The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored [Hardcover]

George Weigel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2001

What does being a Catholic mean? Is there a distinctively Catholic way of seeing things? What does the Catholic Church teach about the human condition -- about our lives, our loves, and our destiny? In The Truth of Catholicism, best-selling author George Weigel explores these perennial questions through the prism of ten contemporary controversies.

The Catholic Church may be the most controversial institution in the world. Some find its teachings inexplicable, puzzling, even cruel. George Weigel suggests that we look at Catholicism and its controversies from "inside" the convictions that make those controversies not only possible, but necessary The truths of Catholicism then come into clearer focus as affirmations and celebrations of human life and human love, even as they challenge us to imagine a daring future for humanity and for ourselves.

Is Jesus uniquely the savior of the world? Does belief in God limit our freedom? What are we doing when we pray? Is the moral life about rules or about happiness? Doesn't suffering contradict the biblical claim that God is good? How does the Catholic Church think about other Christians and about other great world religions? Are Catholics safe for democracy? What will become of us? In an engaging, accessible style, George Weigel leads us through these and other questions into the truth of Catholicism: the truth about a God passionately in love with his creation, the truth about a love that creates a vast, liberating terrain on which to live a fully human life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In The Truth of Catholicism, John Paul II's biographer George Weigel tackles 10 of the most controversial and complex questions for which the Catholic Church provides answers. The subjects of these questions include the uniqueness of Christ, the meaning of freedom, the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, and the use and abuse of sex. Weigel writes as a committed Catholic, and he asks that readers of all faiths suspend their disbelief while reading his book. "By 'coming inside' and seeing how the Catholic vision of the human condition and the human prospect fit together," Weigel explains, "both the curious and the discontented will, it is hoped, be able to see the affirmation and celebration of the human project in Catholicism, not condemnation and mindless prohibition." Weigel's project is worthy, his chosen questions are important ones, and his answers are easily understood and often persuasive. Nevertheless, his choice not to acknowledge the political dynamic of "condemnation and mindless prohibition" that mitigates many of Catholicism's truths is unfortunate, as those worldly dynamics are as real as divine revelation, and will always be, as long as we live in a fallen world. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly

Because the teachings of the Catholic Church are best known to the general public and to many Catholics through the filter of the secular press, papal biographer Weigel (Witness to Hope) uses this book to clarify 10 issues that have engaged the public's attention in recent years. A theologian and Catholic commentator, Weigel undertook his task after encountering numerous misconceptions about the faith during a 16-month book tour for Witness in 2001 and 2000. Here, he illuminates the church's teachings about Jesus, morality, sexuality, suffering and women's ordination, as well as Catholicism's relationship to democracy, other Christian denominations and other religions. In doing so, he offers much-needed precision about teachings that have often been muddled, as reporters, forced to condense church documents into sound bites and headlines, have missed much of their texture and shading or have tried to interpret them using secular standards. For example, Weigel begins the book by revealing how some news organizations reported on the 2000 Vatican declaration, Dominus Iesus (The Lord Jesus), by claiming the Catholic Church had declared itself "Number One," even though the document did little more than reassert traditional Christian teaching that Jesus Christ is the savior of all. Weigel's approach makes this book an excellent resource for anyone curious enough about Catholicism to look behind the headlines.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First edition. edition (October 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066213304
• ISBN-13: 978-0066213309
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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92 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Intoxicating Nature of Catholicism, January 4, 2002

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Conor B. Dugan "Book Aficiando" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored (Hardcover)

George Weigel has written a little masterpiece here. The Truth of Catholicism is a gem with a simple premise: accept an invitation to examine Catholicism from the inside and one might likely end up staying. Like Witness to Hope his authoritative biography of Pope John Paul II where Weigel successfully attempted to understand the Pope from the inside, Weigel here looks at the central principles and beliefs of Catholicism and how these radiate outwards to create a cohesive and compelling engagement with the world-in short he examines Catholicism from the inside.

One of the book's great gifts is the accessibility of the writing. I am always struck by how Weigel can take the complex and lengthy and render it understandable and concise. Weigel does not avoid the thorny issues either; rather, this book is about the thorny issues, about how Catholicism's primary convictions lead to convincing answers about the tough questions. Take for instance the often debated question of women's ordination. In just a few short pages, Weigel offers a persuasive answer to why the Catholic Church teaches that she cannot ordain women. (I will let you read the book to get his answer).

Truth of Catholicism is a great gift for inquiring minds of any or no faith. For those who are puzzled by the paradox of a person like Cardinal O'Connor who could be a forceful teacher of the Church's sexual doctrine while changing the bedpans of AIDS patients, this book explains that there is no paradox. Catholic Christianity when lived to its fullest does not lend itself to the neat labels of the secular press. The book is also a great read for the average Catholic who like me is the product of poor catechesis. In a short 180 pages, Weigel teaches more than one is likely to learn in most Catholic religious education programs over one's childhood and adolescence.

In short, I cannot recommend Weigel's book highly enough. It paints a picture of an intoxicating adventure-the adventure of Catholicism.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sophisticated and Philosophical Presentation, December 28, 2002

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Oswald Sobrino (Traverse City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored (Hardcover)

George Weigel presents ten controversies involving the truths of Catholicism in a highly persuasive and thoughtful manner. One example will illustrate how his approach sheds light on usually intractable and emotional issues. On the issue of priestly ordination of women, Weigel cogently points out that before getting into mutual recriminations, people should first consider the Catholic view of the ordained priesthood. It is not viewed as just another job or as just being a mere delegate of an assembly of Catholics. The priest is an icon of Christ who represents Christ the Bridegroom in his ministry to the laity. In Catholic understanding, the ordained priesthood is primarily sacramental, not functional. To fulfill that iconic and sacramental role, the Church reserves ordination to males.

By elucidating controversial issues in this manner, Weigel sheds light that can expose the unexamined assumptions that usually make useful discussion impossible.

50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex Issues Explained Simply and Clearly, February 14, 2002

By 

Steven K. Szmutko (EWING, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored (Hardcover)

This is a short book, and it is not comprehensive with respect to ALL of the issues which confront Catholic's today. It is not intended to be. Nonetheless, "The Truth of Catholicism : Ten Controversies Explored," provides a clear presentation and lucid, (relatively) easy-to-understand explanations of many of the controversies, problems and challenges facing the Catholic Church.

Unlike some books in the old-style apologetic tradition, this book presents the various topics with a reasoned prose so that the reader understands not only WHAT the position of the church is, but the HOW and WHY the church holds its positions. As a result, both faithful Catholics and skeptics alike can develop a deeper understanding of the Church.