Customer Reviews

Why Do Catholics Genuflect?: And Answers to Other Puzzling Questions About the Catholic Church

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This is an informative book and should be read by all Catholics who want to better know their faith and be able to defend it charitably. Mr. Kresta's articulate explanations shed a lot of light on centuries old doctrines and practices of the Church. His writing style is easily understood yet conveys deep meanings which all make good sense.

The chapter on Sacred Tradition shows how the Catholic Church guarded the Gospel and the deposit of faith for its first 330 years, before defining the books of Sacred Scripture and compiling the canon of the bible at the end of the 4th century. He explains how the Bible is a Catholic book, and was translated into vernacular versions well before the Protestant Revolt. Contrary to what some may claim, the Church never kept the bible from the faithful.

Another great chapter is the one on authority, which tells how the Church is apostolic, with apostolic teaching and apostolic succession. I like the author's reference to the "Evangelical Dictionary of Theology," a standard Protestant reference book, which says, "Peter's primacy or leadership among the twelve apostles and in the primitive church is now generally accepted by Protestant and Catholic scholars alike." And of course Pope John Paul II is the 264th successor of Saint Peter.

Mr. Kresta well explains the truth found in Matthew chapter 16, where Jesus "In keeping with the ancient custom, appointed Peter as the chief steward over the royal household, the Church, and gave him the keys of the kingdom." Peter was given the power by Christ to bind and to loose in matters of faith, morals, doctrine, and conscience.

Mr. Kresta notes the importance of knowing that the Bible is not the only source of faith, as Luther erroneously taught in the 16th century, for without the intervention of a divine, infallible teaching apostolate distinct from the Bible, we could never know with divine certainty what books constitute the inspired Scriptures, and we could never know for sure what they mean. Moreover, a number of revealed truths have been handed down by Sacred Tradition only.

The teaching of Christ that His Gospel is to be learned not from the Bible alone, but from a divine, infallible Apostolate until the end of the world is clearly set forth by St. Paul in Romans 10:14-18.

Mr. Kresta's chapter on salvation is probably the best chapter in the book, containing jewels such as, "the Catholic Church doesn't teach salvation by works but rather, to use St. Paul's phrase, salvation by grace through faith working in love (Gal. 5:6). The faith that brings us into right relationship with God and makes us adopted sons and daughters of God is also a working faith. Paul calls it `the obedience of faith' (Rom. 1:5)."

The author corrects the Protestant error of thinking we are justified by faith alone. "If our faith doesn't bring forth good deeds, St. James tells us, then our faith is not saving faith." More good lines: "But while Christians aren't saved by works in themselves, they will be judged according to them. The grace to believe in Christ is the grace to obey God. Faith is made complete by expressing itself in action. We were created for good works."

This is all top notch Christian instruction! Kresta exposes the "eternal security--once saved always saved" error too, explaining from the bible and reason why Christ's many exhortations to remain faithful to the end would be meaningless if our ultimate salvation were assured.

The author covers all the big questions really well: purgatory, relics, the sacraments, sacramentals, why the Mass is the highest form of worship on earth, why annulments aren't the same thing as civil divorce, holy water, why artificial contraception is a great moral evil, it's all here! One thing I would have liked to see included is the Angelus and blessings.

Mary, the mother of God, is given ample space. Catholics are often condemned by Protestants for praying to Mary and the saints. But Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father ..." He didn't tell us to say "My Father," but "Our Father." Yes, we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord--we are `one body, one body in Christ'--and we do not stand alone. Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Jesus is the one Mediator, of course, but we are all in Jesus! Jesus reaches out to us through other souls, so it's natural that we would go to him through others, too. The Protestants are guilty of having a shrunken notion of God. They don't realize that the Church is the body of Christ (Col. 1:24) and that we are all intermediaries of grace within Christ, not separate. They like to brag about their "personal relationship with Christ," yet they use legalistic language to express that relationship, and not a familial one. They worship the Head, but Catholics worship the whole Christ. Below Christ, there is no one more important to our salvation than Mary--she is our mother in the order of grace and our advocate before God.

Kresta relates the many reasons for honoring Mary: Jesus honored her, and we are all called to imitate Christ; Mary is the model Christian; Mary "magnifies" the Lord (Luke 1:45-46) and thus the truth about Jesus is revealed through Mary; when Jesus' side was pierced with the sword, Mary's soul was pierced (Luke 2:35). All praise of Mary rises straight up to God--she is God's most perfect creature (Christ is the 2nd person of the Trinity and is divine).

When we pray to Mary, she takes our prayer, makes it better, and prays to God for us. Jesus said, Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I with you. So when you pray through Mary she joins you, and you know your prayers are heard by God!

I picked up this book to learn more about my Catholic faith because of the title. I have a pre-disposition not to like Apologetics because I tend not to want to be confrontational.

So, I read this book to further develop my sense of awe of the Catholic faith's symbols, sacraments and saints. As it turns out the book uses scripture and church history to clarify differences between Catholics and other Christians.

Through this interesting and well-written book, I have completely changed my view of Apologetics. I no longer see it as a dry - intellectual exercise. I now see it as a simple and meaningful part of my Catholic faith.

Al Kresta's straightforward manner clarified the issues and helped me see that Catholics can easily answer Scriptural issues brought to them by Non-Catholics.

