Catholicism : a very short introduction / Gerald O'Collins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Collins, Gerald.

Series:

Very short introductions.

Very short introductions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catholic Church--Doctrines.

Catholic Church.

Catholic Church--Customs and practices.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 142 pages) : illustrations.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2008.

Summary:

Among the topics covered in this introduction to the largest and oldest institution in the world are the origins of the Catholic Church, how Catholicism has changed and adapted over the centuries and the challenges the Catholic Church faces in the 21st century.

What are the origins of the Catholic Church? How has Catholicism changed and adapted over the centuries? What challenges does the Catholic Church face in the twenty-first century? Gerald O'Collins answers these and other questions in this clear, accessible introduction to the largest and oldest institution in the world. Despite a long history of external threats and internal strife, the Roman Catholic Church and the broader reality of Catholicism remain a vast and valuable presence into the third millennium of world history.

Contents:

From Pentecost to Christopher Columbus (AD 30

1492)

From Christopher Columbus to date (1492

2008)

Catholics on God and the human condition

The sacraments and the Catholic Church

Catholic moral life and teaching

Characteristics of Catholicism

The future of Catholicism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 129-134) index.

ISBN:

1-282-46574-0

0-19-156289-0

9786612465741

OCLC:

551147959