Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment
Overview
In this balanced volume, Gregg Allison—an evangelical theologian and church historian—helps readers understand the nuances of Roman Catholic teaching. Walking through the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, Allison summarizes and assesses Catholic doctrine from the perspective of both Scripture and evangelical theology.
Noting prominent similarities without glossing over key differences, this book will equip Christians on both sides of the ecclesiastical divide to fruitfully engage in honest dialogue with one another.
Key Features
- Addresses a pressing issue in Christian philosophical and practical apologetics
- Features a top apologist in his speaking from his expertise
- Argues for and supports a worldview grounded in the authority of the Bible
Contents
- Introduction
- Scripture, Evangelical Theology, and Catholic Theology
- Part 1: The Profession of Faith: Catholic Theology according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- The Profession of Faith (Part 1, Section 1, Chapters 1–3)
- The Profession of Faith (Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 1—Chapter 3, Article 8)
- The Profession of Faith (Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 3, Article 9)
- The Profession of Faith (Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 3, Articles 10–12)
- Part 2: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery: Catholic Theology according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Part 2, Section 1)
- The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1, Articles 1–2)
- The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 3)
- The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 2, Articles 4–5)
- The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 3, Articles 6–7)
- Part 3: Life in Christ: Catholic Theology according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- Life in Christ (Part 3, Section 1, Chapters 1–2)
- Life in Christ (Part 3, Section 1, Chapter 3)
- Conclusion
- Evangelical Ministry with Catholics
Top Highlights
“A fourth reason for evangelical theology’s rejection of Tradition is that the Scripture-plus-Tradition structure is inherently unstable; in practice, when the two are in conflict, Tradition trumps Scripture in terms of authority.” (Page 90)
“To ward off an anticipated criticism by Catholics, this theological diversity is not a ‘problem’ just for evangelicalism. Catholic theology itself ‘suffers’ from the same reality as it embraces Augustinianism and semi-Augustinianism; progressive, liberation theology and conservative, Opus Dei theology; male-only priesthood proponents and supporters of women priests; inerrancy and non-inerrancy; inclusivism and exclusivism; and the like. The ‘problem’ of theological diversity is not inherent in evangelicalism, nor is it confined therein, for it is encountered within Catholicism, despite claims to the contrary.” (Page 33)
“De Chirico identifies two axioms of the Catholic system: the nature-grace continuum (what I will call the nature-grace interdependence) and the Catholic Church as the ongoing incarnation of the ascended Christ (what I will call the Christ-Church interconnection).26 Each of these two pillars will be discussed and assessed in turn.” (Page 46)
“Taking a realistic view of this concept, Augustine projected it onto his doctrine of Christ, proposing that there are three ways to understand Christ—his divine nature, his human nature, and his ecclesial nature—with the latter meaning ‘in some manner or other as the whole Christ in the fullness of the Church, that is as head and body, according to the completeness of a certain perfect man (Eph. 4:13), the man in whom we are each of us members.’61 Augustine’s totus Christus lies at the heart of Catholic theology’s concept of the mystical body of Christ, mediating the divine presence and grace.” (Page 59)
Praise for the Print Edition
If you are looking for a few bullet-points and caricatures, this book will disappoint. But if you are looking for a serious survey drawn from the Catholic Catechism and other primary sources, along with an evangelical assessment of each point, Professor Allison’s labors will pay rich dividends.
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California; author, Calvin on the Christian Life
This book is good news to those who have long desired a reliable theological guide in dealing with Roman Catholicism. Based on a painstaking analysis of the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, it covers the all-embracing trajectory of Roman Catholic theology and practice. Instead of juxtaposing ephemeral impressions and disconnected data, Allison provides a theological framework that accounts for the complexity of the Roman Catholic system and its dynamic unity. This book is to be commended for its biblical depth, theological acuteness, historical alertness, and systemic awareness. My hope is that this landmark book will reorient evangelical theology away from its attraction for a shallow ecumenicity with Rome toward a serious dialogue based on the Word of God.
—Leonardo De Chirico, lecturer of historical theology, Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione, Padova (Italy)
- Title: Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment
- Author: Gregg R. Allison
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Pages: 496
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Catholic Church › Doctrines; Catholic Church › Customs and practices; Evangelicalism; Catholic Church › Relations--Evangelicalism; Evangelicalism › Relations--Catholic Church
- ISBNs: 9781433501166, 9781433545412, 9781433545399, 9781433545405, 1433501163, 1433545411, 143354539X, 1433545403
- Resource ID: LLS:RMNCTHLCSSSSMNT
- Resource Type: Systematic Theology
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:44:59Z
Dr. Allison comes to Southern from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where he had taught theology and church history for nine years. He has also served as adjunct faculty at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL; Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL; Judson College, Elgin, IL; and Institute of Biblical Studies, Western Europe. Dr. Allison has 18 years of ministry experience as a staff member of Campus Crusade, where he worked in campus ministry as well as a missionary to Italy and Switzerland. He also co-pastored a church in Lugano, Switzerland. He is author of Getting Deep: Understand What You Believe About God and Why and Jesusology: Understand What You Believe About Jesus and Why, and he has five articles in The Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. He is currently the book review editor for theological, historical, and philosophical studies, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, a position in which he has served for the last seven years. Dr. Allison is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society in which he serves on the editorial and membership committees and regularly presents papers at its national meetings.
