somewhat dated, the core truths nevethless shine forth brilliantly.

Well, ok, unless you want to go to the real compendium of the Catholic Faith: The Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Otherwise, this is it. Look no further. Sheed's Theology and Sanity is a masterful, deep yet accessible summary of the mystery of creation, its fall and redemption by the Divine Redeemer.

The book covers all the essential aspects of the Catholic Faith and it makes for one of the best Adult Catechisms, Chistian Apologetics and theology books ever written. The reason for its greatness is that this is a book written with the love of a man of great faith and born out of love. Every sentence in the book was tested over 50 years of street corner preaching by its author to crowds not always in agreement with him. And this is the key to this book's clarity: it has been tested by time, the love of its author for the True Faith and his genuine desire to help others make sense out of the Catholic Faith and man's long relationship with God. In reading the book one finds the Faith as beautiful and merciful as the author himself obviously did.

Some of the concepts such as the doctrine of the Trinity are difficult to grasp, but their study is by no means impossible and remain enormously rewarding to the mind. If you have never taken theology or philosophy before you may want to start with Theology for Beginners, also by Sheed; otherwise, look no further than this book. Like many reviewers, I had not covered 3 chapters before I decided to read it a second time as soon as finished in order to drink deeper from this fountain of Truth. How much better would the Church be if this book was more widely used in Seminaries, Universities and Schools!

Those who upon reading this book find it "authoritarian", as some reviewers do, miss the point and prove their "insanity": Sheed properly sets Truth before "charity", as his concern is with explaining the mystery of the True Faith the way it is, come what may; thereby showing objective sanity, rather than subjective insanity (i.e. making the world an image of one's subjective self) -- This is not another experiment in a zoo of faiths. This is intellect seeking understanding and illumined by Faith above all. It is precisely that understanding that gives intellect its sanity, and it is that grandiose vision and comprehension that is the seed of all love. How can we love what we do not understand? It should be noted that in the Trinity, the Spirit (Love) proceeds from the Son (Word - Truth) and not the other way round. To set charity before Truth is to reverse and falsify the Trinity, and falsity belongs not to God but to the father of lies. We live in insane times. In times where man sacrifices truth every day to a false sense of "tolerance" for error and calls this "love". Charity requires Truth in order to be truly Love, and one can hardly love his fellow man if he is not truthful to him. Read this book, it will set your record straight and help you on your road back to sanity.

i have read and reread this book four times. Unfortunately i gave this book to a friend.I am reordering it again now. It has the clearest explanation of the Trinity that i have ever read.I guarantee that you will not be dissapointed with this purchase.

Frank Sheed's "Theology and Sanity" is a classic work of Catholic apologetics. The book is a distillation of core Catholic teaching, which comes down to actions of three beings(God, Adam, and Jesus) and four events (Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Judgement), and the implications that these beings and actions have on Catholics' perception of reality. Sheed believes that without understanding the basic theology behind these beings and actions, that individuals have a limited ability to make sane decisions, because they are not making decisions based on the full reality of life.

The chapters in which he defines the Trinity, are worth the proice of the book alone; never have I have such a full comprehension of this doctrine or understood the smenatics implied when Christians pray and invoke any or all of the three Persons. His chapters on Christ ignited in me a greater desire to read all that is written about Jesus, as well as made me more sensitive to dynamics behind his actions in the Bible.

The book is written in a style that is simple and accessible, yet still erudite. I recommend this book to all Catholics who want to understand better the concepts with which they grew up. All Christians may benefit from reading the book as a whole, but I don't think it is the type of book to convert people who are opposed to Catholic teaching. Sheed uses scripture extensively to support dotrine presented in some chapters but does not implement this approach with all chapters, which might lead people who are not familiar with the history of the teachings presented to question "where in the Bible it says that," though all doctrines are supported by the Bible, this is not a Bible study (but Sheed recommends that people reading the bok combine its study with a simultaneous study of the Gospels). It is a summary of Catholic beliefs about main events and actors in the history of the Christian Church. There is less stress on proving that the beliefs are valid, and a greater emphasis is on articulating the basic interpretation.

Frank Sheed, in his wonderful volume THEOLOGY AND SANITY, writes at length upon theological topics which are meant to make a man see the world through the eyes of the Church. Various topics, such as the nature of the Trinity and the Fall of Man, are wonderfully discussed in a few short pages.

Frank Sheed writes in his simplistic style that does not water-down Catholic theology, nor does it present it as something incomprehensible to untrained theologians. Using non-theological terms, Sheed works through many aspects of Catholic theology. A wonderful volume that can be knocked out in a couple of weeks.