Nothing in My Hand I Bring: Understanding the differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs

by Ray Galea

When Ray Galea submitted his life to Christ he had a problem on his Which church should he go to?

I did not want to assume that just because I was born a Catholic, this was by definition the right choice. I knew I could just as easily have been born a Baptist or a Mormon. So I spent the next six months reading and talking to priests and ministers to find out the differences between Catholics and Protestants. How did each of their teachings compare with the teaching of Jesus and the apostles?

This book is a re-tracing of Ray's investigation, looking at the key issues that continue to divide Protestants and Catholics, and assessing them in light of the teaching of Scripture. A challenging and invaluable book for Protestants and Catholics alike.

Genres: Christian

105 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2022

About the author

Ray Galea is an Anglican minister who leads the pastoral team at St Alban's Multicultural Bible Ministry at Rooty Hill in western Sydney. His special brief is to work cross-culturally among second-generation Mediterranean and Middle Eastern people in the region.

Ray grew up as a member of a devout Roman Catholic family, and played an active role as a boy in his local parish church. Prior to training for the ministry, Ray worked as a social worker in Wollongong for three years where he specialized in marriage and family counselling. He is a graduate from Moore Theological College. He is married to Sandy and they have has three children: James, Amy and Madeleine. He has recently authored the book Nothing in My Hand I Bring (Matthias Media, 2008) which has become a focus of interest in the lead-up to Pope Benedict's visit to Sydney in July for Catholic World Youth Day.

Reviews

[Tom Creek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful summaries of the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism - particularly on why Mary is such a big deal in the Catholic Church. Really appreciated Galea’s personal anecdotes as a Catholic altar boy turned Anglican minister too.

Praying I’ll be able to use this to have some fruitful chats with the Catholic bloke I met on the bus.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Nothing in my hand I bring’ definitely serves its purpose of differentiating Catholicism and Protestantism. I really enjoy Galea’s personal voice and his framing of the differences in a simple and succinct manner. There are some points though in which I think Galea fails to give Catholics the benefit of the doubt or investigate Catholic life from outside of his Maltese upbringing. A great place to start, but probably not where I will finish.

[Cora Mabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling…”

❤️‍🩹

[Hannah Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really appreciated this in depth study on the differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs. I love the respect with which they were presented and the heart behind them, how the passion for truth came through on every page. It wasn't so much a list of information as it was the author's story (filled with information in easy to understand language).

Though it's a small book, I found it took a couple of weeks to read, mostly because I kept being overwhelmed by the goodness of God throughout it and the wonder of what He's done for me.

Will definitely be reading this one again. Many thanks to the author for writing it.

[Sam Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.2) This book explores the differences between Catholic and Protestant teaching, particularly about the work of Christ, the mass, the authority of the Bible and church, salvation, faith and grace.

The author himself grew up a Catholic and after spending time researching and reading his Bible a lot, converted to Protestantism.

It was really helpful to have laid out what is and what isn’t a fair criticism of the Catholic Church, as a Protestant who does some preaching.

The main criticism seems to be that in every area of doctrine, the Catholic Church tends to find a way to make man’s role far more prominent and simultaneously undermines the work of Christ. This often leads to a lack of assurance.

[Kristen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, helpful book explaining the differences between the Protestant and Catholic church through the Reformation categories of 'Christ alone, faith alone, Bible alone and grace alone.' Helps to shine the beauty on salvation by faith alone through Jesus's sufficient sacrifice. Ray is a minister who grew up Catholic and became Protestant.

[Isa Storer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tif recommended this book when I had some questions about the differences between Christianity and Catholicism. It truly was such a helpful resource and i feel like i’ve learned so much!! The author was very clear about the differences but portrayed the information in a way that was loving and centered on truth!

[Brendan Fernance · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those seeking understanding of the differences between Protestant and Catholic beliefs, this is a fantastic book. It seeks to give clarity to some of the major differences between Catholicism and Protestantism and has helped to solidify my faith and understanding of God’s grace and salvation through Christ alone.

[Jennifer Heckert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing in My Hand I Bring offers a concise and informative explanation of the differences between Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs.  If you are curious about these differences, this is a must-read.

[Jason Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting . As a cradle Catholic who became an evangelical Protestant this mirrors my own thought journey.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!