Very often in the history of Christianity, "reformers", by whatever name, have aspired to return to "the early Church". The Church of their own day, for whatever reason, fails to live up to what they think Christianity should be: in their view there has been a falling away from the beautiful ideals of the early Church. Kenneth Whitehead shows in this book how the early Church has, in fact, not disappeared, but rather has survived and persisted, and is with us still. "Reformers" are not so much the ones needed by this Church as are those who aspire to be saints-to follow Christ seriously and always to fulfill God's holy will by employing the means of sanctification which Christ continues to provide in the Church. Whitehead shows how the visible body which today bears the name "the Catholic Church" is the same Church which Christ established to carry on and perpetuate in the world his Words and his Works-and his own divine Life-and to bring salvation and sanctification to all mankind. Despite superficial differences in certain appearances, the worldwide Catholic Church today remains the same Church that was originally founded by Jesus Christ on Peter and the other apostles back in the first century in the ancient Near East. The early Church, in other words, was always!-nothing else but-the Catholic Church.

David Currie was raised in a devout Christian family whose father was a fundamentalist preacher and both parents teachers at Moody Bible Institute. Currie's whole upbringing was immersed in the life of fundamentalist Protestantism - theology professors, seminary presidents and founders of evangelical mission agencies were frequent guests at his family dinner table. Currie received a degree from Trinity International University and studied in the Masters of Divinity program. This book was written as an explanation to his fundamentalist and evangelical friends and family about why he became a Roman Catholic. Currie presents a very lucid, systematic and intelligible account of the reasons for his conversion to the ancient Church that Christ founded. He gives a detailed discussion of the important theological and doctrinal beliefs Catholic and evangelicals hold in common, as well as the key doctrines that separate us, particularly the Eucharist, the Pope, and Mary.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-311) and index.

The Catholic Apostolic Church combined liturgical worship, charismatic experience, ecumenical vision, and eschatological expectation. Philip Schaff commented that the claims made for its apostles, if true, commanded every Christian's attention. Historians and liturgists alike have been fascinated by the Church, but deterred from researching it because of the notorious difficulty of access to material. This account of the church's growth and decline draws on archival sources from several countries, many not hitherto used for research, and publications in German as well as English. Previous accounts in English have focused on the Church in the English-speaking world, but this book breaks fresh ground by covering the Church's development in every country where it was active. Surveying Catholic Apostolic history, polity, and ministry, it seeks to tell the story rather than using the Church as a test-case for a preconceived hypothesis. In so doing, it opens up a range of lines of inquiry for future researchers.

A comprehensive history of the Catholic Church from its beginnings in Jesus' ministry to its current status in an increasingly secular world.

"How can you believe all this stuff? This is the number-one question Catholics get asked and, sometimes, we ask ourselves. Why do we believe that God exists, that he became a man and came to save us, that what looks like a wafer of bread is actually his body? Why do we believe that he inspired a holy book and founded an infallible Church to teach us the one true way to live? Ever since he became Catholic, Trent Horn has spent a lot of time answering these questions, trying to explain to friends, family, and total strangers the reasons for his Catholic faith. Some didn't believe in God, or even in the existence of truth. Others said they were spiritual but didn't think you needed religion to be happy. Some were Christians who thought Catholic doctrines over-complicated the pure gospel. And some were fellow Catholics who had a hard time understanding everything they professed to believe on Sunday. Why We're Catholic assembles the clearest, friendliest, most helpful answers that Trent learned to give to all these people and more. Beginning with how we can know reality and ending with our hope of eternal life, it s the perfect way to help skeptics and seekers (or Catholics who want to firm up their faith) understand the evidence that bolsters our belief and brings us joy" --

It is a bit confusing and uncomfortable to be born a Roman Catholic. Each of us certainly has a body of received dogma and moral teachings but received wisdom is quite another thing. Wisdom comes from living. Moral demands and dogmatics without reference to the individual mind and considered behavior is, at best empty and, at worst, a kind of cultural fascism. Most of us who worship regularly and identify ourselves with a particular religion are not theologians any more than we are constitutional scholars or very complete historians of our own countries. At the same time we share a set of problems and goals: How do you make practical sense out of faith and useful meaning out of Church teaching? We are as much creators of our faith and morality as we are consumers of church dogmas and morals. The goal of faith is hope, tranquility and meaning. To this end, stories need be told. "Shared stories" is one definition of family and community. The People of God can only be persons of faith who share their stories. Coping Catholic is shared stories and meditations on the Creed, Commandments and Sacraments of a baptized Roman Catholic. It initiates a dialogue within the Christian Community. It shares the life experiences of a church-going, college educated Roman Catholic and reports what he believes. It proceeds dogma by dogma in the Creed, commandment by commandment, sacrament by sacrament, and life experience by life experience. His story reports the what and explains the why. The author's intent in sharing his story is that some readers will find a foothold of hope in the story of how another person, who shares much of their experiences and education, has learned to cope with the faith and doctrine many of us were born to.

In My Catholic Faith, Louis LaRavoire Morrow presents a comprehensive guide to the beliefs, practices, and traditions of the Catholic Church. This book serves as a valuable resource for both newcomers to the faith and lifelong Catholics seeking to deepen their understanding of their religious heritage. Morrow explores the core tenets of Catholicism, offering insights into the sacraments, prayer, and the role of the Church in daily life.