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Armchair Theologians

Aquinas for Armchair Theologians

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Thomas Aquinas was one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Christianity and in western civilization. Yet his theological views are complex and presume acquaintance with technical philosophical language. Now Timothy Renick has produced an attractive and accessible account of Aquinas's life and thought that will make his views clear to nonspecialists. The topics dealt with include God, angels, evil, metaphysics, morality, sex, war, abortion, and politics. Illustrations are interspersed throughout the text and humorously illuminate key points providing an engaging introduction to an all-important theologian. Written by experts but designed for the novice, the Armchair series provides accurate, concise, and witty overviews of some of the most profound moments and theologians in Christian history. These books are essential supplements for first-time encounters with primary texts, lucid refreshers for scholars and clergy, and enjoyable reads for the theologically curious.

163 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2002

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
1,755 reviews9 followers
January 2, 2010
Very good intro into aquinas. Though a tad flip at times. Didn't need to smartass commets or references to current culture. But still a good introduction and insight into Aquinas.
Profile Image for David Haines.
Author 10 books136 followers
December 23, 2018
This book is a quick read. An introduction to Aquinas which is clearly aimed at the novice with the hopes that they will be interested by the thought of Aquinas, and go on to read more. The author is witty, and has a good grasp of the subject matter, making for a fun and informative read. I recommend this book to the reader who though not a philosopher, would like to learn more about Aquinas. There are a couple errors, but nothing so grievous as to render the book worthless. I enjoyed reading it, and recommend it to those looking for an Intro to the thought of Aquinas.
Profile Image for Matthew.
31 reviews7 followers
February 11, 2020
Pretty terrible, to the point that the book should probably be called "Aquinas at Arms Length".

While the author is quite funny and the book is supposed to be a light introduction, the author himself actually seems to only have a light grasp of Aquinas. The book is full of subtle and not so subtle jabs at Aquinas (did you know he was only canonized because he was a glutton?) and many anachronistic interpretations and misleading characterizations.

Renick continually trots out THE DARK AGES trope and only seems to appreciate Aquinas' contributions to later developments he views positively, such as his influence on international law and the civil rights movement in the United States. Not only does he use the term Dark Ages explicitly, he continually sets up- in a book about Aquinas, mind you- numerous references to an alleged conflict between church authority and rational inquiry.

Renick actually stoops so low as to imply that Peter Abelard was castrated for speaking out against the Church. He doesn't say it explicitly but the way he constructs the narrative leaves little else that can be concluded by those that do not know the history. Not to mention that he attributes the survival of the works of the Classical Philosophers entirely to the Muslim world (another Dark Ages meme), pointedly omitting the essential work of Christian monastic communities.

It's hard to believe this book was published in the 21st century since all of these ideas have been thoroughly repudiated by solid scholarship for decades (and some of them for over a century).

To add insult to injury, he only brings up Augustine in order for his pseudo-Aquinas to call him an idiot from time to time. which is just bonkers given the deep influence of Augustine on Aquinas' work.

Renick's Pseudo-Aquinas will also provide you with thrilling (milquetoast) and original (old and derivative af) arguments for gay marriage, abortion, and pre-emptive war. So Thomist, much wow.

The only bits of the book that actually provide any insight are his simplified explications of Just War theory and the section at the end that gives novice readers of Aquinas tips for reading and understanding his work.

So basically, two pretty decent blog posts thrown into a smug pot of what I can only assume was a regurgitation of a number of half-remembered tidbits from some 1970s? undergraduate work on the scholastics. (If it turns out this is the Author's specialized area of academic interest, than I shall be embarrassed and he should be ashamed.)
Profile Image for Luke.
166 reviews10 followers
October 30, 2025
A flippant, shallow caricature, as telegraphed by the cover. Renick’s style is insufferable and his grasp on Aquinas seems tenuous. No matter how much he lauds Aquinas’ intellect, the constant snide comments and vulgar (occasionally bordering on blasphemous) attempts at humor belie a smirking, modernist stance towards the Angelic Doctor.

He sprints down a tattered line of tired propaganda regarding the “Dark Ages,” the church, and Christianity in general, bringing up Augustine only to lambast him for his views on sexuality and proposing that Aquinas thought Augustine an idiot for holding the positions he did. For Renick, Aquinas is a proto-Enlightenment thinker, paving the way for a more advanced civilization that questions authority and sheds the vicious tomfoolery of a tyrannous, anti-intellectual Church.

The best thing I can say about it at the end of the day is that this book (or perhaps more accurately, Renick himself) is a textbook example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Renick clearly views himself as sitting on an intellectual and moral peak, looking down into a benighted valley (more of a ravine, really) at that Dumb Ox, St. Thomas, and all those stupid Medieval folk who believe in things like hierarchy. The reality is that Timothy Mark Renick is of average intellectual capability and sub-average moral clarity.

