"40 Questions About Roman Catholicism" (Gregg R. Allison)

TITLE: 40 Questions About Roman Catholicism
AUTHOR: Gregg R. Allison
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2021, (336 pages).

What do Roman Catholics believe? How do Protestants view the Roman Catholic Church and its beliefs? How can evangelicals relate to Roman Catholic believers? What is the history of the Roman Catholic Church? These questions and many more form the basis for this book. Continuing the topical series of 40 questions, Kregel Publications has decided to focus this book on some of the common questions about Roman Catholicism. 

Roman Catholicism is one of the largest religious groups in the world. From time to time, we hear of powerful leaders and famous figures who hail from the Roman Catholic Church. The current President of the United States and Prime Minister of Canada are all Roman Catholics. Stars like Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Liam Neeson, and Stephen Colbert are all Roman Catholics. Wherever the Pope goes, the press and media follow along. 

The three categories of questions are:

1. Historical and Foundational Matters
2. Theological Matters
3. Contemporary and Personal Matters

There are several interesting facts pointed out in this book that I find fascinating. I learn about the four traditional attributes of the RCC: "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." That the name RCC was first used in the 13th Century, sparked by a preacher for the Waldensians, Dorand of Osca. The name RCC was coined to differentiate the Church from the breakaway group. We learn about the rise of the papacy; the history of the Church; the split between Catholicism and Protestantism; and the internal reformation of the RCC because of Vatican II. Due to the updating of the RCC dogmas, the documents form an important basis for ecumenical discussion between the RCC and the Orthodox and Protestants. We also learn of the differences between RCC and Protestants beyond simply the common distinctions of Mariology, papal authority, and the Church ecclesiastical structure. Significant differences include Nature-Grace interdependence; Christ-Church interdependence; Divine Revelation; Scripture; Sacraments; and others. That said, there are also significant points of agreement that enlarges the common beliefs. The theological discussion section forms a significant part of the book, for obvious reasons. 

My Thoughts

Some people think that the differences between RCC and Protestant doctrines are not that wide. When asked about the distinctions, Protestants might not be able to offer a convincing answer at all. This is where this book comes in. The detailed explanations highlight key points without getting too academic. This makes it accessible to a wider range of readers. Plus, the section on "Contemporary and Personal Questions" helps us connect with the relevance of the Roman Catholic Church today, their issues, struggles, and major challenges that not only threatens the RCC but also the overall perception of Christianity. Allison provides several guidelines to help us to do just that. With love, we can go back to faithful living to our calling to love one another. As Christians called to speak the Truth in love, there is another important reason to read this book: Clear up misconceptions or avoid misrepresenting what the RCC believes. Both RCC and Protestants need to clear up their understanding of what both parties believe. There are many good and relevant questions posed by the author. They not only pique our interest, they form a useful way to learn more about the RCC. Some of the questions leave me thinking: "Hey, why didn't I think of it before?" 

The biggest challenge of all I believe is ecumenical work between the two groups. Protestants would need to wrestle with the meaning of one catholic church in spite of the theological differences mentioned. RCC would also need to re-examine their theologies in the light of Protestant emphases. Can we say that we need each other? Yes. How much, I am not so sure. In terms of authority and structure, the RCC will be better organized to debate or discuss the matter. When it comes to Protestant groups, the matter becomes more clouded. Protestants since the 16th Century have become fragmented into thousands of groups making it difficult to have a central representative body to be part of the ecumenical talks. Suspicions are still high especially among the fundamentalists and conservative groups from both sides. Even if Martin Luther is alive today, I doubt if he could even unite half the Protestants at all. In fact, for Allison to use the label "Protestant" might not be considered inclusive enough, especially when several groups have broken out of the historical Protestant movement. One example is the highly influential evangelicals and conservative circles. That said, I want to say that Allison's use of the Protestant label is basically for all who have branched out from historical Protestantism.

While this book is written primarily for Protestants, I feel that members of the RCC can also benefit from how Protestants perceive the differences. Perhaps, without presuming they will agree with Allison's descriptions, this book does one major thing: An invitation to discuss more.

Gregg R. Allison (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Allison teaches annually on Roman Catholicism for the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network and regularly teaches seminary courses and church seminars on Catholic theology and practice. His other works include Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment.  

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Kregel Academic without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.