Catholicism: East of Eden - insights into catholicism for the 21st century

All human beings want to approach God in a way that pleases themselves. That is no surprise: we all are proud and self-righteous, and by nature disobedient to the revealed will of God. That was the ancient problem Cain had faced when he went out from the presence of God to live ‘east of Eden’ – and it continues to be the moral struggle of the 21st century. Always what is most needed in such a struggle is an unquenchable desire to possess and to be possessed by the Truth.

How is Catholicism ‘east of Eden’? Worldwide interest in all things Catholic mixes with consternation over recent disclosures from within the Church. Amidst doctrinal and moral confusion, most issues remain unanalyzed and unexplained, leaving both Catholics and non-Catholics wondering where the Roman Catholic Church stands. This book will leave no doubt about the truthful answer.

In Catholicism: East of Eden, the author has endeavoured to address the 21st century issues of Catholicism with candour and empathy. Each topic is carefully documented so that the reader who wishes to know for certain if what is written here is true can easily find the information. Here is a book that speaks to both mind and heart.

Publisher: Banner of Truth
Type: paperback
ISBN: 9781848710832

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RICHARD BENNETT was born into a devout Roman Catholic home in Dublin Ireland. His early years were spent in Belvedere Jesuit School. Eight years of theological instruction for the priesthood followed under the instruction of the Dominican Order with his formal education culminating in 1964 at the Angelicum University of Rome.

As a young priest, Richard (Peter) was assigned to the West Indies. He spent the next twenty-one years in Trinidad, mostly serving as a parish priest applying Roman Catholic teaching to everyday life. After a serious accident in which he nearly lost his life, he began to seriously study the Scriptures. After fourteen years of contrasting the teachings of Rome with biblical truth, he was convicted by the Gospel message through God's grace alone and in 1986 he formally left the Roman Catholic Church and its priesthood. Richard has since founded an evangelistic ministry called 'Berean Beacon' which brings the truth of God's plan of salvation to many worldwide.

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'Although I, being an ex-Roman priest, ‘know all this stuff’, I still found this book fascinatingly presented. And although I have a copy of the first edition, I didn’t find this second edition a let-down. It has been brought up-to-date well, with references to the latest difficulties to have surfaced within the Church of Rome made clearly and sensibly. And because the one thing Richard Bennett does not allow himself to indulge in is hyperbole, the presentation is calmly made. There is a lot that needs to be learnt by most Christians about Rome and its claims – this book will prove a very worth-while starting point.

Of course, members of the Church of Rome may well still object to the book, and cavil and carp at what is written in it about issues such as celibacy, the priesthood, and the consequences of the two together. But because of the way the facts are presented, in a calm and thoughtful manner, objectors will not simply be able to write this book off as ‘the work of a bigot’. In fact, with the extensive and detailed quotations from Rome’s own literature, and the clear comparisons with the teaching of Scripture, this book would probably be read by quite a lot of Roman Catholics. It would certainly be worth trying it out, by giving a copy to some of them. And don’t worry about the price, it is not exorbitant for a book of such significance and with such considerable content.

With eighteen chapters (ranging from an explanation of the infallibility of the Word, through to more practical chapters which use personal experience to show Rome’s weaknesses and lies), and four appendices (covering Scripture, ecclesiology, and giving a comparison between the Catholic Catechism and the Bible), I heartily recommend this book. If you have enough boldness (Acts 4:29), then I suggest that you might like to buy a copy and present it to your local Roman Catholic priest. He may not accept it gladly, but then as Scripture reminds us, God is able to do so much more than we ask or think, so such an action may be filled with blessing beyond our imagining!' Dominic Stockford

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** This book is 'aged' meaning due to humidity and paper quality, some pages within are stained or become yellowish **