Book Reviews and More: 20 Answers The Bible - Trent Horn - 20 Answers Series from Catholic Answers

20 Answers The Bible
20 Answers Series from Catholic Answers
Trent Horn
Catholic Answers Press
ISBN 9781683570110
eISBN 9781683570134
ASIN B01MDOMLF2

I have read all 23 books currently available in the 20 Answers Series from Catholic Answers. And I believe that three more will be releasing in the fall of 2017. Of the 23 books currently available Trent Horn has penned 10 of them. And going back through my records 9 of those 10 received 5 out of 5 stars as a rating from me. And I have given 20 of the 23 5 out of 5 stars. So these are some excellent books. And I particularly enjoy Horn's clear crisp writing style. This little volume comes in at just under 60 pages, of that a few pages are recommend reads that flow from the final answer, and also 3 pages of references, endnotes for the 78 quotes.

No I spent the better part of 20 years in university, over that time I read a lot of books, numerous term papers, and many formal academic works. Some of them were excellent but many were a slog to get through. I have not found that with any of Horn's writings. They are engaging, convincing, and very well researched and presented. Now because of the centrality of the Bible to the Christian tradition, to the Catholic Church's history and theology, depending on the order you read the books in this series, a number touch upon the importance of the bible. So some of this book might feel familiar as you read it. But when you pair this book with Jim Blackburn's 20 Answers Scripture and Tradition, you come to have a truly Catholic, a completely Christian understanding of the bible. How we got the bible, the relationship of scriptures to tradition, and how to use it in our fay to day life!

The 20 Questions that Horn answers in this volume are:

Introduction
1. What is the Bible?
2. How is the Bible the word of God?
3. How should Catholics interpret Scripture?
4. Why don't Catholics rely on the Bible alone?
5. What is the relationship between Scripture and Tradition?
6. How do we know which writings belong in the Bible?
7. Why are Catholic bibles bigger than Protestant bibles?
8. What does it mean for Scripture to be inerrant?
9. How can the Bible be inspired when the book of Genesis contradicts science?
10. Hasn't modern archaeology disproved the historical events of the Bible?
11. How can you trust the Gospels as biographical accounts of Christ's life when they are just anonymous documents written long after the events they claim to describe?
12. What about the thousands of contradictions in the Bible?
13. The Old Testament is full of archaic laws. Do we have to follow them?
14. Why doesn't the Bible condemn slavery?
15. Why does God seem different in the Old Testament compared with the New?
16. Why does God callously strike people down in the Bible?
17. How could God command the Israelites to kill innocent women and children?
18. Was the Bible's text corrupted when it was copied in the early Church?
19. Which translation of the Bible is the best?
20. How can I develop a better devotion to Scripture?

Many people even in the church today might read a book like this and dismiss it with a wave of the hand. Many others will not even be willing to pick it up. But I can guarantee that if you read this book with an open mind and heart you will be challenged and come away with a closer relationship to God, through his word. The bible is reportedly the most stolen book in the world, if only it was the most read and lived.

The introduction of this book begins with these words:

"The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and almost everyone has a strong opinion about it. An atheist might view the Bible as a bunch of made-up myths about God and miracles. Most Protestant Christians, on the other hand, see an inspired, inerrant book that is the only authoritative source of Christian doctrine. Other people think it has some nice stories and moral teachings, but don't consider it the word of God.
A Catholic approach to Scripture, in contrast, affirms that the Bible is inspired by God, but denies that it is the Christian's only rule of faith. It also affirms that the Bible, having God as its author, is without error. The words penned over a century ago by Pope Leo XIII, in defense of this controversial truth of the Faith, still resonate today:
'It is deplorable to see these attacks [on Scripture] growing every day more numerous and more severe. . . . By ridicule and scurrilous jesting, [critics] pervert the credulous and unformed minds of the young to the contempt of holy Scripture. . . . Should not these things, venerable brethren, stir up and set on fire the heart of every pastor, so that to this "knowledge, falsely so called," may be opposed the ancient and true science which the Church, through the apostles, has received from Christ, and that holy Scripture may find the champions that are needed in so momentous a battle?'
This booklet has been written to help you become one of the champions of Scripture that Leo VIII called for. If that sounds daunting, don't worry: most of the objections that critics make against the Bible exhibit a few common patterns and cite only a small percentage of the Bible. By reviewing these patterns and commonly cited passages you can learn to defend Scripture without having to examine each of the Bible's approximately 35,000 individual verses."

This is a great book in an incredible series. I cannot stress the importance of giving this book a read. I highly recommended it.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!

Note 2: Currently this series of books is being offered at a 50% discount so get it while you can. That is right you can get all 23 physical books or all 23 eBooks for just $39.95! If you want a way to go deeper this year give this series a try!

#20AnswersChallenge

20 Answers: Relics & Sacramentals - Shaun McAfee

20 Answers: The Communion of Saints - Karlo Broussard

20 Answers Eastern Catholicism - Father Daniel Dozier

20 Answers Anti-Catholic Myths - Jimmy Akin

20 Answers The End Times - Jimmy Akin

20 Answers The Rosary - Tom Nash

20 Answers Seasons & Feasts – Michelle Arnold

20 Answers New Age - Michelle Arnold

20 Answers Catholic Social Teaching – Mark Brumley

20 Answers Prayer – Hugh Barbour O. Praem and Sebastian Walshe O. Praem

20 Answers Faith & Reason – Christopher Kaczor

20 Answers The New Testament – Jimmy Akin

20 Answers Protestantism – Jimmy Akin

20 Answers Marriage & Sex – Todd Aglialoro

20 Answers The Early Church – Jim Blackburn

20 Answers The Old Testament – Jimmy Akin

20 Answers Judaism – Michelle Arnold

20 Answers The Sacraments – Father Mike Driscoll

20 Answers St Thomas Aquinas - Dr. Kevin Vost

...

Other Books from Catholic Answers:
Hard Sayings: A Catholic Approach to Answering Bible Difficulties - Trent Horn
A Daily Defense: Apologetics Lessons for Every Day - Jimmy Akin
The Apostasy That Wasn't: The Extraordinary Story of the Unbreakable Early Church - Rod Bennett
Answering Atheism - How to Make the Case for God with Logic and Charity - Trent Horn
Persuasive Pro Life: How to Talk About Our Culture's Toughest Issue - Trent Horn and Fr Frank Pavone
The Protestant's Dilemma: How the Reformation's Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism - Devin Rose
Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines - Tim Staples
Handed Down: The Catholic Faith of the Early Christians - James L. Papandrea
Demons, Deliverance, Discernment: Separating Fact from Fiction about the Spirit World - Fr. Mike Driscoll
Navigating the Tiber: How to Help Your Friends and Family Journey Toward the Catholic Faith - Devin Rose
100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura - Dave Armstrong
The Drama of Salvation: How God Rescues You from Your Sins and Brings You to Eternal Life - Jimmy Akin
The Truth is Out There (Brendan and Erc in Exile Book 1 - Brother Amadeus and Amadeus
...Memorize the Reasons! Defending the Faith with the Catholic Art of Memory - Kevin Vost
Marching Orders: A Tactical Plan for Converting the World to Christ - Dan McGuire
The Fathers Know Best - Jimmy Akin
Why We're Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love - Trent Horn
The Old Evangelization: How to Spread the Faith Like Jesus Did - Eric Sammons
What the Saints Never Said - Trent Horn
...

Tuesday 22 August 2017

20 Answers The Bible - Trent Horn - 20 Answers Series from Catholic Answers

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