Mere Catholicism

by Ian Ker

Publisher:

Emmaus Road

, 2006

Overview

Mere Catholicism explains in easily accessible, non-technical language the fundamental doctrines of Catholicism. It also shows how these doctrines follow naturally from the fundamental doctrines common to orthodox Christians (“mere Christianity”). Catholicism can mystify or even repel other Christians, while its complexities can confuse Catholics themselves. Ian Ker’s stimulating book makes Catholicism come alive as the fullness of Christianity.

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Key Features

• Examines the similarities between orthodox Christians and Catholics, explaining the natural order between the two
• Explores the fundamentals of Catholicism
• Provides answers and evidence for Catholic claims

Contents

• The Unavoidable Question
• God and Us
• God’s Plan for the Human Race
• A Special People
• Getting under Our Skin
• God’s Experience of Death
• The Importance of the Body
• We Send You Our Love
• Why the Church
• The Two-Faced Church
• The Bogey of Infallibility
• How the Church Grows with Death
• The Most Important Member of the Church
• The Church’s Body Language
• Taking the Plunge
• The Meal of All Meals
• The Wounded Church
• The Loving Church
• Does My Body Belong to Me?
• Are Catholics Better Than Other People?

Top Highlights

“Like a hug or a kiss, a sacrament not only sends a clear signal, it also embodies or enacts what it signifies.” (Page 128)

“Many philosophers acknowledge that different cultures and societies may vary somewhat in their moral codes, but, in spite of all these variations, there is a universal recognition of the existence of good and evil, of the fact of moral obligation. The mere fact that it is possible for people to criticize the morality in which they were brought up suggests that our sense of good and evil cannot be reduced to the principles and standards of the environment in which we were raised. It makes perfectly good sense to stand back and ask myself if a particular moral belief of mine is right or wrong. And this ability to criticize one’s own values adds to the sense that the voice of conscience comes from outside both oneself and society. If so, could it be the echo of the voice of God?” (Page 2)

“If all sins are inhuman, it follows that the less sinful we are, the more truly human we are.” (Page 15)

“The Catholic position is, however, that while the human nature which our first ancestors passed on to the whole human race has been seriously damaged, it is not so enslaved to evil as to lose its freedom, not so corrupted as to be completely perverted, as the Protestant Reformers maintained. Here Catholicism agrees with the ordinary human instinct which tells us that as bad as we are in so many ways, we are by no means all bad; we do have good, as well as bad, potential.” (Pages 20–21)

“Christianity’ is not something foreign to her, but is indeed her own child, something she is the Mother of. The idea of detaching ‘mere Christianity’—or perhaps I should say simply ‘Catholic beliefs’—from the Church is inconceivable.” (Page xi)

Praise for the Print Edition

Dr. Ker’s brilliant, highly readable book . . . is indispensable, not only for those who are approaching Christianity and need guidance but also for Catholics who take their own faith for granted but could not coherently explain their beliefs to unbelieving friends. No other concise survey of the Catholic faith approaches it for clarity, for completeness, or for intellectual range.

—William Oddie, author, What Will Happen to God? Feminism and the Reconstruction of Christian Belief

Product Details

• Title: Mere Catholicism
• Author: Ian Ker
• Publisher: Emmaus Road Publishing
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 152

About Ian Ker

Ian Ker teaches theology at Oxford University and is also a parish priest. He is the leading authority on the thought and writings of John Henry Newman, on whom he has published many books, including the definitive biography, as well as The Catholic Revival in English Literature, 1845–1961. Ker received his doctorate from Cambridge University.