The Belief of Catholics (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In a too crowded age-I refer, not to the multiplication of mortal lives, but to the multiplicity of human interests-it is an uneasy business to..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, Almighty God (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Ronald Knox was one of the most influential British convert-writers of the 20th century. Of his many works, The Belief of Catholics is his best-known book and his premiere piece of apologetics. While it deals extensively with Protestantism, its target is more the unchurched or lightly-church modern who, if he gives any thought at all to Catholicism, thinks it mildly foreign. As Knox knew, it is not the most difficult part of modern apologetics to convince the devoted Protestant that he has much of Christian truth but now needs to move on to the rest, which is found only in the Catholic Church. The most difficult part is convincing the nominal Protestant (or nominal Catholic), the vaguely religious person, or the person without any religious inclinations that God really does exist, that His existence matters, and that only knowledge of Him and obedience to Him can lead to answers to the questions that haunt everyone.

Knox discusses "the truths Catholics hold", "the rules Catholics acknowledge", "the strength Catholics receive", and "the ambitions Catholics honour". These truths, rules, strengths, and ambitions were attractive to the book's first readers. They were answers to the ever-present "Why?". These answers will prove equally attractive to today's readers who, after so many decades of failed isms, yearn for understanding and commitment even more than did their grandparents' generation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 221 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089870586X
• ISBN-13: 978-0898705867
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #325,569 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Every Lay Catholic's Guide, February 22, 2001

By	Billy P (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This book is an excellent resource for Catholics who want to learn more about pressing eccumenical topics. Knox is easy to read and understand, even though he's British. He refers to the Anglican Church a bit and contrasts it with the Roman Catholic Church.

I would recommend this book to all my Protestant friends simply because reading it will most definitly answer questions of the Catholic Faith.

Overall a terrific book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars only because it is a little outdated (written in the early part of the 20th century). But the conversation in the book can never be outlived, and the same topics and issues will be around for the next century.

Great Book!!!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Belief of Catholics, August 3, 2002

By	Mary Lou Grow (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Tremendous source to explain the Catholic Church by one of its greatest writers who knew it from the outside as well as the inside. Msgr. Ronald A. Knox, an Anglican convert to Catholicism, influenced GK Chesterton, Bishop Fulton Sheen and countless converts among others, with his logic, historical expertise, and ability to explain Catholicism and its most challenging issues to the uninitiated and Catholics alike. Starting with the current agnosticsm (then as today), he proceeds to philosophical proof of Divine intellect and will, and then he traces the development of oral tradition from the Apostles and the early Church to the present Roman Church. With wit and incisive facts, he expertly explains the paradox of free will versus submission to an authority, Dogma versus doctrine versus ritual, and the Catholic view versus the "world view". The careful reader will gain an appreciation into both sides of the issues presented. IMHO there is no better English explanation of Catholicism in 250 pages.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprehensive Apologetic Work, August 29, 2003

By	Jeff Reed (Oakland, California United States) - See all my reviews

An Anglican convert, Ronald Knox affords the reader a defense of Catholicism with the zeal of a convert and the depth of a scholar. It is through contrasting the Catholic Church from the errors of Modernism that Knox most acutely displays his apologetic acumen. His theme is applicable not only to the times in which he lived (the early twentieth century) but also to today, where Modernism has devolved into Postmodernism, wherein mankind questions even the existence of Truth. He begins by addressing the intellectual problems in his own day, and this paves the way for an exploration of Catholic truth through an analysis of the main points of doctrine. Knox's work is a wonderful primer to a further study of Catholicism, especially for potential converts to the faith.