What do you think?
Rate this book
Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith
This book unravels mysteries, corrects misunderstandings, and offers thoughtful, straightforward responses to common objections about the Catholic faith.
Bestselling author Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, has experienced the doubts that so often drive discussions about God and the Church. In the years before his conversion, he was first a nonbeliever and then an anti-Catholic clergyman.
In REASONS TO BELIEVE, he explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith—drawing from Scripture, his own struggles and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather they offer complementary evidence that God exists. But He doesn't merely exist. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernible and knowable. Hahn leads readers to see that God created the universe with a purpose and a form—a form that can be found in the Book of Genesis and that is there when we view the natural world through a microscope, through a telescope, or through our contact lenses.
At the heart of the book is Hahn's examination of the ten "keys to the kingdom"—the characteristics of the Church clearly evident in the Scriptures. As the story of creation discloses, the world is a house that has a Father, a palace where the king is really present. God created the cosmos to be a kingdom, and that kingdom is the universal Church, fully revealed by Jesus Christ.
Bestselling author Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, has experienced the doubts that so often drive discussions about God and the Church. In the years before his conversion, he was first a nonbeliever and then an anti-Catholic clergyman.
In REASONS TO BELIEVE, he explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith—drawing from Scripture, his own struggles and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather they offer complementary evidence that God exists. But He doesn't merely exist. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernible and knowable. Hahn leads readers to see that God created the universe with a purpose and a form—a form that can be found in the Book of Genesis and that is there when we view the natural world through a microscope, through a telescope, or through our contact lenses.
At the heart of the book is Hahn's examination of the ten "keys to the kingdom"—the characteristics of the Church clearly evident in the Scriptures. As the story of creation discloses, the world is a house that has a Father, a palace where the king is really present. God created the cosmos to be a kingdom, and that kingdom is the universal Church, fully revealed by Jesus Christ.
227 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
485 people are currently reading
2849 people want to read
About the author
Scott Hahn
399Ìýbooks1,265ÌýfollowersScott Hahn is a renowned Catholic theologian, apologist, speaker, and bestselling author whose work has had a profound impact on contemporary biblical theology and Catholic thought. A former Presbyterian minister, Hahn converted to Catholicism in 1986 after an intense personal and theological journey, which he details in his popular book Rome Sweet Home, co-written with his wife, Kimberly Hahn. Their story of conversion has inspired countless readers around the world and remains a landmark in modern Catholic apologetics.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
June 3, 2012
Any Bible Christian that believes all the nonsense and misconception about the Church Jesus Christ established should sit down with there Bible and take a historical and theological journey with Scott Hahn. He used to have those same misconceptions - as a Cradle Catholic it is awesome to rediscover the beauty of the faith through the eyes of someone who made his journey Home.
July 2, 2022
Superb
This book is a great primer in the Catholic Church. The genius of the author is that he writes in terms that non-catholics can understand.
A great but a bit technical at times.
This book is a great primer in the Catholic Church. The genius of the author is that he writes in terms that non-catholics can understand.
A great but a bit technical at times.
April 20, 2012
I'm an atheist, daughter to two devout Catholics. My parents fear for my soul and my mother asked me to read this. Since I don’t believe in the divinity of the Bible, I couldn’t get through parts 2 and 3 other than the very final Chapter. Those sections are like reading fan commentary about the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, or many of the other topics of passionate leisure discourse. If you haven't gotten lost in the mystery, you don't get anything out of it.
I thought it was a very poor piece of work. Scott Hahn did not provide any unique additions to the already poor arguments for faith. He did not do any non-religious source research for any of his assertions. This is important because he claims it's emperically verifiable. "[T]he cosmos seems to have been designed so that it might be perceived by humankind." In actuality, most are based on downright myths.
Much like , he appealed to the emotion of the faithful. But unlike CS Lewis, he appears to actually believe he has a substantive argument for faith based on empirical evidence. Most were laughable attempts based on arguments previously made by men smarter than he, which weren't successful either.
For example, is his argument that atheism is a new concept (p31). Actually Buddhism is an atheist belief system. The majority of Buddhists do not believe in a diety. There are some small sects that believe that Buddha was a diety, but most do not. Buddhism dates back to between 6th and 4th century BCE.
This book confirmed to me that religion is the opium of the people. It doesn’t take much for a religious book to inspire the faithful. Anything that makes us think we are better in the eyes of our gods. No need to think critically when the writer is clearly inspired by our god. If it makes us feel righteous, it must be divinely inspired.
As a side note: I get very angry about the faithfulls� attempts to alter the definition of law. They mention the law of gravity and believe then can then take ‘law� in a scientific context and apply it to morality as a law that god gave them.
A law, in science, started out as a hypothesis published to the world after significant experimentation and work. It then progresses to a theory and later to a law as thousands of scientists perform experiments designed to DISPROVE the hypothesis/theory. After centuries of experiments testing Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, we are unable to disprove it within it's boundaries of applicability. This means that we can safely conclude that Newton’s law of universal gravitation is not disobeyable which makes it a LAW. Unlike believers� ‘natural law,� you can’t choose to break these laws. They aren’t punishable, because they aren’t even breakable. Really try to comprehend that. And stop trying to hijack and mutilate the terms of science to serve your recruitment needs.
I thought it was a very poor piece of work. Scott Hahn did not provide any unique additions to the already poor arguments for faith. He did not do any non-religious source research for any of his assertions. This is important because he claims it's emperically verifiable. "[T]he cosmos seems to have been designed so that it might be perceived by humankind." In actuality, most are based on downright myths.
Much like , he appealed to the emotion of the faithful. But unlike CS Lewis, he appears to actually believe he has a substantive argument for faith based on empirical evidence. Most were laughable attempts based on arguments previously made by men smarter than he, which weren't successful either.
For example, is his argument that atheism is a new concept (p31). Actually Buddhism is an atheist belief system. The majority of Buddhists do not believe in a diety. There are some small sects that believe that Buddha was a diety, but most do not. Buddhism dates back to between 6th and 4th century BCE.
This book confirmed to me that religion is the opium of the people. It doesn’t take much for a religious book to inspire the faithful. Anything that makes us think we are better in the eyes of our gods. No need to think critically when the writer is clearly inspired by our god. If it makes us feel righteous, it must be divinely inspired.
As a side note: I get very angry about the faithfulls� attempts to alter the definition of law. They mention the law of gravity and believe then can then take ‘law� in a scientific context and apply it to morality as a law that god gave them.
A law, in science, started out as a hypothesis published to the world after significant experimentation and work. It then progresses to a theory and later to a law as thousands of scientists perform experiments designed to DISPROVE the hypothesis/theory. After centuries of experiments testing Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation, we are unable to disprove it within it's boundaries of applicability. This means that we can safely conclude that Newton’s law of universal gravitation is not disobeyable which makes it a LAW. Unlike believers� ‘natural law,� you can’t choose to break these laws. They aren’t punishable, because they aren’t even breakable. Really try to comprehend that. And stop trying to hijack and mutilate the terms of science to serve your recruitment needs.