Avoid this book. Buy Peter Kreeft’s “A Shorter Summa” for a good introduction to Aquinas.
Profile Image for Fraser Kinnear.
777 reviews45 followers
February 10, 2020
I didn't think GK Chesterton's mini-biography of Aquinas did the theologian justice, so picked this up to supplement my reading. I wasn't expecting the reason to be that there was so much of Aquinas's story left to be told even after Chesterton's life.

For example, this from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From A Birmingham Jail" (emphasis mine)

One may well ask: ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.


Renick describes this and other contemporary examples of Aquinas's influence. My favorite was Aquinas's contribution to the debate over sex within a homosexual marriage. Aquinas identifies three rationally derived purposes of sex: Procreation, pleasure, and unity. From these purposes, Aquinas is able to derive a moral judgment on all sorts of sexual acts, including masturbation/onanism, fornication, birth control, homosexual acts, and more. For the act of sex between two heterosexual married people did not satisfy the purpose of procreation, the Catholic church had to look for an escape from Aquinas's logic. Until the advent of modern medicine, they could hide behind faith that a pregnancy *might* happen (look at Abraham!). With the advent of modern medicine (e.g., hysterectomy), this excuse ought to have been laid to rest, so Pope Pius X decreed that such acts were still moral because they had "procreative intent." Renick proceeds to argue that this opens up the freedom for homosexual couples to make the same claim, which seems valid.

By the way, Renick provides a pretty great joke on the topic: "Masturbation is the least severe of the three [sins against nature]. It does produce pleasure, but it cannot result in procreation, and it does not provide for unity. Except, perhaps, in the case of schizophrenics, but that's a story for another day. Be sure to look for my ground-breaking work on the topic: "Is unity at hand?"

I also enjoyed Renick's discussion of the the principle of double effect, which is another argument to evaluate morality based on one's intent rather than the results. Of course, it's incredibly difficult to tease out someone's motives, so while this seems like a fine principle for one's own behavior, it can be very difficult for a state to administer justice under this constraint. Aquinas's principle is applied in his contribution to just war theory, and his jus ad bellum directive, which informed the Geneva conventions, but leaves us with the same concerns (e.g., the sanitation of violence against innocent bystanders during war by labeling it "collateral damage", what was the US's real motivation for invading Iraq under Bush 43?, etc.).

I wish Renick had provided more context on Aristotle's influence on Aquinas. He describes Aquinas's solution to the problem of evil as saying that evil is the absence of god, which is why evil could exist in spite of the Christian god's powers and interest in the world. "The good is [always] the thing we seek. Even a monster, Aquinas tells us, seeks good things like peace and security. He merely choses the wrong means to those ends because of his flawed reason." This seems very Aristotelean in nature, by emphasizing moral values can be derived from teleology, but Renick didn't bother to draw the connection. Renick also described Aquinas's assertion that one can't empirically establish moral claims, but didn't bother to tie this position to Hume's is-ought problem. I also wish Renick spent more time explaining Kant's criticism of Aquinas's first mover argument, but I guess that's what wikipedia's for! Maybe I'm asking too much out of such an (intentionally) short book.
Profile Image for Paul Womack.
610 reviews32 followers
December 5, 2020
A brief, but helpful introduction to Aquinas’ thought and methodology. I read this, and will several orhers, to refresh myself on Thomism to better grasp the thought processes of late 20th century political thinkers who ground their approach in the natural law. One need not be a Thomist to appreciate his range of views and influence.
Profile Image for Bob Price.
410 reviews6 followers
January 27, 2020
If you are not familiar with the Armchair Theologians series, then you should become so with this series of books.

Each volume in the series deals with a particular theologian (or school of theologians) and helps the reader gain a basic understanding in their theology.

Aquinas for Armchair Theologians is no different and helps the reader begin to tackle the difficult task of engaging with Aquinas (not for the faint of heart!) Author Timothy Renick is able to break down many of Thomas' more difficult subjects while making them relevant for today's readers. Each chapter is devoted to topics like "being and matter," "politics," "morality" and even sex.

Renick is able to quickly help the reader see the importance of Aquinas for today's discussions while encouraging the reader to dive further into Aquinas studies. The reader will be encouraged at the ease of Renick's writings and his ability to break down complicated ideas.

This book is ideal for those who want an introduction to St. Thomas or a brief overview of St. Thomas without having to wade into the difficult (and lengthy) waters of Thomas' writings.

My only criticism is that Renick did not spend a great deal of time discussing Thomas' deeper theological ideas. While discussing areas that might seem more 'relevant' he ignored those which helped the Catholic Church get their identity. I would almost like to see a 'sequel' volume in which these matters are discussed.

