Customer Reviews

Why Are Catholics So Concerned about Sin?: More Answers to Puzzling Questions about the Catholic Church

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As a follow-up to his great basic apologetics book, "Why Do Catholics Genuflect," this book zeros in on some of the deeper questions many people have about the Catholic Church.

His answers to questions on topics such as the second coming, sin and salvation, salvation outside the church, and apparitions are not only enlightening but easy to follow and often humorous.

I have enjoyed Al Kresta's thoughts and insights on Ave Maria Radio for years, and now I can explore them more extensively and pass them on to friends and family in this great book.

For three hours every weekday afternoon, Al Kresta hosts a nationally syndicated talk show that addresses political, educational, cultural, and religious concerns. Questions about Catholic beliefs that have come up on the show are the focus of his new book, which he describes as "a potpourri rather than a work of systematic theology." His responses include quotations from scripture, Church documents, and writers ranging from Pliney the Younger to St. Padre Pio.

Kresta, president and CEO of the Ave Maria Radio Network, has done graduate work in theology at both Catholic and Protestant seminaries. He brings that experience to bear with thought-provoking answers to more than 30 specific questions in five categories: teaching authority, salvation and sacraments; worship and devotion; hell; and the second coming. Certainly this is a good source of information for those outside the Church, but it also has much to offer practicing Catholics.

The title is somewhat misleading: the author answers a wide range of questions about Catholic beliefs and traditions. The book will be helpful to Catholics who seek a clearer understanding of their faith, and to any others who want true information about common misconceptions about Catholicism. Some of the questions are:

Do Catholics believe non-Christians can be saved?

Don't Catholics just confess to a priest and then go out and do the same things again?

Why do Catholics believe in hell?

What does the church teach about the "the rapture"?

Kresta writes plainly and persuasively, supporting his assertions with a combination of philosophical, historical, and Biblical arguments. Persuasive as he is, I actually found his non-theological, non-controversial information most interesting. His account of the Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church (including a list of names) was very helpful, as was his description of the Liturgy of the Hours and explanation of solemnities, feast days and memorials.

A very fine book!