April 13, 2019
Overall, this book was well reasoned and provided good biblical examples when relevant for supporting arguments for Catholicism vs. other Christian denominations. However, the first part covering arguments for the faith to present to atheists felt too shallow. It could have gone much deeper into more convincing arguments rather than skimming lightly over a few. It would also have been useful to include arguments for Christianity specifically versus other religions.
—â¶Ä�
Notes
Infant baptism: Jesus said “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belong the kingdom of heaven.� Matt 19:14. Also in Acts 2, when Jesus was preaching at Pentecost he said “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...for the promise is to you and your children.� Also, since the Jews were so used to infant initiation into their faith (circumcision), it seems like he would have clarified if that no longer applied.
Many secularists or atheist see religion as being incompatible with reason. However white a few famous and celebrated scientists have been Catholics Protestants Jews etc. � Faith and reason coexist without contradiction.� JPII and his encyclical Faith and Reason said “faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.�
Foundations of a logical argument
1. The principle of non-contradiction: something can’t simultaneously A and not-A
2. The general reliability of sense perception: we trust our reason to understand and identify why are sensitive sometimes. “The senses are generally reliable, reason makes up the deficit.�
3. The principle of causality: “for every effect there must be a cause.� If you argue against Kies, it’s a self-destructing argument.
4. The notion of self consciousness: � this is what tells me that I exist. I may believe that everything is an illusion, but I am still left with myself, The entity that is entertaining the illusion.�
� what we need to demonstrate to skeptics is that human beings naturally reason from the visible to the invisible, from the sensible to the insensible.� Therefore it is rational to reason from the visible to the invisible, and it is how scientists in fact operate.
� God himself is invisible yet clearly perceptible in visible creation.� this is natural theology; that God can be perceived and reason from the natural world that we are able to see with our senses. “Revelation serves correct and perfect what we might discover from reason.�
Atheism as we know it wasn’t a common or popular concept until the 19th century; before then, many people believed in some sort of divinity, and atheism meant not believing in an Orthodox God, such as being a pagan.
Saint Thomases five proofs for the existence of God:
1. Everything that moves moves because something made it move; however you can’t say that from turn it he there was a chain reaction of movements because there had to of been some first unmoved mover, and that unmoved mover is God.
2. Every effect has a cause but the causal chain cannot be infinite (just like the movement chain). There must be an uncaused first cause.
3. Everything in the world doesn’t come from nothing but is rather derived from something else; everything is contingent upon the existence of other things. However, yet again there cannot be infinite chain derivation, so “there must be an ultimate being was neither transitory nor derivative...and is necessary in and of itself.�
4. We have measurements that judge the perfection of something such as whether something is more or less good or less true etc. Since these are relative measurements, there must be an absolute and constant standard of measurement of perfection.
5. Everything in our universe follows a set of rules, order, purpose, and standards. Our universe is perfectly ordered to exist, and even an unintelligent creatures and things follow this order. There seems to be a design to the universe, so there must be a designer.
The moral argument, as put forth by Immanuel Kant, John Henry Newman, and CS Lewis: “Human beings observe a universal standard of right and wrong.� We seem to have a universal moral sense (conscience) that is shared by all, even though there might be nuances between cultures. When we condemn something as wrong, we have to be comparing it as wrong person is some sort of universally acknowledged truth of what right and wrong means. It requires that we see these universal morals as decreed by an ultimate authority.
“Pascal’s Wager�: Pascal conceived the idea of believing in God as a coin toss; if you win, you win everything; if you lose, think. So naturally you would bet on God existing rather than not.
There is also the argument for desire; every human desire we have had some thing that satisfies it. Water satisfies thirst, sex satisfies our sexual urges, foods satisfies hunger. So faith and God exist to satisfy our spiritual hunger.
The natural law applies to all humans and is unique to humans. Even people who are personally find breaking the natural wall themselves typically don’t want go same actions performed on them; for example people who are cowards don’t want others to be cowards in similar situations that would affect them, murderers wouldn’t want to be murdered, liars don’t want to be lied to, etc. Barton do you typically have their sanity questioned by society.
Humankind is by nature religious, so even if you’re not worshiping a God you’re still worshiping something you love (material goods, people etc.)
� why is there evil if God is both all powerful and all good? If he is all good, his creation should reflect that perfection. If he is all powerful, then he should be able to prevent that evil from happening. Yet we cannot solve that problem by dismissing God; in fact, such a denial only makes the problem worse. Denying God’s existence in order to solve the problem of evil is like Burning your house down in order to get rid of termites, or cutting off your head to stop a nosebleed. People who allow evil to drive them to atheism suddenly have no standards by which to judge something evil. Instead of solving the problem, they’ve institutionalized it; written it into The very fabric of the cosmos. If there is no God, but there is no transcendent ultimate goodness.. without God, everything becomes a mere matter of moral indifference or human preference.�
There are two types of evil: physical evil (disease, natural disasters, etc.) and moral evil (something that is done by an unrighteous actor). Evil is always an absence of good (example sickness is the absence of health, lying is an absence of truth, etc.). Evil is not a thing, so it is alien to God’s creation. Evil is permitted because we have been giving free will and rationalization, so we have the choice of selecting something that is not of God. Cannot be coerced, so that is why I was so important that we had free will.
Evangelical Christians may claim that Catholics don’t have a place in their liturgy for the faithful to proclaim Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior; however, during the Eucharistic prayer when the priest raises the Eucharist and says “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...� and we respond with “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed� and then proceed to receive the Eucharist and take Jesus into our selves and into our hearts, and that is us accepting Jesus as our savior. As a bonus, this declaration is biblically based (and “I accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior� it’s not technically from the Bible). When evangelicals claim that they are Sola Scriptura, they often don’t realize that there are certain aspects of their services which actually aren’t technically biblically based (such as the sinner’s call).
When you are debating theology with people from other Christian denominations, it’s important to speak their language and have biblical sources for your arguments, because that is how they base their own arguments. It’s not only about providing reasons for what you believe, but it’s also about respect. Using biblical references provides a common language and common ground.
“The Bible precedes the church� The church was already established by the time most of the books of the New Testament, it wasn’t a users guide for a church that hadn’t been founded yet.
Our profession that the church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic is biblically-based
The celibate priesthood is biblically-based, Celebrex were well respected in Jesus’s time and are spoken of frequently in Matthews gospel particularly chapter 19. They are seen as “unencumbered as they follow Christ� “celibacy his holy because of the value of what is sacrificed.�
Catholics do not adore or worship Saints because that is strictly for bidden by the Bible in the book of revelations. There is a long history of Christians immediately following Christ death and resurrection of them asking for intercession of Saint such as Peter and Paul.