I encourage those who have an interest in Christian theology or St. Thomas to read this book.

Grade: B
Profile Image for Metal Nyankos.
74 reviews15 followers
April 29, 2020
Here are my three takeaways from this book. The first is that Thomas Aquinas and his writings are not to be feared, that he can be read and understood by a modern audience and layperson. The second is that Aquinas has had a massive impact on western thought, including influencing and shaping the thoughts and actions of such seemingly disparate thinkers as Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King, Jr. Thomism even had, for better or worse, a role to play in helping nations to decide to invade Iraq during the Gulf War. The third, and final, takeaway is that there is a lot to be said for Aquinas' logic and even more that can be said for its application in the here-and-now. I would rank Aquinas work (or at least Renick's presentation of it) alongside Yamamoto Tsunetomo and his Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai.

A few words about this book's writer: Timothy Renick. I think he does a very admirable job of introducing a philosophical framework that can appear (and probably is, in some ways) large and unwieldy. He boils a lot of Aquinas' complicated logical dance-steps into something akin to a lowkey flamenco - sure, it seems jumpy and unusual, but when you really look at it you see that it has rules and a quite wondrous beauty; enough so that you almost want to get up and join him.
Profile Image for Chandler Collins.
482 reviews
August 10, 2024
A fantastic and easy to read introduction to the life and thought of Aquinas. Specifically, Renick explores Aquinas’s view of natural law and how Aquinas would apply this theory of law to a host of relevant issues. In his chapter on sexuality, Renick even provides a helpful critique of Aquinas’s natural law as the medieval theologian would even use the concept to universalize cultural values—an error we must be careful not to make. The standout chapter of the whole book is the section on politics. Digging into Aquinas’s political theory, Renick shows how Aquinas co tended that an unjust law is not a law at all and an unjust king is not a king at all, for laws and kings by definition must uphold the common good. Renick also provides a spectrum of political leadership styles and their virtues/vices based on Aquinas’s thoughts. This was a very fun chapter. I docked one star from my rating due to Renick’s irreverent or crude tone throughout the book. I think he wrote in this tone to be engaging and accessible to various age groups but I found the tone of the book off-putting at times. I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a beginner/introductory book on Thomistic thought!
20 reviews
May 23, 2018
I was looking for a book that would help me to get a big picture view of Aquinas especially in view of his Summa and this book certainly does that. My sporadic exposure to various points in the Summa always left me feeling that there was an organization to it all and that if I just had a little bit of a key I would be so much better off. The last chapter of this book helped me to understand the basic frame work of the Summa so I could focus on the essential and skim over what I could since it is all a stretch for me anyway. From this day forward I will be a much more willing participant in reading from the Summa.
Profile Image for Miles Foltermann.
145 reviews12 followers
October 30, 2019
Disappointing. Obviously this slim volume is meant to be an introduction to Aquinas rather than a comprehensive treatment of his theology. Nevertheless, one walks away feeling like so much was excluded. Actually, I couldn't help but wonder if the author himself has a command of Aquinas' thought, given that he--the author--seems to have a meager familiarity with the Bible and with Augustine (both immense influences on Aquinas). Also of note, the terse remarks Renick makes about Luther and Calvin are quite misleading.

I do appreciate the effort to add levity to the book with a smattering of jokes, but the particular jokes employed fell flat with me.
Profile Image for Bill Hooten.
924 reviews6 followers
January 30, 2023
This was intended to be an introduction to Thomas Aquinas, and that was exactly what I needed and wanted. It was much more so that the one that I recently finished about Augustine. In some ways, I think Renick got carried away with his flippant humor; but it is his book and I read it, so he did some things really right. I appreciate knowing how much influence Thomas Aquinas, and the examples that he shared. If you have a really good knowledge of the medieval church, this is probably not the book for you. If you are just getting into it, and want to see how one writer from that era still has influence, this is a book that you ought to read.
Profile Image for Peter Day.
52 reviews
January 18, 2025
This was a very helpful, simply explained and slightly light-hearted overview of the life of Thomas Aquinas. It was easy to follow and understand some of Aquinas' key teachings and how they have affected thinking today. Various other books on Aquinas seem to require a degree in philosophy to understand. This one was accessible without being simplistic.

While the author is from a different theological tradition to me (so I didn't agree with all his conclusions), I read the book with profit and would recommend it to anyone who is wanted to get an idea of who Thomas Aquinas was and what he said.
Profile Image for Jeff Brawner.
133 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2025
If one had to make a list of the top 20’mist influential humans ever, Aquinas is on the list. His Summary of Theology is 2 million words long and is required reading for Protestant and Catholic students alike. I have not read the vast majority of his work because….I am too lazy to read 2 million words.

