The Light of Christ

This introduction to Catholicism combines scholarly depth with an engaging style to present the what and why of Catholic belief with exceptional clarity (Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia). In The Light of Christ, Fr. Thomas Joseph White provides an accessible presentation of Catholic doctrine that is both grounded in traditional theology and engaged with contemporary concerns. Inspired by the theologies of Irenaeus, Thomas Aquinas, and John Henry Newman, Father White covers the major doctrines of the Christian religion including knowledge of God, the mystery of the Trinity, the incarnation and the atonement, the sacraments and the moral life, eschatology and prayer. The Light of Christ also addresses topics such as evolution, the modern historical study of Jesus and the Bible, and objections to Catholic moral teaching. Authoritative yet accessible, this book serves as an excellent introduction for general readers or as a helpful text for theology courses in a university context. This is a book that offers itself as a companion . . . My goal is to make explicit in a few broad strokes the shape of Catholicism. I hope to outline its inherent intelligibility or form as a mystery that is at once visible and invisible, ancient and contemporary, mystical and reasonable. -Father White, from the Introduction