Radio Replies: Three Volume Set

by Charles Mortimer Carty, Leslie Rumble

Book by Rumble, Leslie, Carty, Charles M., Carty, Charles M

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Reference

1046 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Fr. Charles Carty broadcast a radio program, the Catholic Radio Hour, from St. Paul, Minnesota, and worked as a Catholic Campaigner for Christ, an "Apostolate to the man in the street", using a trailer and loud-speaker.

He wrote and distributed pamphlets and books on the Catholic Faith, most notably the Radio Replies series, in which he collaborated with Fr. Leslie Rumble, M.S.C.

They worked together--Fr. Carty in the United State, and Fr. Rumble in Australia--without meeting in person until after the first Radio Replies volume was a hit.

Fr. Carty died on May 22, 1964 in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Mary Marsell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's start with the positive. This is undeniably an exhaustive compilation of the multitude of questions we must be ready to answer as believers in Christianity. Most were familiar to me, but the concise wording and clear thinking Fr. Rumble provides is admirable.
Nonetheless, I was extremely disappointed that Scott Hahn, and others like him who deeply love God and have embraced Catholicism, highly recommend this book when it so harshly judges Protestants. Even the Editor's Note states, "perhaps the most striking feature of the 836 replies given in this book is their faintly pugnacious tone. It seems inconsonant with our gentler age of ecumenism. "
The replies are knee-jerk and reactionary, as one might expect from the 1930s, when the radio program from which the book compiled answers was popular. It unfortunately discredits the scholarship I'd expect of serious apologetics. Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church outlines a broader and universal understanding.
Unfortunately, for many, an uncompromising Catholic arrogance of exclusively viewing other brothers and sisters in the Christian faith as outsiders and on par with followers of any non-Christian religion or sect is obviously appealing. How can that be, however, when both Catholics and Protestants hold the same views on the Holy Trinity, the Deity of Christ, and, in brief, absolutely everything said in the Creed in mass each Sunday? Yet, perhaps that is the draw to this book! I'm convinced there are great numbers of people who enjoy dissension. In fact, the words to advertise this book on Amazon is, "Best refutation of Protestantism in print. Very famous."
Fortunately, modern Catholicism and the Vatican II find this kind of exclusive tribal thinking extremely out of place with Unitatis redintegratio (Latin for "Restoration of unity"). The Second Vatican Council's decree on ecumenism was passed by a unanimous vote of the bishops assembled, and Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964 and put it into place, more than thirty years after the answers for Radio Replies.
Concluding, this book, meritorious in multiples areas of Christian defence, fails miserably in teaching the Christian goal of living together in unity and peace. It's outdated and unpleasant material for the modern Catholic.

[Valiant Vasquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This answers in this book did not go deep enough in some cases, and some of the answers sounded like intellectual double-talk, especially when questioned with the more difficult questions. But I hold this on my bookshelf as reference for some of the answers that he presents. At some point, will dissect every part of this book, hopefully with my own answers explained better.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use of These Books (from the author): "The three volumes of Radio Replies are not primarily intended as reference books. Their full force will be perceived only by reading each of them from cover to cover, for thus only will the logic and consistency of the Catholic position be fully apprehended. Truth is consistent; error almost infinite in its variations. Often enough, indeed, the objections to the Catholic Church, if set side by side, would cancel each other out of existence. But in dealing with everything that can be urged against her the Catholic Church never finds herself compelled to unsay anything. In answering difficulties from the most diverse points of view, even the most contradictory, she never contradicts herself, having to unsay to one opponent what she has maintained in her replies to another. And it is this consistency, the hallmark of truth, which has appealed to the intelligence of thousands of converts who, by further study, prayer, and the grace of God, have completed their journey towards the truth, and have happily sought admission to the Catholic Church. Primarily, therefore, the books are intended for such continuous and consecutive reading that their full import may thus be grasped." –Leslie Rumble, M.S.C.

In the 1930's and early 1940's, thousands of questions were submitted and meticulously answered by Father Leslie Rumble over his radio program in Sydney, Australia. In the United States, Father Charles M. Carty dictated these questions and answers and had them published and disseminated. Radio Replies is the fruit of their combined labor. It is the gold standard of Catholic apologetics. Any serious apologist you've heard of owns a copy. The format is similar to Catholic Answers but more comprehensive and spicier. Excellent prefaces written by none other than Bl. Fulton Sheen back when he was still a monsignor. Pre-Vatican II so it doesn't lack clarity, plus a good defense of the old mass. Father Rumble doesn't mince words and doesn't pussyfoot with Protestants.

You can tell Father Rumble, an English Aussie man, has a strong background in philosophy because he eats atheists for lunch. The books nail a lot of hard questions I've never heard an answer for. Protestantism is an often over represented viewpoint but that's expected due to the context of time and place. You'll also wade through questions that won't be worth your time, such as [paraphrasing] "how can Catholicism be true if I hate the Irish"? Thankfully, Father Rumble can be very witty and acerbic in his responses, which keeps it interesting. A breath of fresh air but don't expect a nuanced discourse from him. It is a useful reference book, but I learned a lot more reading them cover to cover.

The only criticism I have is that I wish there were more progressively challenging questions over three volumes, instead of reiterations of some of the same arguments over and over again. This is hardly Fr. Rumble's fault, but it represents prevalent attitudes of the time. He would have certainly been up to the challenge of a more robust debate but the format lends itself to simplicity in answering lay questions.

[Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This three volume set of the "Radio Replies" is the classic work of Catholic apologetics in English. Written by Father Leslie Rumble and Carty, two priests in Australia and in Minnesota who went on the radio each week and took questions on the Catholic faith from listeners, many of whom were not Catholic, and many of whom were hostile to the Catholic faith. The answers were cogent and understandable. The three volumes of this work cover pretty much every aspect of the Catholic faith, from Catholic history to the sacraments to belief in God to social issues. And the priests answer the questions well. This set of books would be a good introduction to the Catholic faith for someone who has little or no understanding of the Catholic faith and wants to learn more.

My only criticism of this work is the intermittent attitude of the authors to some of the questions. While the fact that the Catholic Church was established by Christ himself and is protected from error may be an adequate answer for a believing Catholic, for an unbeliever this response comes off as a cop out. And the authors use this explanation far too often. They would say something to the effect of, "the Catholic Church says X is true, and therefore it is true even if you don't believe it." This got old to me. It is really the only reason why I would hesitate to give these books to someone who is hostile to the Catholic faith.

Other than this, I would highly recommend this set of books to anyone who wants to improve their understanding of the Catholic faith and how to answer objections to it.

[Abel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

This book is very well written and very useful in understanding the church's views on a wide variety of matters. I think it's a good read for both Catholics to learn and be able to explain the faith and for Protestants to understand what Catholics actually believe, from the mouths of Catholics.

[Chery Ann Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

great questions; better answers.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly good resource for apologetics that covers practically everything. The only drawback is that the subjects tend to be scattered across all three volumes.