I read this book because I'm studying some things that require an understanding of several areas of Roman Catholic doctrine: I’m a Methodist, and I needed help.

This book is a basic introduction to the subject. It doesn’t claim to be anything more, and it does its job well. It could do with updating, but it’s pretty comprehensive and it does what is says on the tin. I found the clear, concise explanations of the theology of peculiarly Roman Catholic practices and doctrines - prayer to the saints and the Immaculate Conception, for example - extremely helpful.

My main quibble is that when the book gets off the subject of ‘what Catholics do/believe’ and starts making comparisons with other Christian denominations (which only happens occasionally), it has a tendency to be a bit dismissive and to make generalisations about both ‘what Protestants believe’ and ‘what Protestants think Catholics believe’. Maybe this Protestant is a bit touchy - or possibly it’s just a question of what many Catholics think most Protestants think all Catholics believe. In which case, the authors are probably right. At least, they are if I’ve managed to keep track of all the sub-clauses in that sentence and say what I meant to say. ( )

20 centuries of tradition, practices, and rules in one little primer. Its a fair place to star anyway. :-) ( )