I have a certain affinity for this saint. Do you think it might be because we have the same first name? Anyway, this is a good biography. It does a good job of bringing the reader into the time and culture that he lived in. It shows the influence that he had on his times and loing afterward, both civilly and ecclesially. It also sketches out how other scholars have viewed him over the intervening centuries. It was published in time for the millenium of his death in 1988 and has a foreward written by the Archbishop opf Canturbury at that time. One o Dunstan's posts was as Archbishop of Canturbury so it is only fitting!

This book is a handy quick-reference book. It is ideal for carrying in a pocket and taking on long bus rides and such. It is packed with solid apologetic information. It answers the question of where "X" is in the Bible for 43 doctrines, customs,and beliefs. Considering that it answers these 43 questions in 175 pages, it is not surprising that it is only a cursory overview of each answer. What it lacks in depth, it makes up for in breadth. just dont expect it to be exhaustive, which it makes no pretensions of being.

This book 9is a very valuable and useful guide to what the Catholic Church ACTUALLY teaches, rather than what her more vocal opponents would like us to THINK she teaches. It adds "muscle" to the "skeleton" of the Catechism. I would certainly recommend this book for RCIA classes.

This book is a superb outline of Catholic doctrine, straight from the source's mouth. But it is only an outline. I think that is why some other reviewers have had so much trouble with it. It is a great foundation, but it is good to keep in mind that literally scores of its numbered paragraphs could be expanded into book-length treatments of their subject. Definately buy it, but be warned that it is more a reference work than a novel.

This latest book is a good overview of the different attacks made on the Faith, from the reasonably intellectual to the unreasonably ridiculous. I agree that there needs to be a more cogent and prominent "counter apologetics" and am glad to see that slowly that counter apologetic is being raised. This book is a good way to see what the "opposition" is up to.

This is a very good book. It has a series of faith vignettes and testimonials of people who converted to Catholicism from different social, intellectual, and religious backgrounds. They give their biblical, theological and personal reasons for their journeys. Their devotion to God shines through each page.

This is not a great book, but it is a good book. It gives a comprehensive overview of anti-catholic attacks on Catholic doctrine and practice, and provides some solid analysis and responses. It is a great place to start looking at the question of Catholic doctrine, at lease insofar as it differs from american fundamentalist doctrines. It goes a long way in dispelling many of the misconceptions that are held by anti catholics. Sadly, I must admit that i used to be anti catholic myself. This book was one of many books that cheared up some of the doctrinal issues I had against the Church.

There are deeper, more scholarly books available that go into greater detail about doctrinal issues, but this is a good beginning point.

This book has great value, not just as an historical artifact, but as a way to live one's life, both inside and outside the Cloister. I don't thing there is a single monastery today that follows all of the Rule "religiously". They all adapt the Rule to local circumstances, just as Benedict suggested, and just as Benedict himself did with existing Rules. This includes dietary and disciplinary regulations.

It is, however, helpful to have a guidebook such as Chittister's or de Wall's, in order to understand how the Rule is applied, and what wisdome people have found in it who have actually lived under its strictures for years and even decades. That will help the reader understand what value there is in the Rule.