In the Bible the Greek word that is used for “full of grace� for Mary is a very specific and very rarely used way of saying full of grace. It speaks to how uniquely full of grace and she was and how this was something that was the stowed on her from a past action by God. It is also the only time in scriptures that a angel refers to someone by a title rather than just their name. We ask Mary to intercede for us because it has been shown in the Bible that Jesus listens to his mother’s requests (wedding at Cana). When Sean received Mary as his mother at the foot of the cross at Jesus‘s request, it was representative receiving Mary as a mother to all of us, since we are all Jesus’s “beloved disciples “which is how John refers to himself in the Gospel.
The Catholic mass is extremely biblical. Not only do we read 3 to 4 readings from the Bible every single mass (and read nearly the entirety of the Bible over the course of 3 years if you attend daily mass), but nearly every word in the liturgy is drawn from the Bible. In addition, the vestments the priest wears are drawn from the descriptions of the heavenly worship in Revelations, and the gesture for the sign of the cross is drawn from Revelations as well. The orans position, kneeling, chalices, altars, candles, incense, etc are all drawn from the Bible. Yes, these are rituals, but Jesus institutes rituals in the Bible such as baptism, Eucharist, etc. However; since we’re not making these rituals an end in themselves, they’re not “ritualism�
The Bible is very explicit about the celebration of the Eucharist, how it’s important to do it and about transubstantiation. The priest doesn’t substitute himself for Jesus but rather represents Him and participates in His priesthood.
The papacy: the doctrine of papal infallibility has been around since the first century; it only means that the popes are infallible want to comes to Christian doctrine and morals, not regarding anything else such as politics. In addition, all Christians not just Catholics view writers of the Bible as divinely inspired and infallible, so the idea of receiving divine inspiration/infallibility isn’t something exclusive to Catholics. Even though popes are people called by God to that office, they still have free will and the opportunity to choose between good and evil. Jesus called 12 apostles, knowing that one would betray him because Of free will. The office of the pope was established in the gospels upon Peter by Jesus. Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas; in Aramaic there’s only one word for rock but in Greek there are two words; Petros which means little rock and Petra which means large rock. So people argue that Jesus was referring to Peter when he said “upon this rock I will build my church.� However again there’s only one Aramaic word for rock and that’s The language that Jesus would have spoken, as well as the need to translate Petra to a masculine form when naming Peter.
—â¶Ä�
Read for the Defense Against the Dark Arts prompt for the 2019 OWLs Readathon
—â¶Ä�
Notes
Infant baptism: Jesus said “let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belong the kingdom of heaven.� Matt 19:14. Also in Acts 2, when Jesus was preaching at Pentecost he said “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...for the promise is to you and your children.� Also, since the Jews were so used to infant initiation into their faith (circumcision), it seems like he would have clarified if that no longer applied.
Many secularists or atheist see religion as being incompatible with reason. However white a few famous and celebrated scientists have been Catholics Protestants Jews etc. � Faith and reason coexist without contradiction.� JPII and his encyclical Faith and Reason said “faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.�
Foundations of a logical argument
1. The principle of non-contradiction: something can’t simultaneously A and not-A
2. The general reliability of sense perception: we trust our reason to understand and identify why are sensitive sometimes. “The senses are generally reliable, reason makes up the deficit.�
3. The principle of causality: “for every effect there must be a cause.� If you argue against Kies, it’s a self-destructing argument.
4. The notion of self consciousness: � this is what tells me that I exist. I may believe that everything is an illusion, but I am still left with myself, The entity that is entertaining the illusion.�
� what we need to demonstrate to skeptics is that human beings naturally reason from the visible to the invisible, from the sensible to the insensible.� Therefore it is rational to reason from the visible to the invisible, and it is how scientists in fact operate.
� God himself is invisible yet clearly perceptible in visible creation.� this is natural theology; that God can be perceived and reason from the natural world that we are able to see with our senses. “Revelation serves correct and perfect what we might discover from reason.�
Atheism as we know it wasn’t a common or popular concept until the 19th century; before then, many people believed in some sort of divinity, and atheism meant not believing in an Orthodox God, such as being a pagan.
Saint Thomases five proofs for the existence of God:
1. Everything that moves moves because something made it move; however you can’t say that from turn it he there was a chain reaction of movements because there had to of been some first unmoved mover, and that unmoved mover is God.
2. Every effect has a cause but the causal chain cannot be infinite (just like the movement chain). There must be an uncaused first cause.
3. Everything in the world doesn’t come from nothing but is rather derived from something else; everything is contingent upon the existence of other things. However, yet again there cannot be infinite chain derivation, so “there must be an ultimate being was neither transitory nor derivative...and is necessary in and of itself.�
4. We have measurements that judge the perfection of something such as whether something is more or less good or less true etc. Since these are relative measurements, there must be an absolute and constant standard of measurement of perfection.
5. Everything in our universe follows a set of rules, order, purpose, and standards. Our universe is perfectly ordered to exist, and even an unintelligent creatures and things follow this order. There seems to be a design to the universe, so there must be a designer.
The moral argument, as put forth by Immanuel Kant, John Henry Newman, and CS Lewis: “Human beings observe a universal standard of right and wrong.� We seem to have a universal moral sense (conscience) that is shared by all, even though there might be nuances between cultures. When we condemn something as wrong, we have to be comparing it as wrong person is some sort of universally acknowledged truth of what right and wrong means. It requires that we see these universal morals as decreed by an ultimate authority.
“Pascal’s Wager�: Pascal conceived the idea of believing in God as a coin toss; if you win, you win everything; if you lose, think. So naturally you would bet on God existing rather than not.
There is also the argument for desire; every human desire we have had some thing that satisfies it. Water satisfies thirst, sex satisfies our sexual urges, foods satisfies hunger. So faith and God exist to satisfy our spiritual hunger.
The natural law applies to all humans and is unique to humans. Even people who are personally find breaking the natural wall themselves typically don’t want go same actions performed on them; for example people who are cowards don’t want others to be cowards in similar situations that would affect them, murderers wouldn’t want to be murdered, liars don’t want to be lied to, etc. Barton do you typically have their sanity questioned by society.
Humankind is by nature religious, so even if you’re not worshiping a God you’re still worshiping something you love (material goods, people etc.)
� why is there evil if God is both all powerful and all good? If he is all good, his creation should reflect that perfection. If he is all powerful, then he should be able to prevent that evil from happening. Yet we cannot solve that problem by dismissing God; in fact, such a denial only makes the problem worse. Denying God’s existence in order to solve the problem of evil is like Burning your house down in order to get rid of termites, or cutting off your head to stop a nosebleed. People who allow evil to drive them to atheism suddenly have no standards by which to judge something evil. Instead of solving the problem, they’ve institutionalized it; written it into The very fabric of the cosmos. If there is no God, but there is no transcendent ultimate goodness.. without God, everything becomes a mere matter of moral indifference or human preference.�
There are two types of evil: physical evil (disease, natural disasters, etc.) and moral evil (something that is done by an unrighteous actor). Evil is always an absence of good (example sickness is the absence of health, lying is an absence of truth, etc.). Evil is not a thing, so it is alien to God’s creation. Evil is permitted because we have been giving free will and rationalization, so we have the choice of selecting something that is not of God. Cannot be coerced, so that is why I was so important that we had free will.
