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Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 1: Creed, Commandments
Book by Kenneth Baker
282 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1982
7 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth A. Baker
19 books1 followerFr. Kenneth Baker, S.J. is a Roman Catholic priest in the Society of Jesus. Besides his pastoral duties as a priest he has served as a professor of theology and a university president. He has also worked to bring the message of the Roman Catholic Church into more forms of communication media, most notably as editor-in-chief in the magazine the Homiletic and Pastoral Review which has been called "one of the most important magazines for priests in the English speaking world".
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September 21, 2024
THE FIRST VOLUME OF A THREE-VOLUME SET
Rev. Kenneth Baker, S.J. served for thirty years as editor of the Homiletic & Pastoral Review. In 1975 he became president of Catholic Views Broadcasts, Inc., which produces a weekly 15-minute radio program that airs on 50 stations across the United States; he has also built and run three community television stations. The other volumes in this series are Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 2: God, Trinity, Creation, Christ, Mary and Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 3: Grace, the Church, the Sacraments, Eschatology.
He wrote in the Preface to this1982 book, "While teaching a college course a few years ago on the fundamentals of the Catholic faith ... I came to the realization that over ninety percent of [my students] did not understand the most basic tenets of their Catholic faith... I came to the realization that there should be more teaching and preaching about the basics of Catholicism... What I have tried to do in these short articles is to present faithfully the traditional Catholic teaching on all the important points of doctrine and morals... They were written primarily for ordinary Catholic lay men and women who are looking for some direction in the present sea of confusion, and who would like to know more about the Catholic faith that they profess." (Pg. 9-10)
He admits, "It is true that there is a certain obscurity about faith, since what is believed is accepted on the authority of another---in this instance on the authority of God who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Hence, when a person assents to something as true on the basis of his faith, he does so not because he sees the intrinsic reason for the proposition in question... but because God himself has testified to this truth." (Pg. 24)
He points out, "Many Christian religions do not claim to be the one true Church of Jesus Christ. However, the Roman Catholic Church has claimed at least since the time of St. Paul... [that] She claims to be, and we Catholics believe, that she is the one true Church." (Pg. 102-103)
He states, "Since conscience involves a judgment, it is said to be CORRECT when the judgment corresponds with the objective norms of morality; it is said to be ERRONEOUS when it is not. Subjectively, a conscience is said to be CERTAIN if an individual has no doubts about the morality of what he is doing; it is said to be DOUBTFUL if a person is undecided about what to do. The ideal conscience, the one that is to be striven for, is a conscience that is both correct and certain." (Pg. 133) He acknowledges, "The Catholic Church is going through a period of turmoil and this is being reflected in Catholic families." (Pg. 189)
He asserts, "Since homosexuality runs contrary to a basic human good, it is a serious transgression of the divine will and so gravely sinful... the Vatican Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics... goes on to urge compassion in dealing with homosexuals but not to condone their conduct... That is the official teaching of the Catholic Church---and it is not going to change... What some Catholic intellectuals of 'moralists' say on television is not necessarily what the Catholic Church teaches. In the present age of permissiveness and confusion it is not difficult to find some 'Catholic professor' who will deny any and all traditional Catholic teachings. In order to keep your bearings in the present fog, it is necessary to hold on to Peter and his successor, our Holy Father." (Pg. 235-236)
Baker’s book is an excellent “mainstream” (relatively conservative) and clear presentation of Catholic teachings.
Rev. Kenneth Baker, S.J. served for thirty years as editor of the Homiletic & Pastoral Review. In 1975 he became president of Catholic Views Broadcasts, Inc., which produces a weekly 15-minute radio program that airs on 50 stations across the United States; he has also built and run three community television stations. The other volumes in this series are Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 2: God, Trinity, Creation, Christ, Mary and Fundamentals of Catholicism, Vol. 3: Grace, the Church, the Sacraments, Eschatology.
He wrote in the Preface to this1982 book, "While teaching a college course a few years ago on the fundamentals of the Catholic faith ... I came to the realization that over ninety percent of [my students] did not understand the most basic tenets of their Catholic faith... I came to the realization that there should be more teaching and preaching about the basics of Catholicism... What I have tried to do in these short articles is to present faithfully the traditional Catholic teaching on all the important points of doctrine and morals... They were written primarily for ordinary Catholic lay men and women who are looking for some direction in the present sea of confusion, and who would like to know more about the Catholic faith that they profess." (Pg. 9-10)
He admits, "It is true that there is a certain obscurity about faith, since what is believed is accepted on the authority of another---in this instance on the authority of God who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Hence, when a person assents to something as true on the basis of his faith, he does so not because he sees the intrinsic reason for the proposition in question... but because God himself has testified to this truth." (Pg. 24)
He points out, "Many Christian religions do not claim to be the one true Church of Jesus Christ. However, the Roman Catholic Church has claimed at least since the time of St. Paul... [that] She claims to be, and we Catholics believe, that she is the one true Church." (Pg. 102-103)
He states, "Since conscience involves a judgment, it is said to be CORRECT when the judgment corresponds with the objective norms of morality; it is said to be ERRONEOUS when it is not. Subjectively, a conscience is said to be CERTAIN if an individual has no doubts about the morality of what he is doing; it is said to be DOUBTFUL if a person is undecided about what to do. The ideal conscience, the one that is to be striven for, is a conscience that is both correct and certain." (Pg. 133) He acknowledges, "The Catholic Church is going through a period of turmoil and this is being reflected in Catholic families." (Pg. 189)
He asserts, "Since homosexuality runs contrary to a basic human good, it is a serious transgression of the divine will and so gravely sinful... the Vatican Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics... goes on to urge compassion in dealing with homosexuals but not to condone their conduct... That is the official teaching of the Catholic Church---and it is not going to change... What some Catholic intellectuals of 'moralists' say on television is not necessarily what the Catholic Church teaches. In the present age of permissiveness and confusion it is not difficult to find some 'Catholic professor' who will deny any and all traditional Catholic teachings. In order to keep your bearings in the present fog, it is necessary to hold on to Peter and his successor, our Holy Father." (Pg. 235-236)
Baker’s book is an excellent “mainstream” (relatively conservative) and clear presentation of Catholic teachings.
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December 14, 2009Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 19, as one of Sixteen Books on Belief and Disbelief.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews