Rating: 
Summary: Be Not Afraid!
Review: "Crossing The Threshold Of Hope" originated out of a planned televised interview of Pope John Paul II by an Italian journalist. When the Pope's schedule forced the cancellation of the interview the project seemed to have lapsed. A few months later the journalist was surprised when His Holiness provided written answers to the questions which had been posed, hence, this book.In this book we read Pope John Paul II's views on a variety of the issues which capture the imagination of the modern public. Among the topics covered are The Papacy, Prayer, and How the Pope Prays. He expounds on Jesus, His role as the Son of God, the existence of God and its proof and why God seems to be hiding. We listen at the feet of the Master as he explains the meaning of salvation, comments on the multitude of religions, evangelization and the future of the Church. The Pope's enthusiasm for the young and his passion for human rights leap from the pages. The reader of this book gets the kernel of John Paul II's teaching condensed into a book which is readable and understandable to a broad range of the public. The message of this spokesman for Christ comes through clearly and forcefully. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Be not afraid! Pick up and Read!
Rating:
Summary: Be Not Afraid!
Review: "Crossing The Threshold Of Hope" originated out of a planned televised interview of Pope John Paul II by an Italian journalist. When the Pope's schedule forced the cancellation of the interview the project seemed to have lapsed. A few months later the journalist was surprised when His Holiness provided written answers to the questions which had been posed, hence, this book. In this book we read Pope John Paul II's views on a variety of the issues which capture the imagination of the modern public. Among the topics covered are The Papacy, Prayer, and How the Pope Prays. He expounds on Jesus, His role as the Son of God, the existence of God and its proof and why God seems to be hiding. We listen at the feet of the Master as he explains the meaning of salvation, comments on the multitude of religions, evangelization and the future of the Church. The Pope's enthusiasm for the young and his passion for human rights leap from the pages. The reader of this book gets the kernel of John Paul II's teaching condensed into a book which is readable and understandable to a broad range of the public. The message of this spokesman for Christ comes through clearly and forcefully. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Be Not afraid! Pick up and Read!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, for a Pope!
Review: As a non-Catholic Christian, I was happy to find that I agree with most of this book. (Apart from the "Mother of God" chapter.) I was impressed by the intelligence, simplicity, and balance with which Pope John-Paul presented his ideas. It seemed to me that the pope must be aware of the ideas of great Christian thinkers like Lewis, Chesterton, and Pascal, and shares the same ability to express deep truths in terms that are easy to understand. Some Buddhists, like Thich Nhat Hanh, have complained about the Pope's view of other religions. Thich actually rebuked the Pope for misunderstanding Christianity by calling Jesus "the only mediator between God and man!" Non-Christians should realize that, in this case, the Pope is only quoting Scripture. And as he also noted, Christianity "rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions." My own research is into what the Pope calls "semina Verbi," seeds of truth, in pre-Christian cultures, (especially Asian) and I thought his approach was fair. Of course he talks about many issues in this book: the fall of communism, abortion, the status of women, salvation, the existence of God. . . and does not go into any in great detail. It is an excellent book to read for an overall understanding of Catholic Christianity and the thinking of one very thoughtful Catholic in particular. author, Jesus and the Religions of Man
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, for a Pope!
Review: As a non-Catholic Christian, I was happy to find that I agree with most of this book. (Apart from the "Mother of God" chapter.) I was impressed by the intelligence, simplicity, and balance with which Pope John-Paul presented his ideas. It seemed to me that the pope must be aware of the ideas of great Christian thinkers like Lewis, Chesterton, and Pascal, and shares the same ability to express deep truths in terms that are easy to understand. Some Buddhists, like Thich Nhat Hanh, have complained about the Pope's view of other religions. Thich actually rebuked the Pope for misunderstanding Christianity by calling Jesus "the only mediator between God and man!" Non-Christians should realize that, in this case, the Pope is only quoting Scripture. And as he also noted, Christianity "rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions." My own research is into what the Pope calls "semina Verbi," seeds of truth, in pre-Christian cultures, (especially Asian) and I thought his approach was fair. Of course he talks about many issues in this book: the fall of communism, abortion, the status of women, salvation, the existence of God. . . and does not go into any in great detail. It is an excellent book to read for an overall understanding of Catholic Christianity and the thinking of one very thoughtful Catholic in particular. author, Jesus and the Religions of Man
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, for a Pope!
