Fundamentals of the Faith: Essays in Christian Apologetics

Rating:
Summary: The best of many
Review: Although I am a Protestant, I have come to appreciate every thing Peter Kreeft writes. I bought his Handbook of Apologetics and could not put it down. Now these essays are feeding both mind a soul. Kreeft's way with words must be inspiration. His idea that faith, hope and charity together are the tripod that holds Christianity together is wonderful. In just one paragrpah he shows how you can't have one without the other two. Together they keep Christianity from becoming cold, cruel and wishful thinking.Each chapter is short and every word wothy of thought. My copy of the book is well marked and each page written on.
Just one example of Kreeft's powerful imagery is his picture of Christianity as a flower: Faith is the root, hope the stem, and charity the flower. "The flower is the fairest, the stem does the growing, but the root must come first" (p.170)
I expect to return to this book time and again. For anyone who wants to know what Christians believe (including Christians), this is essential reading. The last section on the unity of the Church in which Kreeft lists the things both Protestants and Catholics would have to surrender to become one again is worth the price of the book. Kreeft calls his vision of a united Church "The Evangelical Catholic Church" and perhaps his ideas could serve as a starting point for meaningful conversation. I also enjoy his list of questions concerning orthodoxy that can unify all Christians.

Rating:
Summary: Glorious
Review: as i read more and more of Peter Kreefts works, i am more and more amazed at the sheer magnitude of this author's intellect. I ordered this book, and would recommend all others to do so as well, along side The Handbook of Christian Apologetics. This should be it's companion guide, for whatever seemed too difficult to grasp in the Handbook, was carefully, thoughtfully, and completely explained in "The Essays," as i call them. I particularly enjoyed the comparisons between Eastern and Western thought, God as Pan and God as Personal. The Essays are totally readable for people of all ages over...13. Basically anyone who's given a rational thought to the questions of God, Jesus, and Catholicism, and why they are what they are.

Rating:
Summary: a budget c s lewis
Review: For years Peter Kreeft has been trying to be the new C. S. Lewis. For years he has failed. He lacks the learning, the style, and the wit. He should stick to teaching philosophy at Boston University and abandon his endless series of superficial books(never acknowledged by professionals)which only serve to show how much he owes to other thinkers and how utterly unoriginal he is.

Rating:
Summary: A Foundation in Philosophy and Faith
Review: I first ran across this book ten years ago and have found myself continually buying copies for friends. Having just purchased it and reread it, yet again, I am convinced that, of Kreeft's many works, and among Christian apologetics generally, this one continues to stand out as foundational. By starting with the very "fundamentals lf the faith" in the first part of the book, Kreeft enables those with little or no understanding of Christianity to embrace it. He moves on to some of the tougher issues of the faith, and without flinching, presents a defense that is both philosophically and theologically sound. Finally, he turns to a series of essays on the Lord's Prayer that has continued to revitalize my prayer life. Overall, what makes this book such a winner for me is his clear, articulate prose -- and the fact that the book is presented in short essays that are ideal for an evening's consumption... if, in fact, you can resist the temptation to plough through the whole thing in a sitting.

Rating:
Summary: A Foundation in Philosophy and Faith
Review: I first ran across this book ten years ago and have found myself continually buying copies for friends. Having just purchased it and reread it, yet again, I am convinced that, of Kreeft's many works, and among Christian apologetics generally, this one continues to stand out as foundational. By starting with the very "fundamentals lf the faith" in the first part of the book, Kreeft enables those with little or no understanding of Christianity to embrace it. He moves on to some of the tougher issues of the faith, and without flinching, presents a defense that is both philosophically and theologically sound. Finally, he turns to a series of essays on the Lord's Prayer that has continued to revitalize my prayer life. Overall, what makes this book such a winner for me is his clear, articulate prose -- and the fact that the book is presented in short essays that are ideal for an evening's consumption... if, in fact, you can resist the temptation to plough through the whole thing in a sitting.

Rating:
Summary: Greater Than the Sum of its Parts
Review: Kreeft has done it again. He has written a book that cuts through the murk and is useful for the committed atheist and the committed Catholic alike. The title is a little misleading: this book is not a bunch of essays, but a very organic whole. He starts from the very beginning, as did Thomas in the Summa and should every text on Theology, by defending the existence of God. He writes polemically, but without animosity; passionately, but without attacking the opposition; he writes to convince, not to shout down. The last thing this work is is a string of abstruse terms and esoteric reasoning. It is a work that anyone who sincerely searches for truth will profit from.

Rating:
Summary: Christian Apologetics 101
Review: Kreeft's "Fundamentals of the Faith" is Christian Apologetics 101. Starting with "proofs" for the existence of God, he then establishes the reality of Christ's life and divinity, and then moves on to defenses of Christian doctrine entrusted to the Church.

Written as a series of essays, "Fundamentals" is a terrific primer on the Faith that doesn't insist you read it in one sitting.

Kreeft has a unique way of turning a phrase or skillfully using an analogy. For instance, in his chapter on the Holy Spirit, he instructs the reader that the Spirit is a "He" not an "it."

Is the Church an "invisible" body as Protestants say or a visible entity as described by Catholics? Both. The Mystical Body of Christ, Kreeft explains, has an invisible dimension and a physical one recognized by its four marks--one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic.

"Fundamentals" is also an effective apologetic against attacks on orthodox Christianity perpetrated by modern theologians and, most recently, by the likes of The Da Vinci Code's Dan Brown. In his chapter on the divinity of Christ, Kreeft states the following:

"The first escape is the attack of the Scripture 'scholars' on the historical reliability of the Gospels. Perhaps Jesus never claimed to be divine. Perhaps all the embarassing passages were inventions of the early Church (say 'Christian community' - it sounds nicer).

In that case, who invented traditional Christianity if not Christ? A lie, like a truth, must originate somewhere. Peter? The twelve? The next generation? What was the motive of whoever first invented the myth (euphemism for lie)? What did they get out of this elaborate, blasphemous hoax? For it must have been a deliberate lie, not a sincere confusion. No Jew confuses Creator with creature, God with man. And no man confuses a dead body with a resurrected, living one.

Here is what they got out of their hoax. Their friends and families scorned them. Their social standing, possessions, and political privileges were stolen from them by both Jews and Romans. They were persecuted, imprisoned, whipped, tortured, exiled, crucified, eaten by lions, and cut to pieces by gladiators. So some silly Jews invented the whole elaborate, incredible lie of Chrisitanity for absolutely no reason, and millions of Gentiles believed it, devoted their lives to it, and died for it - for no reason. It was only a fantastic practical joke, a hoax. Yes, there is a hoax indeed, but the perpetrators of it are the twentieth-century theologians, not the Gospel writers."

The book is vintage Kreeft and has earned the wide readership it enjoys.

Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Book
Review: This is an excellent book by an excellent author. Kreeft clearly, concisely, and charitably explains various doctrines of the Faith. He looks at the arguments for the existence of God, looks at the creeds, the Our Father line by line with great explanations, the last things, the Trinity, and many other things. Each essay is 10-20 pages long and eminently readable in short bits of time. For a great explanation of what C.S. Lewis called "Mere Christianity", read this book.