Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith

Full disclaimer: I’m a Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada minister (to my US friends, think Assemblies of God) reviewing a book on Catholicism. Still, I read this book with an eager and generous heart. Using the boundary markers of your denomination to define your Christian faith (let alone status!) seems absurd to me. On the other hand, I take doctrine seriously and love to study. Here are my thoughts.

I was struck by the number of times, especially near the beginning of the book, that I wanted to jump out of my seat and high five Father Barron. His scholarship and passion regarding the centrality of Jesus in the life of the church was breathtaking. I also noted that he used a fair bit of the conceptual world of N. T. Wright (duly show more footnoted). In the end, I was delighted to share much more in common with Father Barron than I had anticipated.

Of course, there were areas that frustrated me. The role and status of Mary for one. The doctrine of Immaculate conception seems to be so far removed from scripture it’s absurd. On the other hand, I freely acknowledge that most Protestants underemphasize Mary because we like to keep the boundary markers between us and them nice and neat. (Side note: Martin Luther would have rolled over in his grave to read the title of that chapter: “Our Tainted Nature’s Solitary Boast”. Boast! Seriously?)

Father Barron takes a hard line on other denominations:

"From the Roman Catholic point of view, all of the non-Catholic Christian churches have sacrificed one or more of these qualities and therefore fall short of completeness or catholicity." (164)

(It’s interesting how, instead of stating his personal view, he prefaced it with, “From the Roman Catholic point of view …”.) Father Barron goes on to suggest that apostolic succession—the idea that the current Pope is the descendant of Saint Peter—is a “guarantee” (168) that they are preserving the faith. It seems to me like Jesus’ treatment of the Pharisees rules out this sort of naïve comfort. If the Jewish religious leaders couldn’t be trusted to faithfully preserve the faith, what makes us think that we can pull of the same feat?

I could argue theology all day, but I’ll leave with one last particularly irritating argument. In discussing the afterlife, Father Barron states clearly that Protestants object that “purgatory is an unbiblical doctrine, a medieval innovation” (262). In response, he mentions misleadingly that “incarnation” and “Trinity” are also absent from scripture. I don’t know of a single person who argues that since the term “purgatory” cannot be looked up in a concordance, the doctrine is false. It’s the concept that matters. He then goes on to quote 2 Maccabees for a convoluted hint that purgatory may exist. In the first place, the reference to 2 Maccabees 12:44-46 isn’t a direct statement about purgatory. In the second place, Father Brown knows full well that the vast majority of Protestant churches view the books of Macabees as extra-canonical (or, at least, deuterocanonical).

Now that my cathartic moment has passed, I still have to say: an objective Protestant reading of Catholicism will discover far more common elements of the faith than discord. You may even, like this Protestant, be inspired.

Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided at no cost through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s program. show less

It is very difficult for me to review a book like Fr. Robert Barron's "Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith." Years in the making and heralded by a healthy dose of promotion across the Catholic corner of the internet, it can be hard to separate the hype from the thing itself. I also have the nagging feeling that I'm not Fr. Barron's primary audience for this work. I say that less as someone who works full-time for the Church, and more as someone who prefers systematic theology to philosophy. (Fr. Barron's masters degree is in philosophy and he is an unabashed admirer of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose life and writings are frequently cited in the book.)

With those provisos, what can you expect from "Catholicism?"

In the introduction show more Fr. Barron promises to take us on "a guided exploration of the Catholic world... I want to function as a mystagogue, conducting you ever deeper into the mystery of the Incarnation in the hopes that you might be transformed by its power." He intends a celebration of the faith, rather than an academic overview, and he keeps his word.

Fr. Barron covers the major topics of the faith in ten chapters that mirror the ten episodes of his DVD series. These include the person of Jesus Christ, his teachings, the Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, the saints, and prayer, among others. Each chapter includes highlights from the Church's historical and theological heritage, from Bl. Theresa of Calcutta to St. Augustine, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris to Bl. Pope John Paul II. The book also boasts an impressive amount of photography and artwork, much of it from Europe's great cathedrals and basilicas.