Review: As a non-Catholic Christian, I was happy to find that I agree with most of this book. (Apart from the "Mother of God" chapter.) I was impressed by the intelligence, simplicity, and balance with which Pope John-Paul presented his ideas. It seemed to me that the pope must be aware of the ideas of great Christian thinkers like Lewis, Chesterton, and Pascal, and shares the same ability to express deep truths in terms that are easy to understand. Some Buddhists, like Thich Nhat Hanh, have complained about the Pope's view of other religions. Thich actually rebuked the Pope for misunderstanding Christianity by calling Jesus "the only mediator between God and man!" Non-Christians should realize that, in this case, the Pope is only quoting Scripture. And as he also noted, Christianity "rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions." My own research is into what the Pope calls "semina Verbi," seeds of truth, in pre-Christian cultures, (especially Asian) and I thought his approach was fair. Of course he talks about many issues in this book: the fall of communism, abortion, the status of women, salvation, the existence of God. . . and does not go into any in great detail. It is an excellent book to read for an overall understanding of Catholic Christianity and the thinking of one very thoughtful Catholic in particular. author, Jesus and the Religions of Man
Rating:
Summary: A simple, yet inspiring read
Review: Crossing the Threshold is a very interesting treatise from the Holy See written in the form of an interview, where the Pope explains his views of various Christian beliefs - including his belief in God, his views of non-Christian and non-Catholic faiths, and Mariology. His views appear to negate the claims put forth by anti-Catholics and tend to look to the new millennium with hope instead of fear. An important message in this book is reiterated strongly by JPII's pontificate: Be not afraid. Great advice from probably the greatest Pope we've had in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: great intelligence and care
Review: Crossing the Threshold of Hope is a beautiful statement of fearless hope that is edifying not only for Roman Catholics but for all Christians as well as the rest of mankind at the beginning of this new Millennium. As a non-Roman Catholic, I was surprised to have this Pope speak to my walk as a Christian in this book. He goes even further in addressing each reader, regardless of creed, as fellow human beings. This book is written in an engaging question and answer format. John Paul II shows himself to be a man of great intelligence with a great care for all of humanity. Reading this book would be beneficial for everyone. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Crossing the Threshold of Hope
Review: DEEEEEP. IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A REALLY DEEP THEOLOGICAL BOOK, IN A SIMPLE, EASY TO READ FORMAT, LOOK NO FURTHER. THIS BOOK WAS A REAL EYE OPENER FOR ME. IT'S SO SIMPLE YET STIMULATES DEEP THOUGHTS ON GOD. THE POPES EXPLANATIONS ON GOD AND THE WORLD ARE SO INTERESTING, I REALLY LIKED THE INTERVIEW SETUP OF THIS BOOK, I WISH ALL FAITHS COULD BE EXPLAINED IN AN INTERVIEW TYPE FORMAT. THIS IS A MUST READ!
Rating:
Summary: How do you rate a pope?
Review: First, I'm not Catholic, but I found this book to be beautifully written and articulate. In putting together a book I was working on for Putnam, I wanted to get the pope's understanding of end-time prophecies. This was the right book, but I got much more than that. One of the poignant parts of the book was the pope's explanation for all the divisions in the Church. First, he acknowledges that many of these divisions came about because of the sins of Christians against one another. (Though he doesn't say on which side, but presumeably on all sides.) The pope is surprisingly affirmative of the different denominations that have split off from Catholicism. He asks, "Could it not be that these divisions have also been a path continually leading the Church to discover the untold wealth contained in Christ's Gospel. . . ? Perhaps all this wealth would not have come to light otherwise. . . . It is necessary for humanity to achieve unity through plurality. . . ." I recommend the book to any non-Catholic who wants to get a more accurate perspective of what the Roman Catholic Church believes at its heart.
Rating:
Summary: A humble but powerful book.
Review: His Holiness John Paul II has written a book that can (and should) be read more than once. His book is, at the same time, an apologia of the Faith, a primer on morals, a critique of 20th century nihilsim in all of its forms, a pitch for ecumenism, as well as an intro to Christian philosophy and summary of Catholic theology (it may not be a coincidence that the book's format, that of responses to an interviewers questions, resembles that of St. Thomas' Summa Theologica). The book is also, in fact primarily, an exhortation to encouragement, hope, and faith. His Holiness' erudition is astounding, his sense of humour delightful and his insights thought-provoking and moving. He says all of the things that we would expect the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church to say, and alot of things that we wouldn't expect. The book produced it's intended effect. When I put it down, I felt encouraged and hopeful. I also felt fortunate to have been a contemporary of such a great man. This book is a major work of spirituality by one of the most important figures of the century.
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