Evangelical Christians may claim that Catholics don’t have a place in their liturgy for the faithful to proclaim Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior; however, during the Eucharistic prayer when the priest raises the Eucharist and says “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world...� and we respond with “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed� and then proceed to receive the Eucharist and take Jesus into our selves and into our hearts, and that is us accepting Jesus as our savior. As a bonus, this declaration is biblically based (and “I accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior� it’s not technically from the Bible). When evangelicals claim that they are Sola Scriptura, they often don’t realize that there are certain aspects of their services which actually aren’t technically biblically based (such as the sinner’s call).
When you are debating theology with people from other Christian denominations, it’s important to speak their language and have biblical sources for your arguments, because that is how they base their own arguments. It’s not only about providing reasons for what you believe, but it’s also about respect. Using biblical references provides a common language and common ground.
“The Bible precedes the church� The church was already established by the time most of the books of the New Testament, it wasn’t a users guide for a church that hadn’t been founded yet.
Our profession that the church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic is biblically-based
The celibate priesthood is biblically-based, Celebrex were well respected in Jesus’s time and are spoken of frequently in Matthews gospel particularly chapter 19. They are seen as “unencumbered as they follow Christ� “celibacy his holy because of the value of what is sacrificed.�
Catholics do not adore or worship Saints because that is strictly for bidden by the Bible in the book of revelations. There is a long history of Christians immediately following Christ death and resurrection of them asking for intercession of Saint such as Peter and Paul.
In the Bible the Greek word that is used for “full of grace� for Mary is a very specific and very rarely used way of saying full of grace. It speaks to how uniquely full of grace and she was and how this was something that was the stowed on her from a past action by God. It is also the only time in scriptures that a angel refers to someone by a title rather than just their name. We ask Mary to intercede for us because it has been shown in the Bible that Jesus listens to his mother’s requests (wedding at Cana). When Sean received Mary as his mother at the foot of the cross at Jesus‘s request, it was representative receiving Mary as a mother to all of us, since we are all Jesus’s “beloved disciples “which is how John refers to himself in the Gospel.
The Catholic mass is extremely biblical. Not only do we read 3 to 4 readings from the Bible every single mass (and read nearly the entirety of the Bible over the course of 3 years if you attend daily mass), but nearly every word in the liturgy is drawn from the Bible. In addition, the vestments the priest wears are drawn from the descriptions of the heavenly worship in Revelations, and the gesture for the sign of the cross is drawn from Revelations as well. The orans position, kneeling, chalices, altars, candles, incense, etc are all drawn from the Bible. Yes, these are rituals, but Jesus institutes rituals in the Bible such as baptism, Eucharist, etc. However; since we’re not making these rituals an end in themselves, they’re not “ritualism�
The Bible is very explicit about the celebration of the Eucharist, how it’s important to do it and about transubstantiation. The priest doesn’t substitute himself for Jesus but rather represents Him and participates in His priesthood.
The papacy: the doctrine of papal infallibility has been around since the first century; it only means that the popes are infallible want to comes to Christian doctrine and morals, not regarding anything else such as politics. In addition, all Christians not just Catholics view writers of the Bible as divinely inspired and infallible, so the idea of receiving divine inspiration/infallibility isn’t something exclusive to Catholics. Even though popes are people called by God to that office, they still have free will and the opportunity to choose between good and evil. Jesus called 12 apostles, knowing that one would betray him because Of free will. The office of the pope was established in the gospels upon Peter by Jesus. Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas; in Aramaic there’s only one word for rock but in Greek there are two words; Petros which means little rock and Petra which means large rock. So people argue that Jesus was referring to Peter when he said “upon this rock I will build my church.� However again there’s only one Aramaic word for rock and that’s The language that Jesus would have spoken, as well as the need to translate Petra to a masculine form when naming Peter.
—â¶Ä�
Read for the Defense Against the Dark Arts prompt for the 2019 OWLs Readathon
March 22, 2010
I have wanted to read something by Scott Hahn for a while. For most of his life he was a Presbyterian, even serving as a pastor, before converting to Roman Catholicism. Since then he has written many books on Roman Catholic Christianity. This book is Catholic apologetics and while I am not convinced (and thus, won't be converting), I found this book very helpful. I would recommend this book to Catholics, and non-Catholics, to help understand the Catholic faith and the Biblical arguments for it. Many Catholics (and Protestants) are biblically illiterate and it can only help all of us to read the works of people like Hahn, whether we agree or not.
This book is divided into three parts. The first section is a basic overview of some apologetic arguments for the Christian faith in general. It is not too deep, so it would be approachable for any Christian. What is missing is a real argument for Christianity. The arguments focus on the God's existence, universal morality and the limits of reason but there is nothing saying why all of this leads to the particular Christian faith as opposed to some other religion. Of course, there are many books on such topics. Yet the move in section two into a defense of Roman Catholic distinctives may leave the reader wanting something more.
Section two argues for the biblical basis of veneration of the Saints and Mary, the papal office and the mass. Overall it was thought-provoking and helpful. Yet the debate would be whether the biblical passages cited actually do, in their context, support such practices. Or did the practices come about and then a search was made for biblical support?
The third section was the best, and in my opinion should have come second. Here Hahn takes us through the Biblical story, focusing on the covenant between God and king David and how this connects to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Hahn uses this story to argue once again for Roman Catholic Christianity. But this is strong biblical theology for any Christian.
Overall, this would be a good book for Catholics to better understand their faith. Also, it would be a helpful read for other Christians seeking to understand the Catholic faith, especially the biblical arguments used to support it.
This book is divided into three parts. The first section is a basic overview of some apologetic arguments for the Christian faith in general. It is not too deep, so it would be approachable for any Christian. What is missing is a real argument for Christianity. The arguments focus on the God's existence, universal morality and the limits of reason but there is nothing saying why all of this leads to the particular Christian faith as opposed to some other religion. Of course, there are many books on such topics. Yet the move in section two into a defense of Roman Catholic distinctives may leave the reader wanting something more.
Section two argues for the biblical basis of veneration of the Saints and Mary, the papal office and the mass. Overall it was thought-provoking and helpful. Yet the debate would be whether the biblical passages cited actually do, in their context, support such practices. Or did the practices come about and then a search was made for biblical support?
The third section was the best, and in my opinion should have come second. Here Hahn takes us through the Biblical story, focusing on the covenant between God and king David and how this connects to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Hahn uses this story to argue once again for Roman Catholic Christianity. But this is strong biblical theology for any Christian.