As anyone who has seen his YouTube videos knows, Fr. Barron has a gift for explaining the faith in simple, understandable terms, and this gift is on full display in "Catholicism." Even notoriously complex issues such as theodicy (the problem of evil) are dealt with in clear terms, with non-Christian alternatives laid out in contrast with the person of Christ:

"For the Christian faith, the only adequate "resolution" of this dilemma is the one effected by God himself on the cross of Jesus Christ. On that cross, the darkness of the human condition met the fullness of the divine love and found itself transfigured into life. On that cross, God went to the limits of godforsakenness and made even death itself a place of hope. God, in his love, becomes the answer to the problem of evil."

One thing you should not expect is a systematic walk through the Church's teachings. This is actually one of the little things that bugged me about the book: it's incomplete treatment of certain subjects. For instance, in the chapter on prayer, Fr. Barron spends most of his time on Thomas Merton, John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila -- important figures, to be sure, and ones who have much to teach on prayer! But Fr. Barron then offers a few pages on petitionary prayer before wrapping up the chapter -- neglecting the other four forms of prayer laid out in the Catechism. Similarly, his chapter on the "last things" includes very good reflections on heaven, purgatory, and hell -- but no mention of judgement, the traditional first "last thing." Again, Fr. Barron's approach isn't wrong or even unhelpful. But for someone acquainted with the Catechism and the traditions of the Church, the omissions are curious.

Another troubling aspect of the book is it's solid Euro-centrism. Almost no attention is paid to Catholicism as it is lived in the global south, either in the stories Fr. Barron tells or in the artwork used throughout the book. At a time when Christianity is seeing unprecedented growth in Africa and South America, this makes "Catholicism" look rooted in the Church's past, rather than its future.

But those are minor quibbles about an otherwise impressive accomplishment. Fr. Barron has crafted what may prove to be the defining introductory text to the faith for the coming decades; I predict that "Catholicism" will be added to many personal and parish libraries and will become a classic text for inquirers and RCIA candidates. Anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic faith could hardly do better than picking up this book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. show less

Although Fr. Barron clearly, as the title itself indicates, intended this book to be an introduction to Catholicism, I think that what he has written here is an excellent introduction to Christianity as a whole. And I say that in spite of the two swipes (on pages 3 and 164) he takes at the Orthodox Church, of which I myself am a member. Other than perhaps his understanding of the interrelations of the three divine persons in the Trinity, which seems to be based largely around the filioque, and, of course, his discourse on papal infallibility, there was hardly a thing I could find with which I disagreed. In fact, that may be the greatest message that I took away from the book, probably contrary to Fr. Barron's desires: that perhaps East show more and West aren't so different after all.

Fr. Barron is, in turns, poetic and intellectual throughout the book. His initial descriptions of the Incarnation (pages 9-10) and the liturgy (pages 172-4), for instance, are so beautiful they could easily become verse. And his discussion of God (chapter 3), for example, wonderfully breaks down very difficult and rather heady concepts in language that anyone can understand. Adding to the beauty of the book are the black and white photographs of some of the most beautiful sites in Christendom sprinkled throughout the book and the wonder-evoking set of color photographs in the center.

Also contributing to the excellence of this book are the numerous short quotations, bits of wisdom, and anecdotes sprinkled throughout. For these, Fr. Barron draws especially heavily on modern Christian thinkers like Paul Tillich, Thomas Merton, and Edith Stein, giving us a presentation of a Christianity that has grappled with the great problems of the modern and postmodern world and its thought as encapsulated by such figures as Marx and Freud (whom Fr. Barron references specifically). In course, he demonstrates to the reader that Christianity is not the medieval superstition and antiquated silliness some would like to paint it as, but it continues to be what it has always been: the Truth, the way to Life from the realm of unbecoming.

