Rating: 
Summary: Short Fuse, Big Bang
Review: Too many reviews on books of this kind end up trying to prove/disprove the case of the author. I'll let the author do his own apologetics and just tell you what you can expect to find in this book.First, it's short (7 chapters?). Digestible is good, and you'll be able to consume this in several small sessions, or in one good 4-hour session, if you so desire. The author describes how he set out to refute the Jesus Seminar (much of which tries to discredit the veracity of the Gospels, the historicity of the Jesus in the Gospels, and which books really belong in the bible), and soon discovered just how much he had to rely on the Tradition of the Catholic Church. He examines the historical councils of the Church that defined which books belong in the bible. He examines the historical witness of the Church to such things as the veracity, the inerrancy of Scripture. He examines the historical development of such moral teachings as abortion, homosexuality, and polygamy, and shows just how much we all (Protestants and Catholics alike) have relied on the authority of the Catholic Tradition in understanding these matters. For example, he shows how 99.9% of Christians accept that polygamy is wrong, but he asks why that is. He shows several Scripture passages to demonstrate how a case could be built, using Scripture alone and separate from a Catholic Tradition, for the moral rightness of polygamy. All in all, it's a very thoughtful book, and very easy to follow. Whether you think he's right or not is for you to decide... best wishes in that endeavor.
Rating:
Summary: Short Fuse, Big Bang
Review: Too many reviews on books of this kind end up trying to prove/disprove the case of the author. I'll let the author do his own apologetics and just tell you what you can expect to find in this book. First, it's short (7 chapters?). Digestible is good, and you'll be able to consume this in several small sessions, or in one good 4-hour session, if you so desire. The author describes how he set out to refute the Jesus Seminar (much of which tries to discredit the veracity of the Gospels, the historicity of the Jesus in the Gospels, and which books really belong in the bible), and soon discovered just how much he had to rely on the Tradition of the Catholic Church. He examines the historical councils of the Church that defined which books belong in the bible. He examines the historical witness of the Church to such things as the veracity, the inerrancy of Scripture. He examines the historical development of such moral teachings as abortion, homosexuality, and polygamy, and shows just how much we all (Protestants and Catholics alike) have relied on the authority of the Catholic Tradition in understanding these matters. For example, he shows how 99.9% of Christians accept that polygamy is wrong, but he asks why that is. He shows several Scripture passages to demonstrate how a case could be built, using Scripture alone and separate from a Catholic Tradition, for the moral rightness of polygamy. All in all, it's a very thoughtful book, and very easy to follow. Whether you think he's right or not is for you to decide... best wishes in that endeavor.
Rating:
Summary: A convincing case for the necessity of Sacred Tradition
Review: With wit and insight, Mark Shea probes the question, "Is Sacred Tradition a necessary part of the Christian tradition?" and shows with numerous examples that the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Especially helpful are the examples: Shea shows that, in one instance, such a given Protestant doctrine like the reality of the Blessed Trinity is a conclusion drawn from scriptural evidence AND the Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church. If I have any quibble with the book, it would be that it is not exhaustive enough. It doesn't address the full range of the case for "sola scriptura" (only Scripture), but then Shea never said he was attempting to write a book that would be the be-all and end-all resolution to a question that has been plaguing Christians for four hundred years!
Rating:
Summary: A convincing case for the necessity of Sacred Tradition
Review: With wit and insight, Mark Shea probes the question, "Is Sacred Tradition a necessary part of the Christian tradition?" and shows with numerous examples that the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Especially helpful are the examples: Shea shows that, in one instance, such a given Protestant doctrine like the reality of the Blessed Trinity is a conclusion drawn from scriptural evidence AND the Apostolic Tradition of the Catholic Church. If I have any quibble with the book, it would be that it is not exhaustive enough. It doesn't address the full range of the case for "sola scriptura" (only Scripture), but then Shea never said he was attempting to write a book that would be the be-all and end-all resolution to a question that has been plaguing Christians for four hundred years!
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