Synopses & Reviews
From the struggles of the very first Christians to the challenges and scandals of today, the Catholic Church has wrestled with how to organize itself, express its beliefs, and nurture its members. The Church has grown from a handful of disciples in the first century to over one billion members in the twenty-first, resulting in profound changes that demand a theological response. In this sweeping history, renowned scholar Richard McBrien reveals the evolution of the Church's relationship to the divine, its leadership of the faithful, and its role as a global religion.
The Church answers the questions raised by this extraordinary history, including:
- Where did the idea of the pope's infallibility come from?
- Why are priests celibate and women barred from the priesthood?
- What inspired the Inquisition?
- What was the position of the Catholic Church on Hitler's policies in World War II?
- What is the Church's relationship to Islam?
- How will the growth of the Church in South America, Africa, and Asia shape its future?
McBrien helps the reader understand the evolution of the Catholic Church's understanding of itself through the centuries, its leadership, and its relationship to national governments and world religions. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church explains in layperson's terms the evolution of the Catholic Church, its power, its scope, its theology, and its influence.
Review
Catholicism expert Richard McBrien offers the first modern history of the Roman Catholic Church. Encyclopedic in scope but accessible and written in laymens terms... CBA Retailers and Resources, August 2008
Review
McBriens encyclopedic text examining Roman Catholicism is destined to be the definitive theological work on the topic. . . . [T]his superlative, splendidly written text is accessible to anyone interested in understanding the Catholic Churchs history and theology from a modern global perspective. Recommended for all libraries. School Library Journal
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The Church is a lucid, balanced, and readable book-a work of integration that is always reasonable, well informed, honest, and deeply hopeful. Commonweal
Review
A work breathtaking in its scope and yet manageable in its presentation. National Catholic Reporter
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This distinguished scholar and professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, candidly sketches out the pastoral challenges to, and the internal tensions within, the church today. America Magazine
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As always McBriens work is clear, concise and comprehensive in scope. Undoubtedly this book will become a standard ecclesiological reference point for students and teachers alike. Neil OrmerodNeil Ormerod, Professor of Theology, Director of the Institute of Theology, Philosophy and Religious Education, Australian Catholic University
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This is a superb book, as usual. What would we do without this great honest man and his great honest writing? Sr. Joan Chittister
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With characteristic clarity, Richard McBrien artfully tells the story of how Catholic theology developed over two millennia. In tracing the insights, conflicts, and fundamentals of Catholic thought, he has provided a superb resource for readers of all traditions. Mary C. Boys, s.n.j.m., author of Has God Only One Blessing? Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding
Synopsis
The Church is a lucid, balanced, and readable book a work of integration that is always reasonable, well informed, honest, and deeply hopeful.
Commonweal
In The Church, renowned religious historian and Vatican expert Richard P. McBrien offers a sweeping history of the evolution of the Roman Catholic Church, its influence and power in an ever-changing world. From Jesus s apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church is a remarkable achievement that delves deeply into the past and the future ofChristianity s largest branch in fact, the largest religious institution in the world exploring its politics, doctrines, and the way the Roman Catholic Church views itself.
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Synopsis
The Church offers a comprehensive explanation of how the Roman Catholic Church theologically understands its internal organization and its relationship to the rest of the world. From Jesus's apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, renowned scholar Richard P. McBrien explains in layman's terms the origin of Catholicism, its relationship to the historical Christ, and its discipline and leadership. The infallibility of the Pope, celibacy of the clergy, and the position of the Catholic Church on major political and moral issues of today are all addressed in this sweeping history of the largest religious institution on the planet.
Richard P. McBrien is Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. A leading authority on Catholicism, he obtained his Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and was the first Visiting Fellow in the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the bestselling author of Catholicism, Lives of the Popes, and Lives of the Saints, as well as the general editor of the Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Most recently a consultant for ABC News, McBrien has served in the past as an on-air commentator on Catholic events for CBS television, and continues to offer regular commentary on all the major television networks. McBrien is also a prize-winning syndicated columnist in the Catholic press.
In this immensely deep, timely and accessible book, Professor McBrien probes the meaning of the church through the centuries. It is a must for all Christians.
- Lord George L. Carey, member of the House of Lords and the former Archbishop of Canterbury
--Commonweal
Synopsis
“The Church is a lucid, balanced, and readable book—a work of integration that is always reasonable, well informed, honest, and deeply hopeful.”
—Commonweal
In The Church, renowned religious historian and Vatican expert Richard P. McBrien offers a sweeping history of the evolution of the Roman Catholic Church, its influence and power in an ever-changing world. From Jesuss apostle Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, The Church is a remarkable achievement that delves deeply into the past and the future of Christianitys largest branch—in fact, the largest religious institution in the world—exploring its politics, doctrines, and the way the Roman Catholic Church views itself.
About the Author
Richard P. McBrien is Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. Educated at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he has also served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. A leading authority on Catholicism, he is the bestselling author of Catholicism, Lives of the Popes, and Lives of the Saints, as well as the general editor of The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Most recently a consultant for ABC News, McBrien offers regular commentary on all the major television networks. He is also a prizewinning syndicated columnist in the Catholic press.