Let's face it, Catholics and Protestants, while using the same words and terms, operate with different definitions and with different emphasizes. At times, it can feel like we are almost speaking two different languages. It takes some doing for Catholic apologists to learn how to communicate their faith in a manner that is easily accessible to Protestant Christians. I know. I've been running a Catholic apologetic ministry for a number of years now and Al Kresta - more than anyone I know - has mastered and is fluent in both these religious dialects. With years of experience on Protestant and Catholic radio, Al has honed his skills in communicating the faith in a manner that is clear, insightful and compelling regardless the religious affiliation of his audience. Al applies these same "bi-lingual" skills masterfully in his new book, "Why Do Catholics Genuflect?" The result is an accurate, punchy, non-threatening and entertaining read. "Why Do Catholics Genuflect?" is one of only a few books that I can recommend without reservation for Catholics to give to their Protestant friends and family members. I also highly recommend it for Catholics who wish to learn more about their faith and be able to share it with others in a competition manner.

BTW... This is also a great book to have a few copies placed near your front door for any unexpected door-to-door evangelists who may show up.

As someone who spends a lot of time on the road in Southeast Michigan, I've enjoyed Al Kresta's radio show immensely-- both when he was an evangelical Protestant, and now his Catholic show.

One thing I've always appreciated is Al's knowledge of ALL types of Christianity, even obscure denominations. I would marvel as people called in and said, "What does so and so believe differently than such and such?" and BOOM, Al would rattle it off in a clear and understandable way.

So, it's not surprising to me that his book is clear, understandable, witty, engaging, AND intellectually stimulating.

WHY DO CATHOLICS GENUFLECT? belongs on the shelf of every Catholic who has trouble answering specific questions about their faith, but would be equally valuable for any Christian who wants a clearer understanding of what the largest chunk of Christendom really believes-- or at least is SUPPOSED to, if they really understood their own Church.

Kresta attacks stereotypes of Catholicism which are spread by many fundamentalists (though Catholics who don't understand their faith very well certainly contribute to these misunderstandings) but never attacks his counterparts on the other side of issues. The tone is never harsh, and is sometimes even playful.

Kresta is firm about his beliefs, but never off puttingly polemical. He clearly explains positions, and offers memorable illustrations.

WHY DO CATHOLICS GENUFLECT is a valuable book for anyone who has any questions about Catholic belief and practice. It's lucid and logical, and best of all, it's easily the most enjoyable book I've ever picked up on the subject.

As a "cradle" Catholic and mother of 3 small children, I planned and made time this Lent to read Al Kresta's book, Why do Catholics Genuflect? I found it very interesting and helped me to understand the answers to questions about my church that I was brought up in, and are now raising my children in. I feel it is important as a parent to be educated in the faith, and in order to live the faith one has to understand the faith. I found the chapter on "Worship, Sacraments, and Sacramentals", to be the most enlightening and learned a great deal from it. I would reccommend this book to all cradle Catholics and to parents rearing their children in the Catholic faith.

I found this book to be thoughtful and intelligent. Arranged around those questions that get continually posed to Catholics by non-Catholics (and even many Catholics!), the book condenses a surprising amount of information and insight into convincing summaries of Catholic distinctives. It is a terrific, first-pass look at these questions in that it covers so much ground so thoroughly. As a novice convert and one who is familiar with this kind of book, I found this one to be exceptional and would recommend it heartily to all thoughtful seekers and inquirers. For those of you who know Al Kresta as a Christian talk radio host, I can vouch for the fact that he is as skilled and effective at communicating in print as he is on the air. The years of interaction with all sorts of people and their questions have borne good fruit in the helpful and witty treatment of these topics. This book would be especially appropriate for thoughtful readers - both Catholic and non-Catholic - who are genuinely curious or puzzled by uniquely Catholic practices and beliefs and want to hear responses to their questions from an articulate, committed Catholic.

Al Kresta's long experience in Christian ministry makes this book very worthwhile. He understands why so many misunderstand Catholic teaching...it's often the poor way in which Catholic teaching has been presented in largely Protestant America. He even indicts Catholic teachers for often being sloppy, inaccurate and uncreative. His answers are usually concise, punchy and insightful, although the sections on teaching authority can occasionally bog down. This is rare & shouldn't deter a consideration to buy. Normally, the book moves along briskly with a memorable thought every page or two. BTW, the introduction is worth the price of the book alone. When I first read it I thought, "I feel like I know this guy."

Kresta's new book is reader friendly and fun to read. It tackles the tough issues and misunderstandings that often occur regarding the Catholic faith with easy-to-understand explanations. There is a clarity in Kresta's logic that makes difficult concepts simple and comprehensible for Catholics who wish to know more about their faith, and for non-Catholics who might be interested in knowing more. In fact, Kresta shows a true sense of charity towards those who do not embrace the Catholic worldview. His book is an invitation to learn more. Highly recommended.

This book covers all sorts of topics just about everyone who deals witht he Catholic Church, either as a member or a distant observer, has wondered about. And it written in a very conversational way, as the author notes in his introduction, "I've tried to avoid scholarly apparatus ..."

Those who know of Al Kresta from his more than 15 years in talk radio (10 years as a Protestant, 5 years as a Catholic) will enjoy the book, and those who don't know of Mr. Kresta will certainly appreciate his ability to distill complex ideas to easy conversational nuggets.

The book covers many topics in a question-and-answer format, with answers ranging in length from less than a page to a bit more than a page.

Great reading. And a great gift for friends and relatives who could use an easy tool to improve their understanding of Catholicism.

Al Kresta's book has helped me talk to friends about the things they misunderstand about the Catholic faith. I have given a copy to a friend in LA who is always trying help me understand how the Catholic Church is wrong. I generally agree that the church she is talking about is wrong but "That's not the Catholic Church I know".

Al's book explains the facts in language she understands. My friend is comming around. Thank's AL.