THIS PAGE IS ABOUT THE 2014 EDITION;
A NEW UPDATED AND REVISED EDITION WILL BE RELEASED BY THE SUMMER OF 2026.
"Marienberg offers a concise, accessible, and
impressively comprehensive overview of the Catholic Church, particularly
since its emergence from the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965)... Marienberg—a historian of religions who
specializes in Jewish and Catholic lay beliefs and practices—writes with
nonspecialists in mind... He begins with a brief summary of
Catholic history and then outlines the basic features of Catholic
identity, belief, structure, and ritual. Unique to a book like this is a
chapter on the Catholic calendar, demonstrating how a common sense of
time binds together the faithful. In the conclusion, Marienberg
addresses the many complicated challenges Catholicism faces today, such
as the priest shortage, the status of women, the sexual abuse scandals,
birth control, divorce and remarriage, contraception, and homosexuality.
On each topic, Marienberg admirably describes the relevant themes,
issues, and debates while avoiding partisanship himself. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and general readers."
[Arthur Remillard, Saint Francis University, Choice Reviews Online, March 2015]
[Arthur Remillard, Saint Francis University, Choice Reviews Online, March 2015]
