A reader writes"
I am a Catholic, faithful to Rome, who lives in the heart of anti-Catholic USA (thank you, Jimmy Swaggert). I would like to become an apologetic, but I am having difficulty knowing where to start. The nine book series by Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham looks good. Do you have any recommendations for me? Thank you for your assistance.
The Beginning Apologetics series by Chacon and Burnham is indeed a good place to start, and I’d recommend it.
It’s also recommend these things:
- Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Read the Bible
- Read Catholicism & Fundamentalism by Karl Keating
- Read The Salvation Controversy by me
- Listen to Catholic Answers Live (online or via radio)
- Interact on the discussion forums at Catholic.com
- And, of course, read my blog. 🙂
Becoming an Apologist
So, you want to be an apologist but don’t know where to start? (Even if you don’t want to be one, it’s good for growth in faith.)
Jimmy Akin posts on Becoming an Apologist. …
And to the Reader in question, I’d also like to make a special mention of Jimmy’s original web site at Nazareth Resource Library: http://www.cin.org/users/james/
It was the first Catholic web site I stumbled across, and I still find it very useful.
IMHO, apologetics is equally an intellectual AND spiritual pursuit. I recommend fostering and living out a deep, profound prayer life seeking union with Christ. That way apologetics is an exercise of virtue (leading others closer to Christ) rather that an exercise in pride (winning people to your position, being right, or winning an argument).
Apologetics requires the charisms and gifts of the Holy Spirit. This demands docility to him, listening to him (through the Church AND in our hearts), knowing him, and being sanctified by him.
“Interact on the discussion forums at Catholic.com”
This might help some, but I would more recommend interacting on Protestant discussion forums and defending the faith there. This will allow yourself to be tested and hear arguments from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. I find an unfortunate amount of simplistic understanding of Protestant beliefs at the catholic.com forum and other Catholic forums.
For someone just starting out, though, I can’t recommend that they plunge straight in to anti-Catholic boards. They need to get introduced to that gradually and build a support network for themselves for when they run into problems they need help with. Hence: Interacting on the Catholic.com forums first.
Speaking from experience, I agree with Jimmy. There’s at least as much, if not a million times more, simplistic understanding of Catholic beliefs among Protestant e-pologists (for example, a certain famous person still seems to think that Purgatory has to do with deciding one’s salvation). It’s better to arm one’s self first with solid understanding of Catholic beliefs.
I remember my non-Catholic girlfriend telling me about an exchange she had with her father, in which she complained that I could answer the arguments against Catholicism when she brought them to me, because I had already looked at them before she did. 🙂 It can be useful and enlightening, but learn the Catholic stuff first.
That said, I agree with Francis about actually learning the other side’s story as well. That’s easy to forget.
I will echo the suggestion of prayer given above.
In the Catholic Evidence Guild, you only speak for as many hours as you have spent before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration that week.
If you, like many people, don’t have any experience in verbally articulating a reasoned argument, I’d suggesst that as part of your learning experience you get practice explaining the Faith in front of other people. You may consider volunteering to help out at RCIA or hosting an apologetics Bible study. Sometimes it’s easier to get your feet wet in a friendly environment first.
I recommend fostering and living out a deep, profound prayer life seeking union with Christ. That way apologetics is an exercise of virtue (leading others closer to Christ) rather that an exercise in pride (winning people to your position, being right, or winning an argument).
Apologetics requires the charisms and gifts of the Holy Spirit. This demands docility to him, listening to him (through the Church AND in our hearts), knowing him, and being sanctified by him.
“Clueless” is hardly clueless! Prayer, regular repentance and reconciliation, and continual conversion are absolutely necessary to good apologetics.
In that spirit, here’s The Apologist’s Evening Prayer by C.S. Lewis.
In the Catholic Evidence Guild, you only speak for as many hours as you have spent before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration that week.
Wow, that’s smart.
Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Read the Bible
There are many different programs for doing these easily and regularly. Personally, I like Jeff Cavin’s Great Adventure Bible reading program (chronological; may be used with any translation). Other people love Our Sunday Visitor’s Daily Catholic Bible (RSV; read the Bible in a year’s worth of 20-30 minute readings). Still others prefer to follow the lectionary (NAB; 3 year cycle). The Coming Home Network also offers a free checklist for reading the Bible & Catechism in one year (any translation; print out on 8.5″x14″ paper). Even if you use a different Bible reading program, you might consider using the Coming Home Network’s checklist for Catechism reading.
In addition to the other resources Jimmy recommended, I would add:
Dei Verbum (Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation) (read this many, many times)
Lumen Gentium (Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)
Unitatis Redintegratio (Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism)
Nostra Aetate (Vatican II Declaration on Relations with Non-Christians)
Gaudium et Spes (Vatican II Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)
Most of these documents are easier to read than many people think, and you will inevitably get some good stuff out of reading them even if you don’t understand everything. (And as time goes by, you’ll understand more and more.)
There are many different ways to do apologetics, lots of different potential audiences (atheists, different kinds of Protestants with different beliefs, Mormons, etc.), and many different resources (books, audio, video, etc.) on oodles of general and specific topics. This doesn’t have to daunt you. Some things will help in every situation:
1. Living a sacramental, faithful, and prayerful life.
2. Studying the teaching of the Church, knowing what you believe, and knowing why you believe.
3. Willingness to share what you know and believe and willingness to give reasons for your faith.
4. Willingness to ask questions about what other people think/believe and to listen to their answers, really trying to understand what they’re saying. Be engaged. If you want to show a person how to get from A to B, you need to know where he’s coming from.
5. Be patient. In some lives you will only have the opportunity to plant seeds (a few questions or ideas) and others you may have to cultivate a relationship for several years, but most people don’t cross the Tiber overnight.
Benedict wrote: “In the Catholic Evidence Guild, you only speak for as many hours as you have spent before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration that week.”
Benedict, do you know where there are active Catholic Evidence Guild groups?
In my humble opinion Catholics should know their place and let the ordained do the work Christ gave them. In spite of Vatican II I believe the laity should shut up and stop this silly “ex-Prot apologist” nonsense. It’s just a bunch of envious, prideful cackling if you ask me.
St. Peter, in his humble opinion, disagrees with you. “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you.”. 1 Peter 3:15