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Rating: 
Summary: The Entire Catechism - In 150 pages or less!
Review: Michael Pennock once again provides the "basics" of the Catholic faith in a highly approachable format. Like his earlier text, "This is Our Faith" (also from Ave Maria Press), he reviews the teachings of the Church - the Trinity, the Sacraments, Prayer, you name it - without getting bogged down in too many details. Unlike his earlier work, he gives us the barest of the essentials without sacrificing scope. "The Seeker's Catechism" is simply that - a tool for catechesis (teaching), R.C.I.A., and general reference to Catholicism. The very size of this text - it can fit in your back pocket - matches its accessibility of the text. Anyone working in parish offices or programs - clergy, religious, religious educators - should own a copy, at the ready for those inevitable questions which come from visitors, students and the occasional detractor. By making frequent reference to the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" and several important Church documents, he enables his readers to refer to the larger texts. This is important for those in catechetical programs (R.C.I.A. for example) as well as those Catholics looking for more information. One minor criticism here - Pennock makes reference to official Church documents by their English titles. Most publishers and Catholic church employees refer to the Latin titles of these publications, which could lead to some confusion. Also, I would have liked more scriptural references - a necessity when working with evangelicals and other Christians - but this does not detract from the strength of the text as a whole. Given the near-vacuum of many Catholics with regard to many topics of the faith, not to mention the need of so many others who are seeking to join the Church, Pennock's text is a much-needed and highly usable instrument. I recommend this text to anyone and everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Error Free
Review: Reading the reviews of others on this page, I eagerly sought Pennock's little catechism. I was especially drawn to its Q&A format. Right off the bat, however, I came across a fairly serious error. On page 39 under the question "What is papal infallibility?", Pennock states "Only once in the last one hundred years has the pope proclaimed an infallible teaching." Pennock confuses ex cathedra pronouncements with the infallible teachings of the Ordinary Magisterium. The Pope has the gift of infallibility whenever he explicitly defines a matter of faith and morals (usually by using the locution "We define ...). So infallible teachings can be found in encyclicals and other Church documents that fall short of ex cathedra decrees. Since the book has the imprimatur of Cleveland Bishop Anthony Pilla, I'm surprised this error made it through the censors. "The Seeker's Catechism" also has the annoying tendency to use unenthusiastic phraseology like "The Church traditionally teaches ..." or "The Church claims ..." Word choices like that beg the obvious question, what's changed? Relatedly, Pennock lapses into distracting inclusive language, e.g., using the word "human" instead of man. Most alarming, though, is his depiction of Christ. In the chapter "Jesus: Lord and Messiah", we are first told that Christ is compassionate, self-giving and humble, but Pennock doesn't get around to addressing his divinity until the last page and then only places it in a list of dogmas. Overall this book is a disappointment.
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