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A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics
Now ? at your fingertips ? is the biblical basis for the key Catholic teachings and customs that non-Catholics wonder about, object to, and preach against. Filled with Scripture citations to help you explain, defend, and learn more about specific Catholic beliefs and practices, A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics lists more than sixty apologetics themes in an easy-to-locate format. Designed as a pocket-size companion guide to the best-selling Where is That in the Bible?, A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics also explains how to best use Scripture when discussing your Catholic Faith. A great choice for Bible study groups!
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
7 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Madrid
70 books91 followersPATRICK MADRID is the publisher of Envoy Magazine, a journal of contemporary Catholic thought, and the director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College. Since its inception in 1996, the Envoy team has garnered numerous journalism awards, including several first-place awards in the magazine-of-the-year “General Excellence” category from the Catholic Press Association.
Patrick is the author or editor of 14 books on Catholic themes including, Pope Fiction, Search and Rescue, Does the Bible Really Say That, 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know, and The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism (Spring 2010). He edited and co-authored the acclaimed multi-volume Surprised by Truth series.
He has published numerous popular articles on Scripture, Church history, patristics, apologetics, and evangelization in various Catholic and Protestant periodicals, and he has contributed scholarly articles on apologetics in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.
Active in apologetics since 1987, he worked at Catholic Answers for eight years (from January 1988 to January 1996), where he served as vice president and helped co-found that apostolate's flagship magazine, This Rock, in January of 1990.
Patrick is a cradle-Catholic, not a convert. By God's grace, he was raised in the Catholic Faith and has been a practicing Catholic his entire life.
Growing up in Southern California, he attended grammar school at the Mission San Juan Capistrano parish school, where for years he served as an altar boy for the parish's daily Traditional Latin Mass in the famed Serra Chapel. Ever since his boyhood, Patrick has loved the Traditional Latin Mass.
Patrick earned a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor of philosophy degree (B.Phil.) from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where he is completing a master's degree in dogmatic theology. He has also done graduate studies in theology at the University of Dallas.
He is the host of several EWTN television series, including “Pope Fiction,” “Search & Rescue,” and "Where Is That In the Bible?" and he hosts the Thursday edition of EWTN Radio's “Open Line” broadcast, heard on approximately 150 AM & FM stations across the United States, as well as on shortwave and on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network (Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. ET). He is also a regular guest on the "Catholic Answers Live" program and Sirius Radio's "The Catholic Channel."
Patrick serves on the board of trustees of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA, on the board of directors of St. Gabriel Catholic Radio, in Columbus, Ohio, and on the board of advisors for Catholics United for the Faith, Immaculate Heart Radio Network, and Catholic Scripture Study International. He authored all the original website content for CatholicsComeHome.org, where he also serves as a theologica
Patrick is the author or editor of 14 books on Catholic themes including, Pope Fiction, Search and Rescue, Does the Bible Really Say That, 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know, and The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism (Spring 2010). He edited and co-authored the acclaimed multi-volume Surprised by Truth series.
He has published numerous popular articles on Scripture, Church history, patristics, apologetics, and evangelization in various Catholic and Protestant periodicals, and he has contributed scholarly articles on apologetics in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.
Active in apologetics since 1987, he worked at Catholic Answers for eight years (from January 1988 to January 1996), where he served as vice president and helped co-found that apostolate's flagship magazine, This Rock, in January of 1990.
Patrick is a cradle-Catholic, not a convert. By God's grace, he was raised in the Catholic Faith and has been a practicing Catholic his entire life.
Growing up in Southern California, he attended grammar school at the Mission San Juan Capistrano parish school, where for years he served as an altar boy for the parish's daily Traditional Latin Mass in the famed Serra Chapel. Ever since his boyhood, Patrick has loved the Traditional Latin Mass.
Patrick earned a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor of philosophy degree (B.Phil.) from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where he is completing a master's degree in dogmatic theology. He has also done graduate studies in theology at the University of Dallas.
He is the host of several EWTN television series, including “Pope Fiction,” “Search & Rescue,” and "Where Is That In the Bible?" and he hosts the Thursday edition of EWTN Radio's “Open Line” broadcast, heard on approximately 150 AM & FM stations across the United States, as well as on shortwave and on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network (Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. ET). He is also a regular guest on the "Catholic Answers Live" program and Sirius Radio's "The Catholic Channel."
