Apologetics Book(s)

A Map of Life

A Simple Study of the Catholic Faith
Book cover: A Map of Life
Author(s): 
Frank Sheed
Number of pages: 
144 pages
Copyright: 
1933
ISBN: 
9780898704747
Publisher: 
Ignatius Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Miscellaneous Religion Materials
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

This is a really beautiful little book about morality and the Catholic Faith. It would make a great supplement for high school age or excellent reading for an adult. It's not too difficult to understand, but also interesting and really makes you think. The author has this to say about the purpose of this book:

A traveler through life gets vivid – sometimes extremely vivid impressions of things near at hand: confused impressions of things seen at a distance or only heard of: but of the whole plan of life, no idea at all. In his mind will be a jumble of facts, tossed about in any order – God, sin, church-going, disease, sacraments, suffering, the treason of friends, hostilities, death and the fear of death, money and the loss of it, God-made-man – and so on without end. But which of these things are big things and which of them are little, he will not know with certainty: the things that have come nearest to himself will seem big things: the remoter things will seem small. And of the relations of these things one to another – how one thing agrees with, or conflicts with, another – of all this, merely by dint of living, he will have only the most confused and uncertain impression. In fact it may easily happen that a man who merely lives, and neither reflects nor is taught, does not even suspect relationships, but thinks of all things as accidents with no reason in themselves save that they happened, and no connection with each other save that one cam earlier and one came later. Because of this confusion, I propose to try to make what may roughly be called a map of life.
This is a great book to use for a teen group discussion. When I was being homeschooled for high school, a friend of the family guided us in discussions of one chapter every month. We found it very engaging and helpful.
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1998-99

A Philadelphia Catholic in King James Court

Author(s): 
Martin de Porres Kennedy
Martin Deporres Kennedy
Number of pages: 
316 pages
Copyright: 
1999
ISBN: 
9780967149219
Publisher: 
Lilyfield Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

Plot overview: After the tragic death of Mick O'Shea, a Catholic fireman from Philadelphia, his widow Tammy and their children are invited to spend the summer at the Kentucky farm of Tammy's brother Les and his family. The catch? Les is the fundamentalist pastor of a small homegrown "Bible-only" church. He believes it is his duty to "save" his sister and her family from the Catholic Church. The story centers on 17-year-old Michael, who is chosen as the preferred point of contact. At first, Michael is very uncertain about Scripture and feels that his uncle's explanations are right; however, Mick has given him a solid grounding in the Faith, so he seeks the answers in Mick's library.

The author does a fine job of portraying the characters with their struggles and motivations. For example:

  • Michael's search for truth is realistic, keeping us guessing how it will turn out.
  • Tammy allows her son to face the challenge, realizing that he is too old to just be told the answers. I love the way the author shows the impact of her prayerful support.
  • Fundamentalists are beautifully shown to be motivated by charity, while at the same time the weakness of their sola scriptura position is exposed.
  • I also enjoyed the contrast between the reactions of the characters who were seeking Truth and those who felt threatened by it. (As a convert, I can appreciate both positions!)

Not only is much excellent apologetic material included in a natural, enjoyable, and engaging format, but it is done with charity and even humility. Topics covered include the Inquisition, the papacy, the role of Mary, and the authority and interpretation of the Bible.

The richness of the Faith comes through in other ways as well. I especially loved the way the author portrays the uniqueness of the Sacrifice of Christ even as it is extended through time in the re-presentation of that Sacrifice in the Mass. Other elements woven into the story include questions of what is really important in life, the support of the Christian community, and the power of prayer.

All in all a very satisfying Catholic novel.

Highly recommended.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Suchi Myjak
First reviewed: 
11-20-2007

de-coding Da Vinci

The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code
Book cover: de-coding Da Vinci
Author(s): 
Amy Welborn
Number of pages: 
124 pages
Copyright: 
2004
ISBN: 
9781592761012
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Bible
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

The 2003 release of the novel The Da Vinci Code created one of the largest literary crazes in recent history. With sales of almost 6 million in its first year, the novel gained a cult-like following. Author Dan Brown's ability to blend fact and fiction left many readers questioning what they really knew of the origins of Christianity. News is now out that we can expect to see the story in theaters in about a year. Certainly viewers will come away with many of the same questions readers had as to how much, if any, of the story line is factual, and how much is fiction.

