The Catholic Church
1) Christ Founded a Visible Church (article) by Dr. Bryan Cross
- Read this for an explanation of the nature of the Church Christ founded.
- Dr. Cross discusses the kind of Church Christ founded, which rules out many other churches as potential candidates for Christ’s Church. This is an important step in any investigation regarding whether the Catholic Church is the Church Christ founded.
2) The Bishops of History and the Catholic Faith (article) by Dr. Bryan Cross, Ray Stamper, and Barrett Turner
- Read this for an in-depth discussion of the Papacy and the Bishops of the early Church.
- The authors interact with a Protestant who is skeptical of the historical claims Catholics have made about the early centuries. They discuss the historical evidence in detail, and the article is advanced. However, persistent readers will come away with increased confidence in the Church’s claim that she is indeed the Church that Christ founded.
3) The Case for Catholicism by Trent Horn
- Read this book for an up-to-date Catholic response to Protestant critiques of the papacy, canon of Scripture, Eucharist, Mary, and other topics of disagreement.
- Trent Horn answers ancient and contemporary Protestant objections on all of the big topics over which Catholics and Protestants disagree. He includes plenty of footnotes to both Catholic and non-Catholic sources.
4) Pope Peter: Defending the Church’s Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crises by Joe Heschmeyer
- Read this book for an excellent defense of the papacy using Scripture, history, and philosophy.
- Joe Heschmeyer answers all of the common objections against the papacy and explains why God institute the papacy. He argues for a visible church, papal primacy, and papal infallibility. I interviewed Joe about the book and pressed him with several objections.
5) Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn
- Read this for a helpful overview and defense of many Catholic teachings.
- This is a great book to give to a friend who is interested in learning more about the Catholic faith. Whether someone is atheist, Protestant, or Muslim, if they are interested in learning the reasons behind Catholicism, this is a great place to start. It’s written at a popular level but contains a lot of information.
6) How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Dr. Thomas E. Woods Jr.
- Read this to learn how the Catholic Church was a force for good throughout western history.
- Woods discusses the barbarians, the monks, the Scholastics, the Church and Science, and many more topics in his defense of the Catholic Church. This is a great book to learn about examples you can use in future conversations.