Overall, this would be a good book for Catholics to better understand their faith. Also, it would be a helpful read for other Christians seeking to understand the Catholic faith, especially the biblical arguments used to support it.
August 1, 2020
Reason to believe is a phenomenal read. My initial intention was to slowly digest the contents of the book, to ruminate on each arguments and really learn more about the history of the Catholic church, the arguments for our practices, and pointers on how we should present these arguments to non believers or our fellow Christians. However, the lucidity of the arguments, the breadth of historical context, and the gentleness by which the author bring forth centuries of Catholic theology and beliefs has made me finish the book in less than 3 hours, and probably 3 hour smost well-spent this year so far.
As the title of the book suggested, the author plays the role of an apologetic - someone who explain and defend the faith. So it is natural that this is not (even approximately close) a comprehensive introduction of the Catholic faith, but a response to skepticism and doubts that we usually have from our secular and non-Catholic Christian friends.
He divides the book into 3 sections: natural, biblical and theological arguments. I think the natural arguments are fairly dry, although I do appreciate the quick historical introduction of St.Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways, Kant's "moral argument" or "Pascal's Wager" as part of the long-winded defense of the non-secular faith. The beauty of the book comes forth when Scott Hann starts his biblical arguments for the authority (one, holy, universal and apostolic) of the Catholic Church, Mary, the Holy Communion, and finally culminates in his passionate theological discussion of the Catholic Church as the restored and also transformed Davidic kingdom.
Scott Hann emphasizes throughout the book that we should not try to be too ambitious about convincing others with our faith. Indeed, the point is not to always be able to piece together wise or witty response, but to recognize and proclaim, in our own humility, the vastness and magnificent nature of the Christian faith.
As the title of the book suggested, the author plays the role of an apologetic - someone who explain and defend the faith. So it is natural that this is not (even approximately close) a comprehensive introduction of the Catholic faith, but a response to skepticism and doubts that we usually have from our secular and non-Catholic Christian friends.
He divides the book into 3 sections: natural, biblical and theological arguments. I think the natural arguments are fairly dry, although I do appreciate the quick historical introduction of St.Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways, Kant's "moral argument" or "Pascal's Wager" as part of the long-winded defense of the non-secular faith. The beauty of the book comes forth when Scott Hann starts his biblical arguments for the authority (one, holy, universal and apostolic) of the Catholic Church, Mary, the Holy Communion, and finally culminates in his passionate theological discussion of the Catholic Church as the restored and also transformed Davidic kingdom.
Scott Hann emphasizes throughout the book that we should not try to be too ambitious about convincing others with our faith. Indeed, the point is not to always be able to piece together wise or witty response, but to recognize and proclaim, in our own humility, the vastness and magnificent nature of the Christian faith.
Sometimes we may answer with a single verse, because that's what our friends are looking for; but the true Catholic answer is the entire Bible. Sometimes we may answer in a single breath; but we must also answer with out entire lives
April 2, 2022
This was quite an interesting book of Christian apologetics because, contrary to what usually is the purpose of the ones I read - that is, a broader, more scientific, logic-based argument for the existence of an Intelligent Creator in response to atheism's challenges - this one presumed the reader was at least a believer, probably a Christian, and most likely a Catholic. Therefore, rather than trying to defend theism or Christianity more broadly, Hahn delves deeply into Catholic doctrine, addressing many of his own, former reservations as a Presbyterian, and quite soundly (and respectfully) rebutting Protestant objections with much reliance on the Bible - Testaments Old and New.
Indeed, as he himself makes the refreshing acknowledgement, such a biblical response would never fly with atheists, and it always annoys me when some Christian are dense enough to try and quote the Bible at non-believers as if it were to hold any authority in their minds. Employed within an argument that is wholly Christian, however, it makes much more sense, as much Protestant accusation against the Catholic Church centres of its deviating from true Scripture.
I will say this book did lose me a little by the second half. It was looking at getting five stars until then, but I found some of Hahn's later arguments a little convoluted, occasionally somewhat dubious, and just hard to follow. Still, it was a very good book, and I would recommend it to Catholic readers, or any Protestants who are open to hearing the Catholic response to their own protestations.
Indeed, as he himself makes the refreshing acknowledgement, such a biblical response would never fly with atheists, and it always annoys me when some Christian are dense enough to try and quote the Bible at non-believers as if it were to hold any authority in their minds. Employed within an argument that is wholly Christian, however, it makes much more sense, as much Protestant accusation against the Catholic Church centres of its deviating from true Scripture.
I will say this book did lose me a little by the second half. It was looking at getting five stars until then, but I found some of Hahn's later arguments a little convoluted, occasionally somewhat dubious, and just hard to follow. Still, it was a very good book, and I would recommend it to Catholic readers, or any Protestants who are open to hearing the Catholic response to their own protestations.
June 26, 2018
3.5 stars. I found this book a little hard to get into. The first part, 'Natural Reasons,' deals with a few principles of logic and raises points to use in discussion with atheists. Although I doubt this part will convince any atheists to change their minds, it gives some points to allow for the reasonableness of faith in God. As Hahn states, these are "merely invitations to belief and not formal reasons for assenting to faith" (38).
The second part, 'Biblical Reasons' addresses how Catholic doctrines and practices are in fact biblically based and covers some of the common points of contention between Catholics and Protestants/Evangelicals. The usual issues are addressed, but I've seen each particular issue explained better elsewhere. Granted, this is a tiny book and isn't meant to cover any of these topics in depth.
I enjoyed the third and final section, 'Royal Reasons,' the most. This part goes into how the new covenant relates to the old, particularly in regards to David and his promised kingdom. It sheds light on some of the stories in the Old Testament and how they fit into salvation history. There was some good stuff in this part that I haven't really come across elsewhere...yet, but which made me interested to find out more.
The second part, 'Biblical Reasons' addresses how Catholic doctrines and practices are in fact biblically based and covers some of the common points of contention between Catholics and Protestants/Evangelicals. The usual issues are addressed, but I've seen each particular issue explained better elsewhere. Granted, this is a tiny book and isn't meant to cover any of these topics in depth.
I enjoyed the third and final section, 'Royal Reasons,' the most. This part goes into how the new covenant relates to the old, particularly in regards to David and his promised kingdom. It sheds light on some of the stories in the Old Testament and how they fit into salvation history. There was some good stuff in this part that I haven't really come across elsewhere...yet, but which made me interested to find out more.
July 17, 2016
Scott Hahn continues to use his vast knowledge of scripture to explain reasons the Catholic Church is the church founded by Jesus and how best to be an apologist.
"The Bible leads us to the Church. For the Bible does not create the Church or justify the Church or serve as the Church's constitution. The Bible presupposes the Church and depends upon the Church for its own authentication"
"The Church preceded the Scriptures. Indeed, all the New Testament books, except for the Gospels, are primarily occupied with describing a community already well established, with distinctive policies, practices, and patterns of devotion-with its own structures of authority and methods of decision making"
"It was until the fourth or fifth century that the institutional Church fixed the New Testament in the form we know it today"
"The Mass is saturated with the Bible. The Bible is saturated with the Mass."