This book summarizes some, and I mean a very few, of his main tenets. While not totally thorough (how could it be?), it was clear and at times laugh out loud funny.

Clearly the author and I don’t live up on some issues, but that is totally irrelevant when reviewing the quality of the work. He showed how Aquinas’ thought still impacts our society 800 years later.
Profile Image for Rob.
279 reviews9 followers
February 8, 2019
If the reader ignores the rather frequent 1990s pop-culture references, this book is one of the best in the series. Lucidly written, it concisely summarizes the highlights of Thomas Aquinas's contributions to theology, philosophy, ethics, and political theory. Renick well succeeds in revealing that we are all Thomists to some degree. Aquinas's ideas were well ahead of his time and still influence us significantly. Most interesting were Renick's discussions of abortion, sexual ethics, and Catholic developments in these areas.
Profile Image for Joseph.
822 reviews
September 5, 2017
Aquinas for Armchair Theologians is a great high level overview of Aquinas. It also provides good advice on how to delve into the Summa and his other writings. The author also makes his arguments relevant to current debates of our day and acts as apologist for some Aquinas’ out-of-step view without being anachronistic. It is a good balance of biography and cross-sectional survey of Aquinas’ major works.
Profile Image for David Goetz.
277 reviews1 follower
September 12, 2017
Super accessible with decent summaries of Aquinas on faith and reason, the existence of evil and the question of free will, metaphysics, law and morality, sex, just war, abortion and the role of women, and politics. The final chapter includes some good advice for first-time peeping Thomists (thanks, Ralph McInerny) on how to read Aquinas, especially the Summa. The writing style of Renick himself is annoying, though--exceedingly irreverent and often perpetuating unhelpful stereotypes.
Profile Image for Amanda.
2,476 reviews10 followers
July 17, 2025
After starting The Shorter Summa by Thomas Aquinas, I figured I needed some assistance because it's pretty dense and certain. This book was very helpful in distilling the overall themes and why they are still relevant today, even if a few of the conclusions seem wrong.

I didn't enjoy the attempts at humor and pop culture references. They weren't helpful or funny and distracted from the serious material presented.
Profile Image for Anita Mullins Brown.
23 reviews
February 5, 2019
I dream of owning this set; a must have for any church historian, theologian, etc. These books are a riot..I actually laughed out loud and smiled while reading. They are perfect as a beginning start for any first year religion/philosophy student. After reading this book, I wanted to learn all the more not only about Aquinas thinking, but history, philosophy, religion as a whole.
Profile Image for Mike McVey.
130 reviews5 followers
August 1, 2017
I thought this was a fun look into Aquinas life and works. Many have commented that they did not appreciate the humor, but I thoroughly enjoyed the author's humor.

A good introduction to hopefully encourage more to read the Summa.
Profile Image for Griffin.
202 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2018
A very nice, and comprehensive for the size, intro into Aquinas' thought and philosophy, laying a groundwork for anyone wanting to know more. The only fault I'd give it is the authors attempts at "witty" humour falls flat and get annoying after a while
Profile Image for K..
90 reviews4 followers
October 24, 2018
Great summary of Aquinas. The smart ass comments were hilarious. I recommend this book to anyone interested in St. Thomas’s ideas. Strong chapters especially on the Natural Law and the idea of abortion.
Profile Image for Jeremy.
Author 9 books15 followers
November 13, 2020
Great little review of an influential thinker in the history of Christian thought and Western civilization. Aquinas has been influential in many embedded concepts in our culture that we take for granted but were revolutionary at the time. The book made me want to dive into more Aquinas.
Profile Image for Joshua Rex.
166 reviews2 followers
May 15, 2024
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this summation of Aquinas’s thoughts, and the modern metaphors were occasionally really helpful. Unfortunately, the author also made grown inducing bad jokes and commentary that detracted from the text.
111 reviews2 followers
December 12, 2025
Some people have contributed so much to our way of thinking. I love learning, but don’t have the time or the patience to read the original works.
This book was an easy read and very informative.

I picked up another 3 books in the series so that I can learn more.
Profile Image for Ian.
425 reviews5 followers
September 4, 2018
Not nearly as good as the other ones because of the life of Aquinas but still thought provoking
318 reviews6 followers
August 1, 2019
This is a nice quick intro to Thomas Aquila’s with funny examples.
Profile Image for James P.
247 reviews2 followers
December 21, 2019
Good succinct overview of Aquinas as an Aristotelian...
Profile Image for Rusten.
150 reviews
May 18, 2022
Fun introduction to Thomas. Annoyingly egalitarian.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews

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