Patrick serves on the board of trustees of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA, on the board of directors of St. Gabriel Catholic Radio, in Columbus, Ohio, and on the board of advisors for Catholics United for the Faith, Immaculate Heart Radio Network, and Catholic Scripture Study International. He authored all the original website content for CatholicsComeHome.org, where he also serves as a theologica
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 12, 2025
After reading Dr Hahn’s A Pocket Guide to St. Paul from OSV I have been able to track down all but one in the series. I have been jumping around reading them. I have read books by Patrick before, and looked forward to working through this volume. Both the physical edition and eBook of this book appear to still be in print. This is an excellent little read.
The description of this volume states:
“Now -- at your fingertips -- is the biblical basis for the key Catholic teachings and customs that non-Catholics wonder about, object to, and preach against.
Filled with Scripture citations to help you explain, defend, and learn more about specific Catholic beliefs and practices, A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics lists more than 40 apologetics themes in an easy-to-locate format.
Designed as a pocket-size companion guide to the best-selling Where is That in the Bible?, A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics also explains how to best use Scripture when discussing your Catholic Faith.
A great choice for Bible study groups!”
The chapters and sections in this booklet are:
INTRODUCTION
I. APOLOGETICS
1. Defending the Faith
II. AUTHORITY
2. The Church
3. The Papacy
4. Tradition
5. Scripture vs “Sola Scriptura” (the Bible alone)
6. “Word of God” Does Not Always Mean “The Bible”
7. Apostolic Succession
III. DOCTRINES
8. Love One Another
9. There is Only One God
10. The Holy Spirit is God
11. Jesus Christ is True God
12. The Trinity
13. The Saints: Their Glory, Example, and Intercession
14. Life After Death: Heaven and Hell
15. The Blessed Virgin Mary
16. Original Sin
17. Purgatory
18. Salvation
19. Grace
IV. THE SACRAMENTS
20. Sacraments in General
21. Baptism
22. Infant Baptism
23. Confession of Sins to a Priest
24. Mortal and Venial Sins
25. The Holy Eucharist
26. The Priesthood (Holy Orders)
V. CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
27. Call No Man “Father”
28. Necessity of Suffering and the Possibility of Persecution
29. Priestly Celibacy
30. Crucifixes
31. Relics
32. Statues, Graven Images, and the Sin of Idolatry
33. Tithing
34. Vain Repetition
35. Wine and Strong Drink
VI. MORAL ISSUES
36. Abortion
37. Divorce and Remarriage
38. Command to Love One Another
39. Homosexuality
VII. NON-CATHOLIC BELIEFS
40. The Great Apostasy Theory (Mormonism)
41. “Inquisitions”
42. Sabbath or Sunday Worship? (Seventh-Day Adventists)
43. The 144,000 (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
44. Blood Transfusions (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
45. Annihilation of Soul (Various Groups)
46. The Rapture
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
47. Dealing with Temptations
48. The Rosary: Praying Straight from the Bible
IX. THE CATHOLIC APOLOGIST’S PRAYERS
X. RECOMMENDED READING ON APOLOGETICS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics will show you where to turn when subjects such as infant baptism, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the Holy Eucharist, or confession to a priest come up in conversation. It will also show you the Scripture passages that will help you demonstrate the errors in some non-Catholic claims such as Protestantism’s notion of sola scriptura (i.e., salvation by Scripture alone), the “once saved, always saved” view of salvation, or the idea that baptism is simply an external ordinance that does not actually do what it signifies.”
“I recommend that you acquire a good, sturdy Bible that you can mark up with a highlighter pen and your own notations in the margins (The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, is an excellent and trustworthy Bible for this purpose). Mark it up using the information in this book.”
“I also recommend that you pray the prayers listed at the end of this book, devoutly and from the heart, whenever you engage in such discussions—indeed, whenever you pick up the Sacred Text, whether for prayer and meditation, study, or apologetics.”
“And, finally, always remember that this little book about the Bible is not a substitute for reading and learning the Bible itself. Its purpose is to help you get to know the Bible better—and, in the process, to encounter the Lord God Himself.”
“The Primacy of Peter Simon Peter is mentioned by name 195 times in the New Testament. Next comes St. John, who is mentioned just 29 times. When all twelve Apostles are named, Peter is always listed first; Judas Iscariot is always listed last (Mt 10: 2-5; Mk 3: 16-19; Lk 6: 14-17; and Acts 1: 13). Often: “Peter and the rest of the Apostles” or “Peter and his companions” (Lk 9: 32; Mk 16: 7; Acts 2: 37).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. There are not as many quotes as other volumes because much of the book was looking up and marking the passages in my own bible. This little volume is a great resource. It is an excellent volume that any Catholic or any Christian would benefit from reading.
