"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

"Learning Theology Through the Church's Worship" (Dennis Okholm)

TITLE: Learning Theology through the Church’s Worship
AUTHOR: Dennis Okholm
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018, (256 pages).

It has often been pointed out that systematic theology textbooks are a little dry. That is probably due to the way academics write their books. It is also because of the nature of systematic theology that made the teaching of it rather challenging. Thus, it is a balancing act of teaching this form of theology in an interesting and practical way, to be sensitive to our current contexts without diluting the contents. What if we could begin not with the theology itself but with the visible expressions of systematic theology? Answer: Liturgy and worship. Professor J.I. Packer has often said that "Theology leads to Doxology." Essentially, that means all theology will naturally lead us to the worship of God. Author Dennis Okholm pounces on this opportunity to use liturgy as a window to learning systematic theology. After all, if we want to show fellow believers and church-goers the relevance of systematic theology to everyday life, there is no better way than to use the familiar symbols of a regular Church worship service as a springboard to such a great educational opportunity of the church.