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Overview
As a poorly catechized Catholic convert, Frank Sheed’s book, Theology for Beginners has been extremely helpful in explaining basic elements of the Christian faith to me. Although likely a bit too basic for anyone who has studied the Faith in depth, I think it is one of those books that anyone at any level can benefit from and should read from time to time as a refresher. I always learn something or key in on something that is new to me in an insightful way. I also think it would be a great addition to any RCIA program.
The book covers several topics germane to any study in theology but what I love about it is that it presents the material in an easy to understand format. I won’t go over every topic but some examples are: the mystical body of Christ; spirit; the Trinity; the Fall; Redemption; and so forth. Plus several others.
I’m in the middle of the second or third run through of the Audible version of this book. I really think though that this is one of those books that you should have a hard copy of. This is especially true if you are one who likes to make margin notes, underline, etc. And it is just one of those books that has sections that I occasionally have to pause at, ponder and read over again. That said, the audio version is good, particularly if you are on a road trip or have a lengthy commute.
About Frank Sheed
I don’t know a whole lot about Frank Sheed and since anyone can search out the details, I’ll spare adding them here. What I do want to mention is that I think that what makes his books so successful and accessible is that he cut his teeth as a street corner evangelist for years.
I’m one who seldom musters enough courage to make the sign of the cross before a meal at a restaurant so I can’t imagine putting it all on the line preaching the faith on the streets. Who you happen to engage with is a complete wildcard and I imagine he heard a little bit of everything through the years which I suspect gave him an incredibly strong foundation in content knowledge and the ability to relate to people of all levels.
He also has a way to make the content engaging, unexpectedly so. If you just read through the table of contents, I imagine most, like myself, would say, “Yeah, it all sounds like really important stuff for a Catholic to know but I think I’ve got this other really important thing to go do right now.” Again, his street corner experience probably only gave him a few seconds with people before they walked off forever and he had to find creative, engaging ways to get them on the hook.
Other Thoughts
Although a book slated for beginners, there are some occasionally heady items which could make for a dense go of it from time to time. That being said, the topics are such that any Catholic benefits from having a good working knowledge of them in order to help spread the good news and defend the faith when necessary.
I find myself shying away from discussing religion with others because I don’t always have a good foundational knowledge of basic tenants of the Catholic faith (I’m working on it!) and don’t want to look like a dodo in an “apologetics-off” (these are like a dance-off but slightly more cringy if not done well). Still, I think we are all called to evangelize and create encounters with the Faith to the best of our ability.
Wrap Up
Pope Francis stated:
Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples” and “missionaries,” but rather that we are always “missionary disciples.” If we are not convinced, let us look at those first disciples, who, immediately after encountering the gaze of Jesus, went forth to proclaim him joyfully: “We have found the Messiah!” (John 1:41). The Samaritan woman became a missionary immediately after speaking with Jesus and many Samaritans come to believe in him “because of the woman’s testimony” (John 4:39). So too, Saint Paul, after his encounter with Jesus Christ, “immediately proclaimed Jesus” (Acts 9:20; cf. 22:6-21). So what are we waiting for? (Evangelii Gaudium, 120).
I will continue to do what I can to educate myself about the Truth and Beauty of the Catholic Faith in order to do what I can to spread the message of the Gospel.