Fortunately for those who want to sort out the facts, Amy Welborn has written decoding Da Vinci: the Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code. Welborn covers everything from the marketing of the book to the sources of information presented, and ultimately reveals a "startling number of blatant, glaring errors on matter great and small that should send up red flags to anyone reading the novel as a source of facts, rather than just pure fiction" (decoding Da Vinci p. 10). She also helps explain why this confusion over fact versus fiction is occurring when she states:

Historical fiction is a very popular genre, but in writing historical fiction, the author makes an implicit deal with the reader. He ... promises that while the novel concerns fictional characters engaged in imagined activities, the basic historical framework is correct. [Readers] trust the author is telling the truth about history. In The Da Vinci Code, imaginative detail and false historical assertions are presented as facts and the fruit of serious historical research, which they simply are not. (p. 21 italics added)
decoding Da Vinci is handily divided into a preface, a section entitled "How to Use this Book", an introduction which provides a plot synopsis, ten chapters (each addressing one key issue of the book), and an epilogue. The plot synopsis is thorough enough that you need not have read the novel to make use of this book. Each chapter also ends with further reading suggestions and questions for review and discussion. Readers can thus study particular issues in more depth on their own, or even use the material for a group study. The book is a quick read from cover to cover, but also organized so that each chapter stands on its own for easy reference.

Throughout her book, Welborn uses a tone readers will be familiar with from her Prove It series and other writings. Straightforward and to-the-point, she is never condescending or preachy. The book thus becomes a powerful tool to help counter the myths Brown has presented in his original work.

The up-coming movie release makes this book an important and timely choice for adults and older teens to read.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Mary Zelinski
First reviewed: 
2-22-05

Jesus of Nazareth

From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration
Author(s): 
Pope Benedict XVI
Translator(s): 
Adrian J. Walker
Number of pages: 
374 pages
Copyright: 
2007
Publisher: 
Doubleday
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Bible Study Helps
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 
It's rather lovely, I think that the Pope uses in his own book a phrase (which he applies to the parables of Jesus) which aptly describes this fascinating book: "...it not only or even primarily adds to what we know, but it changes our lives." In Jesus of Nazareth, Our Holy Father presents a vision of primary events of the Gospels (this volume covers significant stories chronologically from the Baptism of Our Lord through the Transfiguration - a second volume is expected in the future). He delves into these Gospel stories (many of which are commonly taken for granted - both because we've heard these stories since we were young and because we're missing some of the background details that add depth and additional significance to these stories) to help bring Our Lord to life for modern readers. Here are the basic Gospel stories that are covered in the text: The Baptism of Jesus The Temptations of Jesus The Kingdom of God The Sermon on the Mount The Lord's Prayer The Disciples The Parables (with an emphasis on The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Sun and the Rich Man and Lazarus) Images from St. John's Gospel (Water, Vine and Wine, Bread, and the Shepherd) Peter's Confession The Transfiguration Jesus Declares His Identity (The Son of Man, The Son, "I Am") Here's a sampling of the style and content of the book, taken from the chapter on the Our Father in which the Pope discusses what we mean by "Hallowed be Thy Name".
God establishes a relationship between himself and us. He puts himself within reach of our invocation. He enters into relationship with us and enables us to be in relationship with him. Yet this means that in some sense he hands himself over to our human world. He has made himself accessible and, therefore, vulnerable as well. He assumes the risk of relationship, of communion, with us. The process that was brought to completion in the Incarnation had begun with the giving of the divine name.... God has now truly made himself accessible in his incarnate Son. He has become a part of our world: he has, as it were, put himself into our hands. This enables us to understand what the petition for the sanctification of the divine name means. The name of God can now be misused and so God himself can be sullied. The name of God can be co-opted for our purposes and so the image of God can also be distorted. The more he gives himself into our hands, the more we can obscure his light; the closer he is, the more our misuse can disfigure him. Martin Buber once said that when we consider all the ways in which God's name has been so shamefully misused, we almost despair of uttering it ourselves. But to keep it silent would be an outright refusal of the love with which God comes to us. Buber says that our only recourse is to try as reverently as possible to pick up and purify the polluted fragments of the divine name. But there is no way we can do that alone. All we can do is plead with him not to allow the light of his name to be destroyed in the world.
He elucidates the various Gospel stories from many angles, though certain patterns emerge. In many places, he discusses and refutes modern theories about the Life of Christ (many of which have the common thread of doubting the historical validity of the Gospels). These are usually the most difficult portions of the book to follow. I found it helpful to underline principal portions in order to keep a particular thread fresh in my memory. Brief notes on the various threads might also be helpful. He also references Eastern imagery from traditional icons and what we have learned from Tradition (from the teachings of the Church Fathers) about the various Gospel passages. This is a life-changing book. There are many stories, like the Transfiguration, that I had little understanding of to begin with and will never hear or think about in the same way again. I studied this over the course of a school year with a group of high school students. We studied approximately 10 to 15 pages at a time and discussed everything in depth. I don't think it's a book that most high schoolers could read on their own. Reading it in chunks together allowed us to delve into it more deeply (I'm certain that I got more out of it than I would have if I had read it on my own.) The discussions provided an opportunity to clarify confusing parts of the text (many times I was able to provide some helpful background info such as an explanation of a philosophical idea). The students really enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it. Besides the obvious benefits of the content of the book itself, they're now less intimidated by an "intellectual" book and understand that it's okay to just make a beginning in reading such a book and that it's perfectly normal to get more out of such a book every time they read it. For those who might be interested, I wrote a number of blog posts on this book while I was studying it. You can read them here.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Recently released in softcover by Ignatius Press (that edition includes an index!). They are also expected to release a study guide for this book in October 2008.

