Pilgrim Church: A Popular History of Catholic Christianity

by William J. Bausch

as new unused

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Tammie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book to be overwhelmingly negative and verbose. I agree with the reader who stated there are much better resources for those who want to learn more about the Church through the ages.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

During the summer, I took an online Church history course from St. Joseph's College in Maine (not where I go during the school year). I am confused as to why this particular volume was chosen as the textbook. Considering it’s from the 1980s, I know there are much better sources out there. Although the author allegedly writes from a Catholic perspective, he seems bent on presenting a revisionist approach focused on declaiming important elements of belief. He subtly tears apart or dismisses the roots of apostolic succession, the rosary, the Mass, the sacrament of Confession, and much more. Although I'm sure much of what Bausch says is fine, these were just some of the parts that raised red flags. And for a topic like this, a slightly distorted truth can be more dangerous than blatant error (although this book does have its share of straight-up error). Also, his choice to use B.C.E./C.E. instead of B.C./A.D. seemed odd for a theology text.

The class I took only covered the first half of the book but, glancing at the later chapters, it looks like it just gets worse (e.g., his comments on Humanae Vitae, Pope John Paul II, etc.). I did some cursory research on Rev. Bausch's views, and they appear to be dissenting, to say the least. If you’re looking for a solid and accurate study of Church history, this is not it. Considering the SJC theology department claims to adhere to the Mandatum (promising to teach in accord with Ex corde Ecclesiae), I hope they consider replacing this with a textbook more in line with authentic Church teaching.