Chief Truths of the Faith

A Course in Religion #1

by John Joseph Laux

Fr. John Laux's deeply penetrating and concise book,  Chief Truths of the Faith , presents readers with a mature and thorough understanding of the Catholic Faith. Concepts covered include the nature and attributes of God, the nature and origin of humanity, the Immaculate Conception, hypostatic union, sanctifying and actual grace, the resurrection of the dead, and more. Although originally written as a high school study guide, college students and adults alike will have a thorough grounding on all major points of faith in order to achieve salvation for self and others. Recommended for 9th-grade students enrolled in TAN Academy.

Genres: Catholic, Religion

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[Maureen O'brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written for high school students studying the major tenets of Catholicism. My daughter and I are discussing this book chapter by chapter. Clear and concise informative book, written which has stood the test of time.

[Lizzy (Elizabeth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was supposed to finish this by the 15th for school, but I forgot to read it until a few weeks ago...

This was amazing! I love how it referenced the bible a lot. I also loved learning more about the Catholic Faith.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

As was stated earlier, this is writing that has (and always will) stood the test of time. Due to Covid, our family decided to homeschool our 5 children this year. Not only have books like this enlightened greater discussions in my household than could ever come from a public school setting, I’m delighted to teach my children their faith.

[John Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is volume 1 of a six piece set of textbooks by Fr. John Laux for Catholic high schools and academies in the late 1920s. I have yet to encounter such clear and thought provoking explanations of the basics of Catholic truth. This is a short volume, only 176 pages, but it had plenty of passages that seemed to throw light everywhere into the clutter of a modern soul. In this time of modernism and foggy apathy in Catholic instruction programs like RCIA and CCD this is a shot in the arm of the layman an antidote of relief. Fr. Laux sheds light with Scripture and timeless teaching from the Church Fathers to clarify what is authentic Catholic doctrine with no wiggle room. If you are Catholic please do yourself a favor and get these books in your library.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource; Thomistic

[Almachius · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the eve of beginning my new career as a high school R.E. teacher, it feels fitting to finish this short (170 page) catechism written in the 1920s by a high school R.E. teacher and priest for teenagers. Anyone familiar with and grateful for the Baltimore or Penny Catechism will appreciate this Course (this is Fr Laux's first volume in a four book series) as a sort of next step.

It's both inspiring and alarming to consider how much greater the ability, attention span and prior knowledge young people of those times could be presumed to have. As such, this course wouldn't suffice for most schooled teenagers in our era (not if my personal and professional experience of Catholic primary education is anything to go by), but it could be used as a road map or 'knowledge organiser' for a teacher or catechist. It should certainly be recommended by priests to their parishioners (as was this by mine). The chapters on sanctifying and actual grace were especially illuminating in their simplicity and clarity.

As well as being informative and orthodox, I felt the book also made for edifying spiritual reading, prompting moments of prayer as I finished each chapter. I shall certainly be getting hold of the next book in the series.

[Darcy Maggio]

This high school religion text is succinctly written and thorough. It is great for the high school student or adult looking for a refresher regarding main beliefs of the Catholic faith. It covers our purpose in life, the sources of faith, and then principle beliefs including creation, original sin, Jesus, eternal life, and grace.

[Brit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like how Fr. Laux explains the Truths that guide the Catholic Church. He is more dry than Fr. Knox (Creed in Slow Motion and Mass in Slow Motion), but he breaks things down and explains them in a way that make sense and are easy to grasp.

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very excellent catechism for high school. Fr. Laux makes Aquinas accessible to the student, teacher, and parent in a compact format without loosing the impact and density of the church Father. Highly recommended for older teens and adults.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading a little of this every day along with my daily Bible reading.
Excellently thorough and approachable catechism.