Era Might Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 My brother is heavy into the witnessing scene right now, and has sent me some tracts and what not. I have generally avoided discussing religion with him, partly because I'm not the greatest model of Catholicism in the world, and partly because I just want to leave it alone and let God work on his own time. I want to maybe start taking steps toward opening up a discussion, but I'm not really sure how to go about it. He sent me a few books and CDs, and I was thinking of sending him something, but I'm not sure what to send. I don't want to send a book on apologetics. I was actually thinking of sending him a copy of "Brideshead Revisited" because it is such a great introduction to the Catholic image of faith and grace. I'm hesitant to do so because the book deals with sinful people, and I don't know if he would be distracted by that and not see the deeper issues at work in the novel. He's also really convinced that evolution is a great evil and he likes to read stuff against it. Any suggestions? For you Protestant converts, would you have been offended by a book like "Brideshead Revisited"? I really don't want to treat him like a mission target to convert. Like I said, I just want to point him in the right direction and let God work on his own time. I have this crazy belief that he will be Catholic someday, it's just part of God's plan, no doubt. Anyway, suggestions are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EcceNovaFacioOmni Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 (edited) A book by CS Lewis could introduce some Catholic thinking without being direct Catholic apologetics. Not sure if that's what you're looking for. Edited April 12, 2007 by thedude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 Possibly. Good idea, although I think I would go with Chesterton instead, since he did eventually become Catholic, and he wrote a lot against modern skepticism that my brother would probably enjoy. The only Chesterton book I have is "Orthodoxy." I'm not too familiar with all of his work, what's some other good ones he wrote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Here are several titles [url="http://www.catecheticsonline.com/forum/index.php?autocom=articles&code=showarticle&id=193"]http://www.catecheticsonline.com/forum/ind...icle&id=193[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EcceNovaFacioOmni Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I don't know much about him, but Cardinal Newman comes to mind... He seems to be popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N/A Gone Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Theology for beginners by Frank Sheed was huge for me. So was Born FUndamentalist born again Catholic. Depends on the exact topic you want to address. Maybe something patristics? Mass of the early Christians by Aquela is good also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123 Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Cardnial Newman and Also, Karl Keating's book [i] Catholicism and Fundamentalism[/i] but at some point his is very controversial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 I don't think I want to send a strictly Catholic apologetics book. That would probably be more helpful for someone who is actively considering the Catholic Church. The message I want to send is more or less, "Here is a look into my world." He is very overbearing with the witnessing and hands out tracts to everyone he sees. I don't want to return that to him, and I also don't want to frighten him off. Patristics is an interesting idea, I'll definitely think about that. I thought about sending a Ratzinger book on theology, but he might not receive it well because it was written by the Pope. I'm actually not even sure what he thinks of Catholicism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I suppose it depends really on what kind of Protestant your brother is and what his education level is. I would not give a beginner Cardinal Newman, but someone who is highly intellectual can be converted by just reading Apologia Pro Vita Sua. Evangelical is Not Enough and Rome, Sweet, Home remain great conversion stories, and I agree Theo for Beginners is also a great theology text for Protestants. So is the Salvation Controversy. Introduction to Christianity would be great as well for someone more advanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 [quote name='Brother Adam' post='1239978' date='Apr 12 2007, 12:53 PM']I suppose it depends really on what kind of Protestant your brother is and what his education level is.[/quote] I'm not sure what kind of Protestant he is. He uses the Ray Comfort/Kirk Cameron witnessing tracts. He's really into culture war issues and general Christian apologetics against atheism and evolution. I'm also thinking maybe a George Weigel book since he writes on some cultural stuff. Hahn and all those are good, but I think they're too specifically Catholic right now. I want something to open the door and see where it goes, if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N/A Gone Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 man..I made a great reply and phatmass ate it. Fundamentals of the Faith by Peter Kreeft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessalonian Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 (edited) I've been dialoguing with a couple of protestants for some time at work. Today one of them came up to me and said his son got a crystal radio for his birthday. The first thing he turned it on to was a Catholic Mass. They let him listen. . The other one keeps joking about becoming Catholic. I truly think it is not just a joke and in time he will. Edited April 12, 2007 by thessalonian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted April 12, 2007 Author Share Posted April 12, 2007 [quote name='thessalonian' post='1240044' date='Apr 12 2007, 01:32 PM']I've been dialoguing with a couple of protestants for some time at work. Today one of them came up to me and said his son got a crystal radio for his birthday. The first thing he turned it on to was a Catholic Mass. They let him listen. . The other one keeps joking about becoming Catholic. I truly think it is not just a joke and in time he will.[/quote] Yah, the last time my brother was here visiting I had EWTN on and a show about St. Francis of Assisi came on. I think those kinds of things, like the stories of Saints and what not, are really some of the most beautiful things about Catholicism, because others see Christ shining through in a person's life and not just a book. Ideally, they should see him in our lives too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EcceNovaFacioOmni Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Peter Kreeft is another name that comes to mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fides_et_Ratio Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 (edited) Yves Congar's [u]The Meaning of Tradition[/u] is a great read. I mean GREAT. He lays out the Catholic viewpoint of Tradition more clearly than anyone else I've read, and he makes some points for Protestants to think about with regards to Tradition... It could definitely get the ball rolling on some discussion, but it's definitely NOT an apologetics book so no worries there. Edited April 12, 2007 by Fides_et_Ratio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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