"The Bible leads us to the Church. For the Bible does not create the Church or justify the Church or serve as the Church's constitution. The Bible presupposes the Church and depends upon the Church for its own authentication"
"The Church preceded the Scriptures. Indeed, all the New Testament books, except for the Gospels, are primarily occupied with describing a community already well established, with distinctive policies, practices, and patterns of devotion-with its own structures of authority and methods of decision making"
"It was until the fourth or fifth century that the institutional Church fixed the New Testament in the form we know it today"
"The Mass is saturated with the Bible. The Bible is saturated with the Mass."
February 16, 2015
Dr. Hahn is a late life convert to Roman Catholicism after spending much of his life as a Presbyterian and a minister.His approach is accessible and at the same time scholarly. His style is admirable for a theologian and writer of apologetics. It is a wonderful book for "newbies" and cradle Catholics. He is thought provoking and comforting; a rare mix these days. After reading a number of the prior reviews by self proclaimed atheists, I wondered if we read the same volume. Faith is said to be a gift, an unearned grace offered to all and accepted by some. It was curious to read the barely concealed rage in some of the reviews. I suppose that should be expected. Standards of "proof" are as variable as the individual requiring it. If your frame of reference blinds you to the possibilities that exist in the universe. Then this is not the book for for you.
March 8, 2019
This is a great introductory book on how Catholics can explain to others of all faith backgrounds why we worship and practice certain aspects of our tradition.
What I liked the most about this work is that the vast majority of evidence is heavily based in Scripture. This guy really knows his research. I doubt laypersons will be able to recite or memorize his specific arguments, but returning to this text and recognizing the Catholic aspects of the Bible can definitely help. The chapter on the Mass and how saturated in the Word was really eye opening and inspiring for me :)
This definitely doesn't explain everything, and the monotonous narration took some getting used to, but I did find this useful.
What I liked the most about this work is that the vast majority of evidence is heavily based in Scripture. This guy really knows his research. I doubt laypersons will be able to recite or memorize his specific arguments, but returning to this text and recognizing the Catholic aspects of the Bible can definitely help. The chapter on the Mass and how saturated in the Word was really eye opening and inspiring for me :)
This definitely doesn't explain everything, and the monotonous narration took some getting used to, but I did find this useful.
February 18, 2010
It took a while to get through this book, but I'm glad i finished it. I'm trying to grow in my faith and felt this book would help. Scott Hahn is a convert who is one of the leading apologetics of our time. He explains the Catholic faith from a logical and philosophical viewpoint and that the Catholic Church is the fulfillment of David's and, now, God's kingdom on earth. He explained we should "always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence." (I Peter 3:15). I think his ideas will help me do that.
February 5, 2012
Final review: I enjoyed part 2 of this 3 part book. Part 1 was Mere Christianity but less effective and less accessible. Part two was what I expected and explained/defended Catholic beliefs (versus general Christian beliefs). I wish I could explain what part three was about, but it mostly just went in one ear and out the other. So, part 2 gets 4 stars from me, the other parts get 1 or 2.
Original thought: Not sure I'll finish this one. I expected something specific to the Catholic faith, but so far it's just Mere Christianity but less accessibly written. Edited: Glad I stuck with this--got past part one and now it's more like what I had expected. :)
Original thought: Not sure I'll finish this one. I expected something specific to the Catholic faith, but so far it's just Mere Christianity but less accessibly written. Edited: Glad I stuck with this--got past part one and now it's more like what I had expected. :)
April 7, 2009
This is a really good book of general Catholic apologetics. I would have rated it higher except that I've been reading and learning so much lately that I felt he really missed the opportunity to go a lot more in depth. However, I definitely can recommend it if you want a very general over view of the reasons Catholics believe what they do.
July 19, 2012
I read this as I was going through RCIA and entering the Catholic faith in 2007. Hahn explains things in excellent detail... A good read for the new Catholic and for the life-long Catholic wanting to re-understand what he/she practices and why.
March 16, 2014
This book rejuvenated my memory of some of what the Catholic church teaches.
May 26, 2023
Este pequeno livro comenta sobre as objeções dos contrários à fé católica. Apesar de pequeno, contempla as objeções em ordem, começando pelos ateus e avançando para outros cristãos não-católicos, protestantes, luteranos, etc. O livro é recheado de referências para quem deseja-se aprofundar o tema.
Dada a rapidez da leitura e abrangência, recomendo para todos, com o aviso que partes do livro serão melhor aproveitadas que outras conforme o estágio da crença.
Dada a rapidez da leitura e abrangência, recomendo para todos, com o aviso que partes do livro serão melhor aproveitadas que outras conforme o estágio da crença.
July 10, 2024
good book full of some solid apologetics! I wish I would’ve read a physical copy of this rather than audio book- I think I missed quite a bit with my ADHD brain tryna listen to such deep content
November 22, 2014
As the book is broken into three parts, so be my review.
1. Natural Reasons- describes why you should believe in God (from atheist to Christian)
2. Biblical Reasons- describes why you should believe in the Catholic Church (from Christian to Catholic)
3. Royal Reasons- describes why you should believe that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament covenant with David (not sure why this belongs here)
The first part of the book attempts to provide logical reasons to believe in the existence of (the Christian) God. It took a while to get through this book so I can't remember his specific arguments now, but I remember thinking repeatedly, "that's a terrible attempt at logic." Hahn definitely tries to shoe-horn his predispositions into a logical framework and does not do it successfully. The title of this section, "Natural Reasons," is a good descriptor of the quality of the arguments he made, as if the reasons are all so obvious they don't need any rigorous explanation. Although I didn't like most of his arguments here, I don't find the concept of God (as in a higher power or consciousness, not the Christian God) challenging, so I just moved on.
Part 2 of the book was by far my favorite. In this part, Hahn essentially says, "if you now believe in the Christian God, then you should now believe in the Catholic faith" and gives reasons why it is so. This is where Hahn leans heavily on Scripture to show how Jesus established the Catholic Church as his legacy, to carry on his mission. Coming from a Protestant background, I actually thought he did a solid job of explaining why Catholics believe that Catholicism is the universal church, continuing the continuous succession that Jesus started with the Apostle Peter.
In addition to establishing the Catholic Church as Jesus body, Part 2 also tried to establish the Catholic's belief in transubstantiation (that the bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Jesus during Holy Communion while receiving the Eucharist. On this part, I felt that Hahn's attempt at logic based on the premise of the truth of the Holy Bible was flawed. Even if I accepted the premise that the Holy Bible (including its translations) is 100% truth and perfect, I still couldn't follow his line of reasoning for claiming the literal interpretation of transubstantiation. But it did help me understand why Protestants aren't allowed to partake in the Eucharist during Catholic Mass (which has always irked me since Protestants also keep Holy Communion).
