Survey of Catholicism

For someone who was not raised in the Catholic faith, Richard P. McBrien's "The Church" is an incredible survey of all the major events, ideas, and figures who have shaped Catholicism. Covering the period of the New Testament through until the present-day, the book is ambitious in its comprehensiveness which will no doubt disappoint those wanting a little more depth.

The focus of McBrien is ecclesiology, or the theological study of the Church. That is to say the study of ideas about the "mystery" or "sacrament" of the "Church". Needless to say, there is a lot of terminology used throughout, but fear not, McBrien does an admirable job explaining each term and even includes an extensive glossary and index.

I think the book synopsis is a little misleading. The book does not intend to answer some of those questions such as the Holocaust or Islam or the Inquisition. McBrien is fundamentally concerned with "ideas" and not history. For example, you won't read much about the evils of colonization, or the sexual exploitation scandals. McBrien acknowledges these monumental events, but again, the point of his book is about theology and not history.

For example, modernism and the anti-modernist movement by Pope Pius X is discussed. Movements such as Feminist ecclesiology, Latino ecclesiology, African ecclesiology are explored. There is much discussion about ecumenism and issues of interfaith spirituality, the communion of the Church, the Eucharist and its role in the East-West Schism, the Protestant Reformation, Anglicanism, the counter-reformation, "Outside the Church, no salvation," social justice and liberation theology, papal infallibility, cult of papal personality, and more.

In such a volume, it is inevitable that some aspect is left out or under-explained. If there is one area specifically I would like to see more coverage of is the idea of sainthood. McBrien covers many saints but doesn't specifically cover the institution of sainthood. Parts that are especially well covered are the Vatican Council, the apostilic succession, and the role of the global Church.

Overall, I feel that this would be a good book for a survey undergrad course in the study of Catholic theology. I'd venture to say that for experienced and educated Catholics, the book will serve more as reference than for education. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about Catholicism. ( )