An audio version is also available through your local bookstore or from Audible.com

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
10-8-2008

Meat & Potatoes Catholicism

Author(s): 
Rev. Joseph F. Classen
Number of pages: 
238 pages
Copyright: 
2008
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Catechesis
Grade / Age level: 
Adults
Mature Teens
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 
Are you malnourished? Many Catholics feel that they don’t know the faith, they are spiritually malnourished. To satisfy your hunger for the faith, Fr. Classen wants to feed you the fundamentals of your faith in Meat & Potatoes Catholicism. Determined to write a book that makes sense to those who sit in the pews, Fr. Classen has set out to educate you in the essentials of the faith. As he says, “We need to nourish ourselves and feed voraciously on the basic fundamentals of our Catholic faith and redefine the way we live our lives.” Broken down into nine chapters, he addresses the real questions of our faith. In chapter one, he tackles the question of why people quit the Church and why they should stay. Chapter two deals with how God leaves signs in our lives. One of the most important ways is through his sacraments. The subsequent chapters in the book each cover a sacrament. What makes this book different is his friendly conversational style and his real life examples. Given a choice between reading a catechism, which can be dry at times, or sitting down with someone and discussing the faith, most people will take the latter. That is what he offers the reader, a friendly conversation about the faith, with real life examples. Imitating Christ’s example of drawing on real life analogies, he uses vivid examples to answer the usual questions about our faith. “What is the Church?,” “Why can’t I just confess my sins directly to God?” He doesn’t shy away from the tough questions like, “What’s wrong with a homosexual marriage?” Each chapter follows a similar format. He introduces the chapter with an interesting story, explains the important information about the topic and follows up by answering the typical questions people have about that subject, all in a lively conversational tone. Woven throughout are quotes from both scripture and the CCC to help define the topic at hand. The highlights of the book include his clever analogies and interesting stories. My favorite analogy is his comparison of a priest during confession to a spiritual garbage man. His vocation story is particularly inspiring. It demonstrates how the example of others can dramatically influence our own personal decisions. If you know someone who has questions about the faith or could use a refresher course in the sacraments, Meat & Potatoes Catholicism sets out the truth in a friendly readable manner. Entertaining and informative, Meat & Potatoes Catholicism may be just what they are looking for.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Ordained in 2003, this is Fr. Classen's second book published by Our Sunday Visitor.

Reviewed by: 
Elizabeth Yank
First reviewed: 
1-10-2009

The One-Minute Apologist

Author(s): 
Dave Armstrong
Number of pages: 
160 pages
Copyright: 
2007
Publisher: 
Sophia Institute Press
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 
The clever, user-friendly layout of this book makes it very practical! In the introduction, author Dave Armstrong explains that he hopes to empower Catholics to be able to defend their faith with the aid of this book: I believe the book is capable of doing just that! Starting a with a Protestant objection to a Catholic teaching, each double page provides a solid explanation of the problems with each objection, supported amply with bible verses. Then a common Protestant follow-up argument follows under the heading A Protestant Might Further Object, followed by the author's counter-replies. At the end a supporting quote, usually from a protestant author, is added. High School students would benefit from this book when studying Apologetics! Topics are divided into sections such as Scripture, the Sacraments, the Church, Salvation, Mary and the Saints, and more.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
3-1-2008