The quality of the third and final section of the book falls somewhere between the first two. I'm still not entirely sure what message the author was trying to convey. I believe Hahn might have been trying to reinforce the Catholic Church's claim as Jesus' religious line of succession by connecting it with (and using it to fulfill) God's covenant with David from the Old Testament. The argument essentially says that God promised to David that his Kingdom would be everlasting and that his sons would rule the earth; since the Bible has the genealogy tracing Jesus as a descendent of David, the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke must be the same everlasting Kingdom of David. Again, although apparently a common argument nowadays, this argument was new and interesting to me.
However, Hahn himself wrote that the Babylonians (if I recall) rounded up and slaughtered all the descendants of David. No explanation is given how "all the descendants" excluded the ancestors which eventually birthed Jesus. It also describes all the "false claims" of being a descendant of David, such as King Herod the Great, but essentially wipes them away by saying "then Jesus was born, the true Son of David". Again, no real logic here, just relying heavily on Scripture as truth.
In summary, while this book was interesting from a historical and theological perspective, it failed to deliver on its promise of reasons to believe based on logic and "even natural science" (from the book's dust cover). Its also useful to note that this book wasn't intended to convert non-believers, but to be read by believers to strengthen their arguments. In reading, it becomes clear that Hahn is writing this to train an audience that are beginners in the field of apologetics. So I was definitely not the target audience either.
1. Natural Reasons- describes why you should believe in God (from atheist to Christian)
2. Biblical Reasons- describes why you should believe in the Catholic Church (from Christian to Catholic)
3. Royal Reasons- describes why you should believe that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament covenant with David (not sure why this belongs here)
The first part of the book attempts to provide logical reasons to believe in the existence of (the Christian) God. It took a while to get through this book so I can't remember his specific arguments now, but I remember thinking repeatedly, "that's a terrible attempt at logic." Hahn definitely tries to shoe-horn his predispositions into a logical framework and does not do it successfully. The title of this section, "Natural Reasons," is a good descriptor of the quality of the arguments he made, as if the reasons are all so obvious they don't need any rigorous explanation. Although I didn't like most of his arguments here, I don't find the concept of God (as in a higher power or consciousness, not the Christian God) challenging, so I just moved on.
Part 2 of the book was by far my favorite. In this part, Hahn essentially says, "if you now believe in the Christian God, then you should now believe in the Catholic faith" and gives reasons why it is so. This is where Hahn leans heavily on Scripture to show how Jesus established the Catholic Church as his legacy, to carry on his mission. Coming from a Protestant background, I actually thought he did a solid job of explaining why Catholics believe that Catholicism is the universal church, continuing the continuous succession that Jesus started with the Apostle Peter.
In addition to establishing the Catholic Church as Jesus body, Part 2 also tried to establish the Catholic's belief in transubstantiation (that the bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Jesus during Holy Communion while receiving the Eucharist. On this part, I felt that Hahn's attempt at logic based on the premise of the truth of the Holy Bible was flawed. Even if I accepted the premise that the Holy Bible (including its translations) is 100% truth and perfect, I still couldn't follow his line of reasoning for claiming the literal interpretation of transubstantiation. But it did help me understand why Protestants aren't allowed to partake in the Eucharist during Catholic Mass (which has always irked me since Protestants also keep Holy Communion).
The quality of the third and final section of the book falls somewhere between the first two. I'm still not entirely sure what message the author was trying to convey. I believe Hahn might have been trying to reinforce the Catholic Church's claim as Jesus' religious line of succession by connecting it with (and using it to fulfill) God's covenant with David from the Old Testament. The argument essentially says that God promised to David that his Kingdom would be everlasting and that his sons would rule the earth; since the Bible has the genealogy tracing Jesus as a descendent of David, the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke must be the same everlasting Kingdom of David. Again, although apparently a common argument nowadays, this argument was new and interesting to me.
However, Hahn himself wrote that the Babylonians (if I recall) rounded up and slaughtered all the descendants of David. No explanation is given how "all the descendants" excluded the ancestors which eventually birthed Jesus. It also describes all the "false claims" of being a descendant of David, such as King Herod the Great, but essentially wipes them away by saying "then Jesus was born, the true Son of David". Again, no real logic here, just relying heavily on Scripture as truth.
In summary, while this book was interesting from a historical and theological perspective, it failed to deliver on its promise of reasons to believe based on logic and "even natural science" (from the book's dust cover). Its also useful to note that this book wasn't intended to convert non-believers, but to be read by believers to strengthen their arguments. In reading, it becomes clear that Hahn is writing this to train an audience that are beginners in the field of apologetics. So I was definitely not the target audience either.
February 11, 2018
Another good book by author and convert Dr. Scott Hahn. The book title and description are perhaps a tad bit misleading. For folks wishing a reference guide for apologetic arguments answering the most frequently asked about questions regarding our faith and the belief in God - This book is not it. I believe Scott Hahn started the book with that in mind, but he quickly got caught on tangents and the book became more a work of typology looking at the prophesies in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled them. The beginning section on whether God exists or not, does give reference to some of the best philosophers and their arguments. Unfortunately, the reader must then reference those works for deeper understanding. I'd give the book 4 stars, but ended up giving 3 stars as the book is not published by Doubleday (who always do a good job), but by Darton+Longman+Todd. The print is not that great quality. The book is extremely heavy for such a short book, and the overall quality seems to be lacking. A notice in the front says it's been printed and bound in Turkey.
June 20, 2015
The book offers to give a defense and clear some misconceptions about Roman Catholicism; but in my case, it just confirmed what I already know.
The first part of the book provides a summary of key Roman Catholic doctrines such as the relationship of reason with faith, Scripture and ecclesiological authority, papal infallibility and apostolic succession, the preeminence of Mary and the redemptive offices of the heavenly saints, the purgatory, and lastly, the Mass.
The last chapters of the book are the ones that caught my attention—it's a treatment of prominent Roman Catholic doctrines under the lens of biblical theology. Taking away the spotlight that the Abrahamic covenant enjoys in the Reformed tradition, he banked more on the significance of the Davidic covenant vis-a-vis the New Covenant in understanding the nature of God's church. To summarize, there are two layers in God's promise to David: the Davidic identity of Jesus Christ and the Church He established on earth. The former touched on how Christ fulfilled the types and promises in that covenant while the latter pursued the path of identifying the role of the Queen Mother, the prime minister, and the sacrifice of thanksgiving "foreshadowed" in the Davidic epoch, that are fulfilled by Mary, Peter (or the Pope), and the Mass, respectively. Finally, the promised kingdom is manifested visibly as the Roman Catholic Church.
It does not come as a surprise that the quadriga, a method of interpretation, is employed all throughout the book.
