Christ Among Us

If Christ Among Us is an example of a new trend in explaining one's religious beliefs without denigrating those of others, we are better off than before--but not much better. The spirit of the book is obvious from the opening chapter's assertion that ""the story of Christ among us is a study of the Catholic faith."" The implication, of course, is that the story of Christ among us is not readily discernible in the non-Catholic churches, and in that respect Father Wilhelm has not broken with his preconciliar precursors. He has, however, dispensed with the vitriol that hitherto has been as necessary a part of apologetics as the various proofs of the existence of God.

For the rest, the book follows the conventional lines of books written to explain, defend, and propagate the Catholic faith: the existence and knowability of God, the divinity of Christ, the foundation and authentic mission of the Catholic Church, etc. A rather unusual feature is that the author is at pains to emphasize what is common dogma in all Christian churches, and he does often present, somewhat summarily, the Protestant viewpoint on matters of difference. However, an overall impression of the author's inflexibility that expresses itself in the we-are-absolutely-right-and-they-are-absolutely-wrong syndrome, despite his good will and intentions, detracts from the purposes of his book. The older Catholics generally won't mind; the younger will.