You Can Share the Faith

Author(s): 
Karen Edmisten
Copyright: 
2016
Publisher: 
Our Sunday Visitor
Subject(s): 
Conversion Stories
Apologetics
Religion
Grade / Age level: 
High School
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 
I highly recommend this terrific little book for everyone who wishes to share their faith with others – especially with their family and friends. Karen is an atheist-turned-Catholic (and Catholic homeschool mom, and contributor to this website) who shares in this book many common aspects of the conversion journey through her own experiences and those of a number of her friends. These stories are organized around a very practical set of “do’s” and “don’ts” that will help readers be better prepared to witness to and support those who are being drawn to the faith. Karen’s tone is gentle and friendly (and prayerful!), but not at all timid about tackling many important issues, concepts, teachings, relationships and potential misunderstandings. The end result is a very great set of connections to help believers be more loving, patient, understanding and supportive of others.
Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
09/14/2016

Beginning Apologetics 1: How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith

Book cover: Beginning Apologetics 1: How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith
Author(s): 
Fr. Frank Chacon
Jim Burnham
Number of pages: 
40 pages
Copyright: 
1993
ISBN: 
9781930084001
Publisher: 
San Juan Catholic Seminars
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Apologetics
Religion
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
High School
Adults
Resource Type: 
Book(s)
Review: 

When I first considered converting from a "mere Christianity" form of Protestantism to the Catholic faith, I had several issues to deal with. I believed that "Scripture alone" was the rule of faith. I thought that the Catholic Church had added several non-Biblical doctrines throughout the years – for example, praying to Mary and the saints and the existence of Purgatory. Though I knew that Jesus had given the apostles and particularly Simon Peter the power to bind and loose sins and to heal the sick, I couldn't see how Catholics could consider priests, bishops and the Pope to have inherited these powers. I was scandalized by evil people and actions in the Church's history (some real evils and some that were exaggerated).

I vividly remember my surprise and increasing respect for the Church as my husband and I read and discussed a Catholic apologetics book in which these questions were specifically dealt with from a Scriptural and historical perspective. Once I could see intellectually that Catholic doctrines were not just pious accretions and institutionalized hypocrisy, my road to conversion became a lot more direct.

Beginning Apologetics is written to help Catholics dialogue with sincere Protestants like I was, and to help them convey a Catholic perspective on these major issues using support from the Bible, from the writings of the Church Fathers and with the help of logical reasoning from common ground. The book is a simple 8 1/2 by 11 format, inexpensively paper bound, but has a lot of substance packed into its 40 pages. Its tone is reasonable and unconfrontational "Apologetics fulfills the command of St. Peter: Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence..(1 Peter 3:15-16)".

It begins with an introductory section on method: how to be an effective, charitable apologist for our Faith, and how to read and mark your Bible. The body of the book is laid out topic by topic. The Eucharist, the role and origin of the Bible, and the primacy of the Pope have first priority, because it is from these central points that most of the central divisions of Christendom proceed. For instance, if a Catholic can convince a Protestant that Jesus in John 6 meant His words about His Body and Blood to be taken literally – which indeed is the plain sense of what He said – that in itself is a huge stumbling block removed, because that is a doctrine held only by the Catholic and Orthodox Church. If he can further convince the Protestant that "Scripture alone" is not a Scripturally supported doctrine, and thus contradicts itself, then he has significantly narrowed the separation between the Catholic and the devout and sincere Protestant.

The book goes on to address other questions and misconceptions that a sincere Bible-believing Christian may have about the Catholic Faith. Do Catholics really "worship" Mary? (the answer is no, and our reasons for "venerating" or honoring her are carefully supported from Scripture). Isn't it "necromancy" to pray to the saints in heaven? (again no, and again reasons are laid out proceeding from doctrines that Catholics and Protestants have in common). The manual closes with some briefer questions and answers like "Why do Catholics baptize infants?" and gives a list of recommended resources for further reading and study. Among these are the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Karl Keating's Catholicism and Fundamentalism which is the apologetics book that first helped me to consider conversion seriously.

This book is one of the resources used by Mother of Divine Grace School for high school religion. It could be profitably read by anyone from 6th or 7th grade up to adulthood. It is a handy reference tool because it lays out the basic issues so simply and concisely, and because it puts the Scriptural references and key terminology in bold font so they are easily located. The book is #1 in a series that now includes 7 books.

See below for a separately sold Study Guide for this book.

Reviewed by: 
Willa Ryan
First reviewed: 
7-19-04

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