All in all, I admired Hahn's simplicity and warmth; a Roman Catholic reader will find the book worth of his time. As someone who's in a different tradition, I would encourage my friends to pick up this book and read it (or other materials concerning such subject) and to exercise scholarship and charity with regard to views that are different from ours. It's always good to have healthy dialogues of informed arguments that are seasoned with gentleness and respect.
The first part of the book provides a summary of key Roman Catholic doctrines such as the relationship of reason with faith, Scripture and ecclesiological authority, papal infallibility and apostolic succession, the preeminence of Mary and the redemptive offices of the heavenly saints, the purgatory, and lastly, the Mass.
The last chapters of the book are the ones that caught my attention—it's a treatment of prominent Roman Catholic doctrines under the lens of biblical theology. Taking away the spotlight that the Abrahamic covenant enjoys in the Reformed tradition, he banked more on the significance of the Davidic covenant vis-a-vis the New Covenant in understanding the nature of God's church. To summarize, there are two layers in God's promise to David: the Davidic identity of Jesus Christ and the Church He established on earth. The former touched on how Christ fulfilled the types and promises in that covenant while the latter pursued the path of identifying the role of the Queen Mother, the prime minister, and the sacrifice of thanksgiving "foreshadowed" in the Davidic epoch, that are fulfilled by Mary, Peter (or the Pope), and the Mass, respectively. Finally, the promised kingdom is manifested visibly as the Roman Catholic Church.
It does not come as a surprise that the quadriga, a method of interpretation, is employed all throughout the book.
All in all, I admired Hahn's simplicity and warmth; a Roman Catholic reader will find the book worth of his time. As someone who's in a different tradition, I would encourage my friends to pick up this book and read it (or other materials concerning such subject) and to exercise scholarship and charity with regard to views that are different from ours. It's always good to have healthy dialogues of informed arguments that are seasoned with gentleness and respect.
November 14, 2015
This is how apologetics is done. This book is well written, thought provoking, and exciting in its insights. The Catholic faith is defended, explained, and supported, and all of it is done without antagonism, without belittling Catholicism detractors, and without the inflammatory attitude encountered in so many Internet "apologists". Hahn unmistakable loves the Church, loves Christ, and loves those to whom he is reaching out; believer and non believer alike.
Hahn showed me aspects of my faith I never before encountered. I've looked for a book like this for a long time. In addition to the usual apologetic topics one often encounters Hahn spent a lot pages drawing parallels between the Davidic kingdom and the Catholic Church, showing how Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church fulfill ancient prophecy laid down throughout Jewish history. Parts of Hanh's narrative left me breathless with new discovery; not that the material was new, just that Hahn takes the time to map out the work laid down by earlier theologians in a clear and understandable way.
Hahn showed me aspects of my faith I never before encountered. I've looked for a book like this for a long time. In addition to the usual apologetic topics one often encounters Hahn spent a lot pages drawing parallels between the Davidic kingdom and the Catholic Church, showing how Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church fulfill ancient prophecy laid down throughout Jewish history. Parts of Hanh's narrative left me breathless with new discovery; not that the material was new, just that Hahn takes the time to map out the work laid down by earlier theologians in a clear and understandable way.
May 3, 2012
This is more of a book that relates some basic Christian/Catholic beliefs to someone who might not know ANYTHING about the Christian faith. Scott Hahn uses great parallelism in relating things that are unknown (or perhaps maybe things the reader hasn't researched enough) to bite-size morsels that are easier to digest. A large chunk is dedicated to explaining why believers have faith in God's existence; the rest of it is finding things about the Catholic faith that is hard to swallow or often thrown to misconception.
As a Christian, I learned how to better communicate my specific world views after reading this, mostly to someone who isn't really familiar with the faith. As a Catholic, I'm encouraged to research my beliefs even further to give more explanation as to why I believe what I believe. I'm looking forward to reading more from Scott Hahn on a level that enriches my Catholic views.
As a Christian, I learned how to better communicate my specific world views after reading this, mostly to someone who isn't really familiar with the faith. As a Catholic, I'm encouraged to research my beliefs even further to give more explanation as to why I believe what I believe. I'm looking forward to reading more from Scott Hahn on a level that enriches my Catholic views.
Read
May 11, 2014Reason's to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith by Scott Hahn is an outstanding book that I read before and during my 3 year voyage to becoming accepted into the church. One year for studying and deciding and two years of formal catechism classes. I did much prayer in that time as well and God always gave me the go feeling that I was finally finding the right religion to belong to. I like the Catholic faith do to there strong use of the personal logic and psyche instead of the cold chills down the spine feeling that ends abruptly after a protestant service. Now I get that feeling when praying the rosary at times or just praying along with the Saints already in heaven and Mother Mary! Mother of God because she was the Mother of Jesus. Sorry about such a long review but I am a natural Catholic apologist as well as Mr. Haun and sometimes get on my soapbox from time to time.
Derrick Gibson
Derrick Gibson
Read
November 22, 2012Of course the primary question on the table between Roman Catholics and Protestants is one of authority. Which makes it all the more confusing when Hahn purports to do exegesis but ends up so often doing eisegesis. It feels disingenuous in the sense that his three-legged stool of tradition, Magesterium, and text means that he's not coming to the text like a Protestant interpreter who's own Wesleyan Quadrilateral has Scripture elevated above, though informed by, reason, tradition, and experience. It's clear that the text is not the norming norm for him, as evidenced by the great strangeness of his interpretive methods.
June 12, 2016
It is almost divine providence that a former-Presbyterian minister who was a vocal critic of Catholic doctrine is now one of its most ardent and effective apologists. The author is amazingly erudite in his coverage of Catholic doctrine and practice, complete with a comprehensive scriptural source defending their use and etiology. Though a little dry at times, the book is a good cross-section of systematic theology and apologetics.
October 23, 2018
Why should Catholics believe what they believe? That is a question the great theologian Dr. Scott Hahn seeks to address in his work Reasons to Believe where he dives into the deeper reasons that Catholics should adhere to the core teachings proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church. Through a calculated process of moving from proving God’s existence, to...
Read the entire review at:
Read the entire review at:
April 12, 2010
This was a very thorough examination of the catholic faith but done briefly...does that make sense? I really enjoyed Hahn little vignettes from his own personal experiances to help illustrate a point or set up a discussion. I found the style easy to read and understand. I will be looking for more work by this author.
October 6, 2009
Love Scott Hahn. I decided to read this to help prepare myself for the 10th grade Confirmation class I am teaching. It presents the Catholic faith from a "logical" point of view. Doubt that I can articulate the message as clearly as Hahn, but material is interesting, so far...
Couldn't finish--I think he is too scholarly at times for my old brain...
Couldn't finish--I think he is too scholarly at times for my old brain...
February 9, 2010
A useful little book explaining the basics of the Catholic faith. As far as apologetics goes, Hahn's arguments are weak in this book, but the book is more of a primer than an apologetic tome. It was certainly a helpful book for this Protestant, and no doubt will be even more valuable for my Roman Catholic friends.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.