By What Authority? an Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition

by Mark P. Shea

Book Overview

In this newly updated, expanded version of his popular work of apologetics, Shea presents a lively and entertaining look at his conversion to Catholicism from Evangelicalism and his discovery of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879738510
• ISBN13: 9780879738518
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Best book showing Evangelicalism’s indebtedness to Catholicism

Dr Shea does an amazing job showing Evangelicalism’s parallels with modernism, and charting his journey of discovering the truth and necessity of Catholic Tradition.

Opened my eyes to weak theology

I read this book in my examination of the Catholic faith from a Protestant perspective. Don't get sidetracked by the author's use of ridicule. His examination of Protestant traditions regarding interpretation and the authority of scripture made so much sense that I realized I could no longer remain a Protestant. WARNING! This book is very unsettling to zealous, confirmed sola scriptura Protestants.

Are you thinking about Catholicism?

If you are an evangelical thinking about Catholicism, maybe for the first time, or because you have encountered some Catholic traditions and theology that pique your interest? READ THIS BOOK. As an evangelical, I found it very palatable, in that I understood Mark Shea's allusions to scripture and writing style better than I did some other Catholic writers who do not have the "advantage" of an evangelical background.

Concise and compelling

By What Authority is a wonderful read. Shea's prose is witty and his argument is compelling. He describes how as a young evangelical Christian he encountered the writings of revisionist theologians who compose the "Jesus Seminar." After studying the Jesus Seminar's attacks on the central tenets of Christianity, Shea gradually realized that the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura could not provide a sufficient basis of authority to adequately defend his Christian faith. Shea's book marvelously describes his faith journey to the Catholic Church how and why the Church has an articulable and authentic basis of authority on which one can confidently stake one's faith. This is a refreshingly quick read (it took me a day) but the argument is timeless.