Bokenkotter's "Essential Catholicism" is an outstanding collection of thoughts and ideas that answer many hard to find catholic questions. A great addition to any home. I literally use this book daily in both my personnal search for religious questions and to help dis-spell the falsehoods out there regarding catholicism. Virtually all "hot-topic" questions are address from infallibility to the ordination of women. This books sets next to my copy of "Catechism of the Catholic Church."

Those who responded enthusiastically to Bokkenkotter's A Concise History of the Catholic Church (1990), an intellectual tour de force that reduces to major themes the historical development of the Church, thereby shedding light on the powerful cultural forces that brought the Church to the crisis of the Second Vatican Council, may be disappointed to find none of Bokkenkotter's impressive historical sweep, though you will still encounter his characteristic insight, clarity, and conciseness, in this book. The book is in large measure a series of engaging biographies of "Social Catholics," key figures who exemplify the transformation, ever so gradual, of the Church from an institution that stood for the status quo to one that has become a progressive force for social and political justice. Bokkenkotter states that he does not intend to repeat the historical analysis of the development of social consciousness in the Church, which he believes is already well settled in the scholarly literature, so that "the overall lines of development are pretty well agreed on."

There is little in the book to explain Bokkenkotter's selections. For those who are unfamiliar with the development of social Catholicism, and even for those who are familiar, the preference for one personage over another is not easily explained. Why, for example, does Bokkenkotter feature the Irishmen Michael Collins and Eamon de Vera, yet ignore important Catholic figures in the post-colonial world who also struggled for political liberation? Or why does he devote a chapter to Jacques Maritain, the philosopher of personalism, yet neglect other significant Catholic intellectuals, including those who represent vital sources in the emergence of the theology of liberation? And why no popes? I do not dispute Bokkenkotter's choices, but I am disappointed with the absence of an overview satisfactorily explaining the criteria for selection. All we have is a cross-reference to another book by a different author, Paul Misner.

The selection of personages also suggests a palpable Eurocentrism, with French, Irish, German, English, and Italian figures who do not evoke universal recognition in other parts of the Catholic world being covered. While Lech Walesa or Oscar Romero may be familiar names to Catholics of the developing world, probably because they are both associated with events of recent history, Daniel O'Connell or Konrad Adenauer most likely find little or no resonance.

Notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, with a special liking for the chapters on Jacques Maritain, Dorothy Day, and Oscar Romero. Despite Bokkenkotter's perhaps too frequent reliance on secondary sources, he demonstrates in this book the surpassing qualities of his earlier work on the history of the Church, namely, his ability to identify the most significant events in a story and to join them together in an eminently engaging, admirably limpid narrative. Those who wish to learn why a particular figure is important in the history of social Catholicism will be well satisfied with the biographical introductions furnished by Bokkenkotter.

Because the book is essentially a series of concise biographies, I think it would be helpful to the reader for me to list in order all the individuals covered, chapter by chapter: Lamennais, Lacordaire, Montalembert; Daniel O'Connell; Frederick Ozanam; Karl Marx; Henry Edward Manning; Albert de Mun; Monsignor Benigni; Don Sturzo; Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera; Maritain and Mounier; Dorothy Day; Konrad Adenauer; Oscar Romero; and Lech Walesa.

As in Bokkenkotter's first much acclaimed book, there is little or no theology here, only history, or more accurately, biography. Here we come across Bokkenkotter at his best, which is to write good history. If you want a clearer understanding of what social Catholicism is, read another book, or several.

I read--entirely--Bokenkotter's lengthy (not concise), screed (not history) about what he mistakenly identifies as the "Catholic Church" (--more nearly his occasionally splenetic view of it). To give Bokenkotter his due: He is a talented historian, able to marshal and mine multiple references and resources well, and to write clearly and compellingly. The difficulty with this volume is not an inept or incompetent author. The difficulty, rather, is that this is tendentious Modernist ideology masquerading as history. The book is not an anti-Catholic diatribe so much as it is a celebration of anything and everything in Church history which would denigate, dismiss, deny, or destroy the Magisterial Authority (cf. Luke 10:16; John 14:26) of the Church. The teaching of the Church notwithtanding, Bokenkotter happily embraces proportionalism (372, 404), liberation theology (410), the fundamental option (403), historicism (401), Kung and Curran (396), and the radical feminist agenda (428). The Church knows little, apparently, but that is all right, for our guide Bokenkotter "explains it all to us." He sees Church history through the lenses of one who condescendingly regrets that Church leaders have often lacked the wisdom to see religious and political problems with exactly the "progressive" and "liberated" and "modern" perspective he has. (Contrast, by the way, 2 John 9, and the encyclical letter "Veritatis Splendor.") He is, of course, part of the problem, not part of the solution. One hopes that this volume will not again be "revised and expanded"; if it ever were, one hopes its author, if he or she presumed to speak about the Church, would bother to consult its CATECHISM (which was published, to be fair, after this 1990 Bokenkotter effort). Those who want a trustworthy guide to recent Church history should read George Weigel's masterful biography of Pope John Paul II, A WITNESS TO HOPE.

