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Rating: 
Summary: Talking to all of each part of the human person
Review: German theologian Karl Adam makes here the best case I have yet found for the following proposition: The Catholic faith not only speaks to all people, it speaks to each part of every person. Adam knew, and showed, how rich the Catholic faith is, from art and literature to intellectual and architectural cathedrals; from piety and community to mysticism. Each part of a person is addressed: the intellectual, the affective (or emotional), and the imaginative. And each part is brought together with the others to form a beautiful, brilliant, and vibrant whole.
Adam shows the teachings of the Church as lived realities. They are beautiful, intellectually sound, and viscerally charged. lamentably, contemporary writings about the Church's loveliness tend to fall miles beneath the august standard here set. Though written in the 1920s, this book's appeal is not primarily historical. It presents a fresh vision of what the Catholic life may yet again be, and inspires one's journey toward that lovely horizon.
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Summary: Good First Step
Review: I picked up a copy of the original 1935 version of this book and gave it a chance. This is not an area that I normally read so at first I did not know what to expect. I am also not an overly religious person so I do not have a large stock of other books to compare it to. I found that the book was well written and easy to move through. I was concerned it would be a little high handed, but it was not. It was full of information that was beneficial. You certainly gain a positive view of the church from the book and it has spurned me on to look for more titles on the subject. If you are like me, a first time reader in the area this was a good way to start.
Rating:
Summary: Good First Step
Review: I picked up a copy of the original 1935 version of this book and gave it a chance. This is not an area that I normally read so at first I did not know what to expect. I am also not an overly religious person so I do not have a large stock of other books to compare it to. I found that the book was well written and easy to move through. I was concerned it would be a little high handed, but it was not. It was full of information that was beneficial. You certainly gain a positive view of the church from the book and it has spurned me on to look for more titles on the subject. If you are like me, a first time reader in the area this was a good way to start.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: Karl Adam is in Europe a persona non grata. He was with Michael Smaus and Anton Stonner one of the prominent catholic theologians, who embraced Hitler's National-Socialism. But his book 'Das Wesen des Katholizismus/The Spirit of Catholicism' (first publiced in Europe in 1924)is a great and splendid christian and oecumenical book and have had a mayor influence on subsequent theology, like the theology of the famous European theologians Karl Rahner and Edward Schillebeeckx.
Rating:
Summary: A profound and insightful explanation of the Catholic faith
Review: That such a book could have been written nearly 50 years before Vatican II is an amazing testament to the insight and understanding of the brilliant German theologian Karl Adam. This work beautifully explains the many facets of Catholic doctrine and shows how they are so tightly and organically intertwined. Particularly helpful is Adam's explanation of Catholic soteriology and sacramental life. He avoids the more technical theological language without sacrificing precision or detail, plus rightly emphasizes the Biblical nature and core of Catholic doctrine and dogma. A must buy for anyone wishing to more deeply appreciate and comprehend the riches of the Catholic Faith.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This book helped me immensely with my apologetics "homework", especially concerning communion of the saints and other issues that are so alien to Protestants. The book is extremely well written and contains so much information that I haven't found in one source anywhere else. If you are sitting on the theological fence then this book is a MUST read!
Rating:
Summary: A surprising and wonderful book!
Review: This book is considered to be the best available by such high-profile and well-respected converts as Thomas Howard, Ray Ryland and Scott Hahn. What is perhaps most astonishing is that Adam covers all the most important points in such a short book, and covers them very well. This is a brilliant description of what Catholicism is all about: a must-read for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, particularly for those who believe that the Church is nothing more than a tyrannical, despotic body that kills reason and self-discovery in the name of absolute obedience. Read Adam's book and you will find out how wrong that perception is.One of the strengths of this book is that Adam frequently brings in quotes from the leading Protestant thinkers of his day in order to show the limitations of Protestantism generally. To his credit, however, Adam is never judgmental or hostile to non-Catholic groups. On the contrary, he goes to great lengths to show just how open-minded the Church is regarding non-Catholic (and even non-Christian) beliefs, and what is positive and helpful about them. I was very surprised to find how little I knew about the complexities of, for example, the Church's position on salvation through the Church, and the role of individual conscience and freedom in faith. Adam shows, very convincingly, that the Catholic Church is exceedingly fair, open, reasonable, and caring in its approach to these controversial and widely misunderstood issues. His approach is always positive, always hopeful, always logical, and always welcoming. Best of all, his arguments are iron-clad, rooted in Scripture, and absolutely devastating.Adam's book is extremely valuable and must be read if one wishes to gain a real understanding of Catholicism in a short book. Whether you are a Catholic seeking to know more about your ancient, beautiful faith, or a non-Catholic seeking to set the record straight about Catholic beliefs, Adam's book is required reading. You'll be surprised at what you find within these pages, and perhaps even ashamed that you believed all the half-truths and distortions about Catholicism. Let the reader beware: if you have any doubts at all about your own church's teachings and traditions before you pick this book up, Adam's book will certainly amplify then, and it may well bring you into the Catholic Church.
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