Rating: 
Summary: A MUST read for ANY Catholic
Review: McBrien certainly knows his theology and he does a wonderful job of covering EVERY major issue facing Catholicism today and he examines each issue from every side. It can be extremely difficult to follow at times and is very comprehensive, but worth the effort!
Rating:
Summary: A scholarly look at Catholic theology.
Review: McBrien has done a magnificent job in presenting the Catholic version of Christian theology. His book clearly illustrates the sincerity of the Church's scholars in reconciling faith and reason, and readers will be overwhelmed at how tightly Catholic theology is wound. The astounding aspect of this masterpiece is that it brings together the fundamental richness and diversity of Catholic thinking while showing the utmost respect for Protestant challenges and thought. In fact, McBrien clearly explains that "Catholicism is not some undifferentiated religious view .... but is a form of Christian faith alongside Protestantism, Anglicism, Orthodoxy, and Oriental Christianity." In Catholic theology, he points out, there can be many churches (Lutheran, Baptist, etc.)but one Body of Christ. One thing McBrien gives away, however, and he does so without realizing it, is that the Catholic religion has become, in some cases, separated from the theology on which it is based. For example, the Catholic Church's emphasis on the importance of the sacrements as redemptive instruments, and the restriction of ministry to the ordained seems to go against the traditions of Christiantiy and seems to put the Catholic religion out of sync with the theology on which it should be based. This book will earn the respect of all who constantly look for the marriage of reason and faith in religious principles. It will help them develop their own set of beliefs at the same time that they develop a respect for all religious thought.
Rating:
Summary: Bringing sanity to Catholicism
Review: McBrien is one of the reasons I can still call myself Catholic. His intellectual integrity, his charity, and his deep and broad understanding light a path that has in recent years made ever darker by those who would claim to know the mind of God. He balances his need to address misunderstandings within the Church with a sense of duty to it. If all Catholics were to familiarize themselves with the concepts presented, we would have better Catholics. I have recommended it to several people, all of whom have asserted its unparalleled value. As a student of Theology, I can affirm the clarity of his thinking on most of the subjects he addresses. It has the bulk of a reference (and all of my Theo. professors use it as such), but the readibility of a letter from a friend.
Rating: 
Summary: Lost soul
Review: McBrien left the Catholic Church many years ago. His writing's reflect the bitterness of a man that failed as a Priest.The issue
is not whether he is a liberal or conservative. He has mislead the faithful by mixing fiction with doctrine. He has a right to
his opinion, but he should tell his reader that his book is a "Wish List" of the 1960's. The United States Bishops have dismissed the book because of it's errors in doctrine.
Rating:
Summary: Stilted presentation further undermines weak analysis
Review: McBrien seems more interested in being a "bad boy" than a serious scholar. Despite the book's length, important periods in Catholic Church history are presented in a stilted and simplistic manner. Any freshman student of logic can find all of the major logical fallacies amply represented in the first three chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Not Catholicism
Review: McBrien seems to have forgotten what it means to be a believing Catholic. Worse yet he foists his errors on the unsuspecting. I guess he enjoys being the "village heretic". Perhaps he likes the attention in an adolescent kind of way. Just read the Catechism for the truth about Catholicism.
Rating:
Summary: Incomplete, sometimes condescending
Review: McBrien's reworking of this book leaves the student very unsatisfied. Many of his points are undermined by a presentation that omits important material facts that are readily available in both secular and Catholic references. One gets the feeling that these facts are left out on purpose. The work is further undermined by an underlying sneer at those who draw alternative conclusions, (or apply the facts that he omits). This book is neither fun nor educational in any objective sense.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Work
Review: Nothing will remove prejudice. But if you are looking for a clearly written, reference to the basic structural and theological issues that have shaped and continue to shape the Catholic Church this is an outstanding book. When I was confirmed as an adult it was recommended to me and I give the occasional copy to a Catholic friend who hasn't had a chance to learn much about their own faith. I recommend this highly to anyone with honest curiousity. It is not a book of revelation, but it clarifies fundamental issues and brings new perspective
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Scholarly Work with Compelling Arguments
Review: Professor McBrien, while a bit of a hard-(...) in class, is an amazing scholar. His picture of Catholicism is much more broad than the picture given by the Catechism, and demonstrates his more historical understanding of the Church than the heavily dogmatic, fedeist picture of Catholicism given by Ratzinger. As any student of theology knows, the Catechism is a teaching tool for children, not a serious work of theology. *THIS* is a serious work of thology.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting introduction, though...
Review: Raised a Protestant I had always been taught that Catholicism consisted of kissing somebody's ring, praying to Mary, and paying penance. I now look back on my lacking religious education with dread. "Catholicism" did away with many of those stereotypes. While it was a good introduction to Catholicism, I feel it's not fully representative of the purest form of the religion. His use of "cocreators with God" applied to humans sounds as if he's stretching logic to its limits just to be able to say those words. Why? It's provocative. All in all, a good book, but have another catechism and Bible nearby.
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