Book Reviews and More: Catholic Christianity - Peter Kreeft - A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Catholic Christianity: A Complete Catechism of Catholic Beliefs Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Peter Kreeft
Ignatius Press
ISBN 9780898707984
ASIN B004QOB78A

I read this book as part of my working through the Catechism in a year. Over the last few years I have read the catechism and other similar books a little bit each day throughout the year. This year I added this book and it took me 4 months of study to work through this volume. This was an excellent read. It was a wonderful study tool. It helped me go so much deeper in my study of the Catholic Faith. The sections in this volume are:

Preface
PART I: Theology (What Catholics Believe)
Chapter 1: Faith
Chapter 2: God
Chapter 3: Creation
Chapter 4: Man
Chapter 5: Jesus Christ
Chapter 6: The Holy Spirit
Chapter 7: The Holy Catholic Church
Chapter 8: The Forgiveness of Sins
Chapter 9: The Resurrection of the Body
Chapter 10: Life Everlasting

PART II: Morality (How Catholics Live)
Chapter 1: The Essence of Catholic Morality
Chapter 2: Human Nature as the Basis for Morality
Chapter 3: Some Fundamental Principles of Catholic Morality
Chapter 4: Virtues and Vices
Chapter 5: The First Three Commandments: Duties to God
Chapter 6: The Fourth Commandment: Family and Social Morality
Chapter 7: The Fifth Commandment: Moral Issues of Life and Death
Chapter 8: The Sixth and Ninth Commandments: Sexual Morality
Chapter 9: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments: Social and Economic Morality
Chapter 10: The Eighth Commandment: Truth

PART III: Sacraments and Prayer (How Catholics Worship)
Chapter 1: Introduction to Catholic Liturgy
Chapter 2: Introduction to the Sacraments
Chapter 3: Baptism and Confirmation
Chapter 4: The Eucharist
Chapter 5: The Sacrament of Penance
Chapter 6: Matrimony
Chapter 7: Holy Orders
Chapter 8: Anointing of the Sick
Chapter 9: Prayer
Chapter 10: The Lord’s Prayer
Chapter 11: Mary
Conclusion
Abbreviations
Notes

This is not a volume I could pick up and read through from beginning to end. At least not do so and really take it in. But by reading 5-15 points a day it was very digestible. In the introduction Dr. Kreeft goes over some of the possible titles this book had, and his reason for them, and reasons for changing. They were:

Mere Christianity
What Is a Catholic

He also states:

“Half a century ago such a book would have been superfluous, for Catholics knew then twenty times more than they know now about everything in their faith: its essence, its theology, its morality, its liturgy, and its prayer; and there were twenty times more books like this one being written. The need was less, and the supply was more. Today the need is much more, and the supply is much less. Since “nature abhors a vacuum”, spiritually as well as physically I offer this unoriginal “basic data” book to those Catholics who have been robbed of the basic data of their heritage.”

The book might be unoriginal, and basic data about Catholicism, but maybe that is what makes it such a treasure. This book is likely one I will read each year for years to come. This book is an amazing resource, for the faithful, for those studying Catholicism, and for those just curios about what Catholicism is all about.

Kreeft has written some amazing books and this is among the best!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2018 Catholic Reading Plan!

Book by Peter Kreeft:

C. S. Lewis: A Critical Essay (1969)

Love Is Stronger Than Death. 1979.

Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing (1980)

Between Heaven Hell (1982)

The Unaborted Socrates (1983)

The Best Things In Life (1984)

Yes or No? — Straight Answers to Tough Questions about Christianity (1984)

Making Sense Out of Suffering (1986)

Fundamentals of the Faith, Essays in Christian Apologetics (1988)

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Heaven... But Never Dreamed of Asking (1990)

Making Choices: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Moral Decisions (1990)

You can understand the Old Testament : a book-by-book guide for Catholics (1990)

Summa of the Summa (1990)

Three Philosophies of Life (1990)

Prayer: The Great Conversation (1991)

Back to Virtue (1992)

Shorter Summa (1993)

Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees (1993)

Your Questions, God's Answers (1994)

Handbook of Christian Apologetics (with Ronald K. Tacelli) (1994)

C. S. Lewis for the Third Millennium (1994)

Shadow-Lands of C.S. Lewis: The Man Behind the Movie (1994)

Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics (1994)

The Angel and the Ants: Bringing Heaven Closer to Your Daily Life (1994)

Talking to Your Children About Being Catholic (1995) — A treasure trove of ideas

Angels (and Demons): What Do We Really Know About Them? (1995)

Ecumenical Jihad: Ecumenism and the Culture Wars (1996)

The Journey A Spiritual Roadmap For Modern Pilgrims (1996)

The Snakebite Letters Devious Secrets for Subverting Society (1998)

Refutation of Moral Relativism (1999)

Prayer for Beginners (2000)

Catholic Christianity (2001)

Socrates Meets Jesus (1987/2002)

How to Win the Culture War: A Christian Battle Plan for a Society in Crisis (2002)

Celebrating Middle Earth: Lord of the Rings (2002)

Three Approaches to Abortion: a thoughtful and compassionate guide to today's most controversial issue (2002)

Philosophy 101 by Socrates (2002)

Socrates Meets Machiavelli (2003)

Socrates Meets Marx (2003)

The God Who Loves You (2004)

Socratic Logic (2005)

You Can Understand the Bible (2005)

Socrates Meets Sartre: Father Of Philosophy Meets The Founder of Existentialism (2005)

The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind "The Lord of the Rings" (2005)

The Sea Within (2006)

Socrates Meets Descartes (2007)

The Philosophy of Jesus (2007)

Pocket Guide to the Meaning of Life (2007)

Before I Go (2007)

I Surf Therefore I Am (2008)

Because God Is Real: Sixteen Questions, One Answer (2008)

Jesus-Shock (2008)

Socrates Meets Kant (2009)

If Einstein Had Been a Surfer (2009)

Between Allah & Jesus: what Christians Can Learn from Muslims (2010)

Socrates Meets Hume (2010)

An Ocean Full of Angels (2011)

Summa Philosophica (2012)

Jacob's Ladder (2013)

Charisms: Visions, Tongues, Healing, etc. (feat. Dave Nevins) (2013)

Socrates Meets Kierkegaard (2014)

52 Big Ideas (2020)

Practical Theology (2014)

Letters to an Atheist (2014)

Philosophy 101 by Socrates: An Introduction to Philosophy Via Plato's Apology : (Forty Things Philosophy is According to History's First and Wisest Philosopher (2014)

I Burned for Your Peace: Augustine's Confessions Unpacked (2016)

How to Be Holy (2016)

Catholics and Protestants (2017)

Between One Faith and Another (2017)

Forty Reasons I am a Catholic (2018)

Doors in the Walls of the World (2018)

The Platonic Tradition (2018)

Socrates' Children, 4 vols. (2019)

How To Destroy Western Civilization And Other Ideas From The Cultural Abyss (2021)

The Greatest Philosopher Who Ever Lived (2021)

Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings 3 vols. (2023)

What Would Socrates Say? (2024)