This is the only volume in the series I believe that is still in print. It is a pity because the whole series is excellent. But I encourage you to give this great volume a try.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
The description of this volume states:
“Now -- at your fingertips -- is the biblical basis for the key Catholic teachings and customs that non-Catholics wonder about, object to, and preach against.
Filled with Scripture citations to help you explain, defend, and learn more about specific Catholic beliefs and practices, A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics lists more than 40 apologetics themes in an easy-to-locate format.
Designed as a pocket-size companion guide to the best-selling Where is That in the Bible?, A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics also explains how to best use Scripture when discussing your Catholic Faith.
A great choice for Bible study groups!”
The chapters and sections in this booklet are:
INTRODUCTION
I. APOLOGETICS
1. Defending the Faith
II. AUTHORITY
2. The Church
3. The Papacy
4. Tradition
5. Scripture vs “Sola Scriptura” (the Bible alone)
6. “Word of God” Does Not Always Mean “The Bible”
7. Apostolic Succession
III. DOCTRINES
8. Love One Another
9. There is Only One God
10. The Holy Spirit is God
11. Jesus Christ is True God
12. The Trinity
13. The Saints: Their Glory, Example, and Intercession
14. Life After Death: Heaven and Hell
15. The Blessed Virgin Mary
16. Original Sin
17. Purgatory
18. Salvation
19. Grace
IV. THE SACRAMENTS
20. Sacraments in General
21. Baptism
22. Infant Baptism
23. Confession of Sins to a Priest
24. Mortal and Venial Sins
25. The Holy Eucharist
26. The Priesthood (Holy Orders)
V. CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
27. Call No Man “Father”
28. Necessity of Suffering and the Possibility of Persecution
29. Priestly Celibacy
30. Crucifixes
31. Relics
32. Statues, Graven Images, and the Sin of Idolatry
33. Tithing
34. Vain Repetition
35. Wine and Strong Drink
VI. MORAL ISSUES
36. Abortion
37. Divorce and Remarriage
38. Command to Love One Another
39. Homosexuality
VII. NON-CATHOLIC BELIEFS
40. The Great Apostasy Theory (Mormonism)
41. “Inquisitions”
42. Sabbath or Sunday Worship? (Seventh-Day Adventists)
43. The 144,000 (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
44. Blood Transfusions (Jehovah’s Witnesses)
45. Annihilation of Soul (Various Groups)
46. The Rapture
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
47. Dealing with Temptations
48. The Rosary: Praying Straight from the Bible
IX. THE CATHOLIC APOLOGIST’S PRAYERS
X. RECOMMENDED READING ON APOLOGETICS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics will show you where to turn when subjects such as infant baptism, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the Holy Eucharist, or confession to a priest come up in conversation. It will also show you the Scripture passages that will help you demonstrate the errors in some non-Catholic claims such as Protestantism’s notion of sola scriptura (i.e., salvation by Scripture alone), the “once saved, always saved” view of salvation, or the idea that baptism is simply an external ordinance that does not actually do what it signifies.”
“I recommend that you acquire a good, sturdy Bible that you can mark up with a highlighter pen and your own notations in the margins (The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, is an excellent and trustworthy Bible for this purpose). Mark it up using the information in this book.”
“I also recommend that you pray the prayers listed at the end of this book, devoutly and from the heart, whenever you engage in such discussions—indeed, whenever you pick up the Sacred Text, whether for prayer and meditation, study, or apologetics.”
“And, finally, always remember that this little book about the Bible is not a substitute for reading and learning the Bible itself. Its purpose is to help you get to know the Bible better—and, in the process, to encounter the Lord God Himself.”
“The Primacy of Peter Simon Peter is mentioned by name 195 times in the New Testament. Next comes St. John, who is mentioned just 29 times. When all twelve Apostles are named, Peter is always listed first; Judas Iscariot is always listed last (Mt 10: 2-5; Mk 3: 16-19; Lk 6: 14-17; and Acts 1: 13). Often: “Peter and the rest of the Apostles” or “Peter and his companions” (Lk 9: 32; Mk 16: 7; Acts 2: 37).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. There are not as many quotes as other volumes because much of the book was looking up and marking the passages in my own bible. This little volume is a great resource. It is an excellent volume that any Catholic or any Christian would benefit from reading.
This is the only volume in the series I believe that is still in print. It is a pity because the whole series is excellent. But I encourage you to give this great volume a try.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
Displaying 1 of 1 review