Patrick Madrid - How to Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith

PRAISE FOR How to Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith by Patrick Madrid

Knowing how to explain and defend the Catholic Faith, especially to those who are hostile, is something every Catholic should be ready to do. Patrick Madrids new book explains in simple, straightforward language the art and science of apologetics. This book is a must-read for any Catholic who takes his or her Faith seriously and wants to be prepared to share that Faith with others.

Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs

If I need a doctor, I search for the best in the field. If I look for advice on apologetics, I do the same. Patrick Madrid has done it again with How to Do Apologetics. Loaded with practical advice and overflowing with resources, this book is a must for the new army of Catholics ready to face the culture with the full force of Catholic and biblical truth. Madrid has been doing this longer than almost anyone, and now you can take advantage of all his decades of success.

Steve Ray, author of Crossing the Tiber

As an apologist, I am often asked not just the what when it comes to giving reasons why we believe what we believe as Catholics, but I am also asked the all-important question of how to do the work of communicating those answers. In How to Do Apologetics, Patrick Madrid masterfully provides the one-stop shop for answering that question. This is an exceptional presentation of rock-solid theological and philosophical information coupled with the indispensable logical and rhetorical tools that will empower all who read it to be able to effectively communicate the fullness of the Gospel message, which we alone as Catholics possess, to any and all who inquire. Definitely a must-read for any Catholic who loves the Faith, from new convert to seasoned apologist.

Tim Staples, Director of Apologetics and Evangelization, Catholic Answers

What distinguishes this book on apologetics and makes it truly indispensable is that its author, one of the most well-known Catholic apologists of our time, explains in an easy, conversational style not merely what the arguments are, but how to actually use them. This is a practical guide, filled with illustrations of real-life apologetics encounters Patrick Madrid has had over the years. Its as enjoyable to read as it is immensely helpful.

Kenneth Hensley, coauthor of The Godless Delusion, professor of Scripture at St. Johns Seminary, Camarillo, California

This book is vintage Patrick Madrid, after almost three decades of teaching us the art of intellectual hand-to-hand combat. The best antidote to misinformation is education, and the best antidote to disinformation is exposure. Misinformation is the result of error and can be reversed with the right information. Patrick Madrid does this better than most. This book of apologetics anchors us to the rock-solid truths of 2000 years of Christianity and is geared to make the complex understandable. The challenge to stand for the truth has never been greater. Dont check your brains at the door, know what you believe and why! How to Do Apologetics is the intellectual equivalent of Navy Seal training for the common layperson in the pew. We need to argue to explain, because truth and love go together. This book will not teach you to win arguments, it will teach you to win souls.

Jesse Romero, M.A., Catholic evangelist and apologist, retired Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff, former U.S.A. Middleweight Kickboxing Champion, three-time World Police & Fire Olympic Boxing Champion, inducted into the Catholic Sports Hall of Fame in 2014

In How to Do Apologetics, Patrick Madrid gives readers the necessary tools to effectively witness to their Catholic Faith. Those who are serious about sharing and, when necessary, defending their beliefs will find this a must read. I highly recommend it.

Most Rev. James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup, New Mexico

As Patrick Madrid explains in his introduction, our generation (unlike that time immediately following the Second Vatican Council) is blessed with a superabundance of apologetics materials for the Catholic determined to teach himself how better to defend the Faith. The question is: Where to begin? The answer is simple: Begin with this book.

Christopher Check, President, Catholic Answers

How to Do Apologetics

Making the Case for Our Faith

How to Do Apologetics

Making the Case for Our Faith

Patrick Madrid

www.osv.com

Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division

Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.

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Nihil Obstat:

Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.

Censor Librorum

Imprimatur:

Kevin C. Rhoades

Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

September 21, 2015

The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are declarations that a work is free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

The Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright 1965 and 1966 by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, for use in the United States of America, copyright 1994 and 1997, United States Catholic Conference Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Quotations from papal and other Vatican-generated documents available on vatican.va are copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

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Copyright 2016 by Patrick Madrid. Published 2016.

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ISBN: 978-1-61278-583-7 (Inventory No. T1279)

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Contents

A select list of recommended book, video, and audio resources for students of apologetics, arranged by topic, appears on .

Introduction

I got started in apologetics about thirty years ago. There was nothing then even remotely resembling the robust and widespread apologetics movement that now exists in the United States. Back then, before apologetics had become cool in certain circles, there were no contemporary Catholic apologetics books to be had, no audio resources, no apologetics magazines, conferences, or training programs. There was no Catholic radio to speak of then, and the fledgling Catholic network EWTN featured virtually no apologetics programming. Of course, being the pre-Internet era, there were also no apologetics websites, YouTube videos, or apps. About all an Anglophone student of apologetics had available to learn from in those days were the relatively few apologetics books from decades earlier important works by men such as Fr. Arnold Lunn, Fr. Ronald Knox, G.K. Chesterton, Frank Sheed, and Archbishop Fulton Sheen. One particular apologetics gold mine that helped me immensely was the classic three-volume tour-de-force,