Catholicism (Robert Barron, 2011)

I've been good about reading this year, but not quite so with the book blogging, so a little catch-up is in order here.

Fr. Robert Barron's Catholicism is the companion book to the 10-disc documentary series. It's a fairly popular item here at the seminary as it ties into the New Evangelization, a movement designed to recover and retain Catholics in the faith, as opposed to the classic evangelization, which targets converting others outside Catholicism and Christianity. The data is pretty staggering, in that with the exception of Jehovah's Witnesses, no other Christian denomination is as likely to lose adherents born into that denomination than Catholicism.

With all of these realities in mind, Fr. Barron's book is definitely not a "get in the Church or go to hell" type of book, as he (correctly) understands that threats only serve to hasten the exodus from the Church rather than reverse it. So this book gives cradle Catholics, who may have wandered a great distance away through their lives, a warm invitation back into the Church.

Not being Catholic myself, I appreciated it on another level. Sometimes among Protestants there is a sense that Catholicism is bizarre and ritual-obsessed. In all fairness, as an Episcopalian, I tend to like my ritual and liturgy, and have always known that the Anglican Communion isn't that far removed from Rome. Therefore, I enjoyed reading about the things that make us so similar, but also learning about why certain things are done in a certain way and what makes Catholicism unique. While the Church isn't my church, it is my employer. While I wasn't moved at all to break ranks with my denomination*, the book did give me hope that one day there may be reconciliation and no need for me to live in two different (albeit very similar) worlds.

* - Nor should anyone read into Fr. Barron's work any attempt to convert non-Catholics, though if one was so moved by his writings I'm sure he wouldn't discourage them. In my particular circumstances, any kind of abrupt conversion would be deeply traumatic to my parish community and family, therefore ill-advised unless I was overtly unhappy in my own church for some reason, which I'm not. Therefore, it is best to stay right where I am, maintaining a healthy respect for Catholicism as a non-Catholic.