With the recent visit of the pope to the United Kingdom, this republished work (formerly by Berean Beacon Press, 2005) is to be welcomed. The author writes from the advantage of personal experience, and not mere academic insight, having served for 22 years as a Dominican Roman Catholic priest.
It provides the reader with a mixture of Roman Catholic dogma and history. An example is its description of Rome’s actions through the Inquisition. Whilst there may be a question raised as to the orthodoxy of certain groups persecuted (like the Albigenses), the author is right to include them, as what happened still exemplifies the true nature of Rome.
This we should not forget, especially when one considers the estimated millions killed by Rome over the centuries. Yet if we think we can confine such matters to history we are mistaken. Roman Catholic teaching and doctrine is still a great danger to the souls of countless millions.
One of the cornerstone doctrines of Catholicism is of course the mass. Rather than this being a biblical doctrine, we are informed of its origins in AD 831 with the Benedictine monk Paschasius Radbert.
Whilst being opposed at first as heretical, the teaching of the mass gradually gained acceptance and was officially adopted at the Lateran Council, under Pope Innocent III in AD 1215.
Although most certainly not a quick guide to or summary of RC teaching, this work does provide the reader with much useful information and insight into Catholic history and teaching. It is sprinkled with the author’s personal anecdotes and experiences.
Issues covered include the mystique of the Catholic priesthood, the papal claim to have the keys of the Apostle Peter, encounters in the confession box, biblical unity in the Lord, and papal conformity.
The book is aimed at the serious reader, although it is by no means difficult to read. It will prove a helpful window and warning about what many believe to be a false and corrupt church.