I recommend this book as an introduction to Christianity for the newcomer and an engaging refresher for the experienced – with a uniquely but not exclusively Catholic flavor. I especially recommend that all Catholics have a read of this book. show less

Written as a companion to Fr. Robert Barron's popular PBS documentary-film series of the same name, this book is a remarkable feat in concise definition of an awesomely broad topic. Using meaningful analogies and uniquely worded descriptions of concepts that are so commonly spoken of that understanding is assumed, Fr. Barron makes much seem new in this writing. The arrangement of chapters builds one upon the other until the logical final chapter "World without End: the Last Things." But if one reads nothing else in this book about Catholicism, go to the short coda at the end, "It's All about God," to experience the brilliance of Barron's ability to use language to capture the essence of this faith.

I thought this was an excellent book at presenting and explaining what makes Catholicism unique. We are shown the origin and reason for many "difficult" tenets of the Church, and certain chapters such as the one on prayer are simply outstanding. Barron is not afraid to reference important theologians and writers, although I could wish for a bibliography in addition to the index provided. He clarifies without "dumbing down". His writing is very clear and his passion is evident. I would strongly recommend this book to Catholics wishing to refocus their faith and to non-Catholics who want to know more about Catholicism.

Barron approaches Catholicism with a tremendous amount of affection for the positive contributions of the Catholic faith. By combining history, biography, art, architecture and theology, Barron has written an accessible and extremely interesting introduction to Catholic teaching and thought. His fluid writing style and the way that he integrates beautiful images and stories into his history is a model for the writing I want to pursue in my own religious studies career.

However, some of the pitfalls of this book became obvious as I moved through the pages. I had a difficult time determining the audience Barron is writing for. While he often writes in a style the would be accessible to non-Catholic and lay-readers, he takes for granted show more that the reader has an expanded Catholic vocabulary, using large terms that he leaves undefined. As an Anabaptist, who's faith is formed in part as a reaction against Catholic and high-church teaching, many of his explanations simplified Catholic teaching in such a way that I could appreciate better the connections between our traditions. However, the more I read, the more I felt that Barron may have been writing for the millions of lapsed or non-participating Catholics who already have the basic vocabulary from their Catechismal training as a way to entice them to fall back into love with this ancient tradition.

Another issue I noted is a lack of true interaction with the shadow side of Catholic history and theology. While he did not hide some of the darker times and trials of the church, for example he mentioned indulgences, inquisitions and current priest pedophilia controversies, his mentions of these difficult subjects was superficial with no honest grappling with the pain the "Church" has caused. He did speak of other movements - Quaker, Hindu, Lutheran... without animosity, but he never really spoke to the way that the Catholic Church has devalued other voices and diversity on many subjects.

What I appreciated most about this introduction was the way that Barron included short biographies of saints and important Catholic figures to exemplify the theology he was explaining. He balanced both ancient and contemporary, male and female figures. His own love for these saints and this church rang through clearly in his pages. I am hopeful that I will be able to watch the companion video series to see how Barron includes art and video and travel with his enlightening introduction. show less

I am very thankful to have received this book. Barron gave this protestant a basic understanding of Catholicism. He did infuriate me at times, but that is to be expected. By the end, I felt that I had a much better grasp of what Catholicism is about, to the point of considering whether or not I could envision myself taking the step of conversion. Personally, I cannot, but Barron has advocated for his faith well.
The incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is the basis for the COMMON faith of true believers, not just Catholics as Barron seems to state...but then, maybe that was just my reading of his words. But, on the other hand, this does open the doors for dialogue as believers, rather than dialogue with an opponent of the faith. As others show more have stated, Barron is a very engaging author who makes his case well, but not incontrovertibly. I am still intrigued by those who are enamored of Catholicism as the inconsistencies within it still remain unanswered to my satisfaction.
I would heartily recommend this book for those looking for a basic primer on Catholicism, who wish to increase their understanding or even refresh their own thinking with the basics of their faith. Barron is a good evangelist for Catholicism, and a reasonably good one for the Christian faith as a whole. In fact, I still hope to be able to go through Catholicism a fourth time so that I can respond to it in a deeper. more theologically grounded way than in a book review. show less