God: What Every Catholic Should Know

by Elizabeth Klein

Series Summary

The new What Every Catholic Should Know series is intended for the average faithful Catholic who wants to know more about Catholic faith and culture. The authors in this series take a panoramic approach to the topic of each book aimed at a non-specialist but enthusiastic readership.

Book Summary

Who is God? If we want to love God and make him the center of our lives, we would do well to settle this question at least in some small way. This book serves as a starting point for understanding what Christians mean when they say "God," and to whom they are referring when they use this name. Part of the What Every Catholic Should Know series, What Every Catholic Should Know is born out of the recognition that God is central to the Faith, but we encounter misconceptions about God all the time. In an effort to clear up these misconceptions, this book addresses three major concepts—the nature of God, the Trinity, and the Incarnation—so that we may strengthen our faith and our ability to communicate it to other people.

Some of us might protest that we are not smart enough to do theology and that less is more when it comes to contemplating the divine. But if God is perfect, wonderful, all goodness, love itself—as the Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8—it would be strange indeed if we did not want to give our whole selves to God, including our minds. After all, the Lord himself tells "you shall love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian

165 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2019

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going through the audiobooks in this series and I am pretty impressed with them.

They thread the needle between being too basic and too advanced. An excellent introduction with enough information to help someone delve into it deeper.

[Jessica Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to take a graduate course on “The Creed” taught by this author, and the contents of this book encapsulate a lot of the major topics we covered in the class, though obviously in a condensed version. It’s a quick read and meant for anyone, Catholic or otherwise, who wants a good, solid theological introduction to what we believe about the nature of God, the Trinity, and Christ. Even if you’ve been a devout Catholic your whole life, I am confident there are riches you will gain from reading this. The chapters on “Why God Was Born” and “Why God Suffered and Died” were my favorites!!

[Aidan McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a pretty good introduction into Nicene, Trinitarian theism from an orthodox Catholic perspective. While the first 20-30 pages were a little dull, mainly because I study Catholic theology and have read a lot about the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of God in recent months, the last 100 or so pages were much better and more informative than I initially expected. The best part is not paying for this since a church I visited had them available for parishioners to take for free.

Trinitarian theology and orthodox Christology are difficult subjects to think about because they inevitably turn into reflections and meditations on some of the biggest mysteries of faith. How do we explain these fundamental dogmas to converts or fellow Catholics who don't have the interest in becoming theologians? Klein doesn't go into heavy theology here because the book is part of a series designed to help lay Catholics, presumably, so it is more formal and well-condensed than say On The Incarnation, but she does a great job at explaining the conflicting views on Christology that the ecumenical councils had to deal with and why we believe what we believe. She teaches a course on the Nicene Creed at the Augustine Institute, so that background presumably helps her a lot in this book. It isn't the greatest book, but it is of catechetical value and summarizes the idea of God in Catholic theology, following 2,000 years of tradition, in only 132 pages and does a remarkable job.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tiny little book. But it took me almost a month to read it. It is so rich and theologically thought provoking. If I say my mission in life is to "know God, love God and serve Him" it's really helpful to have a good understanding of God. This book dives into a lot of the misconceptions we hold about God (he's not a guy with a white beard in the sky!). I like that it examines some of the analogies we use to explain the Trinity (the apple, the egg) and points out their flaws. It also explores the Incarnation, the nature of God, and the Trinity. What really struck me was how God is not just Redeemer, but Creator. Which I know! But to explore the implications of being created by God and then redeemed by Him was fantastic. It's a short, but very powerful read!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! So much theological goodness packed in a small book. I've read alot of theology books but this is the first I've read that actually gives some basic explanations about why the incarnation and the death and resurrection of Christ was fitting.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a series (What Every Catholic Should Know), Klein's concise explanation deals with three major concepts: the nature of God, the Trinity, and the Incarnation. Every Catholic should want to know and love God, and Klein's book is certainly a step toward doing just that.

[Fred Christopherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic doctrine is explained really well. The book lives up to its title.

[Jacob McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

First half was slow but the last 30 pages were really good. Worth reading for the second half

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clarifications of terminology and portions of the mass.

[Jen Bergeron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a helpful reintroduction to theology - God’s omnipotence, the trinity, Jesus’ two natures, Heaven.

[Usha Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading how the Church has worked and prayed to puzzle out the mystery of God. Found the reader terribly distracting and agitating. Otherwise a 5-star.