Considering the amazingly huge scope of this book, the author, Thomas Bokenkotter, does a commendable job in his attempt to summarize the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The book is divided into five major parts: 30-600 A.D., 600-1300 A.D., 1300-1650 A.D., 1650-1891 A.D., and 1891-Present A.D. For anyone daunted by such an expansive history, take heart; Bokenkotter's writing style makes this project an enjoyable and quick read. Furthermore, his consistent attempts to immerse the events of Catholic history in their rightful historical context leads the reader to a better understanding of Western history in general during the time period that this book covers. Perhaps the most lasting impact this book will have on me is the fact that it has inspired me to further research many areas of interest in Catholic history. To help readers with similar goals, Bokenkotter has compiled an extensive bibliography for each chapter that can be found at the end of the book. Some topics that the reader will want to research further because of their influence on Catholic decision-making and history are the following: The Development of Catholic Belief in Roman Ecclesial Primacy; Papal Infallibility; Mariology; Monastic Influences on the Church and Society in the Middle Ages; Political Influences on the Church's Theological Developments; The Church's Recent Struggles with Modernity; and The Development and Influence of Liberation Theology.

The Book A Concise History of the Catholic Church is an excellent read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in either Catholicism, History or both. The writer does an excellent job of squeezing 2000 years of world history into one book. This may not be the most detailed of all the books writen on the churches history but it is a great book for anyone whom is interested but doesn't want to read an entire series of books.

Unlike Bokenkatter's Concise History of the Catholic Church, I found Dynamic Catholicism a bit lacking in terms of factual information. A lot of the material in the book describes not what the church is all about, but rather "what some people think the church is all about." I realize that a one volume book is certainly not as exhaustive as a more comprehensive study of the various aspects of the church; however, there should have been a little more specificity as to the what is official church teaching, versus what is popular opinion. While engagingly written, a little more scholarly dissemination and less "popular" opinion would have been more beneficial.

While the core truths of the Catholic Church do not change, Dynamic Catholicism outlines one thinker's view on how the interpretation and emphasis of various teachings evolve with historical context. I would not characterize Dynamic Catholicism a "catechism" per se, but a "perspective," and should be taken as an opinion on, not a definition of Catholicism. I find its value is enhanced when juxtaposed with its criticism, pro and con. Even the most conservative of Catholics must accept that the human element in the Church is capable of error by act or omission, even blunder, when viewed through the lense of historical hind sight. Pope John-Paul II himself has issued regrets for some of these human errors in recent years, which is in itself an implicit example of the dynamic nature of Catholicism. I found Dynamic Catholicism refreshing as a perspective.

Yes, buy and read this book, and a dozen others as well to get differing perspectives. Catholicism is the richest religious tradition ever, in my estimation, where even its faults are instructive as reflections of human nature in the historical context. Its dynamic evolution of understanding and expression is a reflection of the human's capacity to grow over time. Its teachings, intellectual debates and struggles are most valuable and challenging -- a fantastic Way to meld faith, intellect and human purpose.

Dynamic Catholicism by Thomas Bokenkotter is a breath of fresh air. When I have shared the title of this book with friends and told them I thought it is a great book they may want to read, they say "Catholicism --- dynamic?" It's inconceivable, to my circle anyway, to put those 2 words together positively. However, I feel it's a book that opens the windows of time and humanity and allows a review of historical events and how they shaped what we now call Catholicism which is still growing under Vatican II.

It appears that a lot of folks think that the reference in the Nicene Creed to "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church means 'their' Catholic church. A sincere reading of Dynamic Catholicism will clearly expose that attitude to be very narrow and uninformed. We could just use one example to make this point. Christianity (Catholicism) before Emperor Constantine verses after Constantine made Christianity the state religion. Before and after, is it still valid Catholicism / Christianity?

Oh, here's another : the dialogue that was engaged in by Luther, Calvin and others and the Roman Catholic Heirarchy in their day. Were they all wrong, some of them partly wrong or did they all really care about the practices of faith in their time?

I want my faith to be like that of the thief that hung next to Christ and believed He was the Son of God. A faith based on the risen Christ that I can express with the Apostles or Nicene Creed and I don't have to be worried about all the other rules and regulations created by a group of people who's opinions change with time (albeit centuries).

I can now be free in Jesus' Love and not bogged down by the 'laws' which He came to set us free from in the first place. This book has helped me struggle for the faith.

Let all the modern day Pharisees lighten up and let the Holy Spirit do His work in the spirit of love and understanding that Jesus' promised us before He left this earth.

Amen Brothers and Sisters