Chapter Synopsis 1 - Are You There? Beginning with a visit to a synagogue, readers learn of God's initial intervention in the author's life. 2 - Discovering the "New" in the "Old" One God in Three Persons? * Trinity as key to understanding Christianity * Humanity's creation and fall * God's plan of salvation enfolded in Israel's history, religious rites, poetry, and prophecy. 3 - Jesus, Through the Eyes of Faith Jesus' life as the fulfillment of Israel's hopes, and window into the inner dynamics of the Trinity * Complete God, and complete man * Relationship with the Law of Moses * Fulfillment of prophecies * Passover and crucifixion * Resurrection and ascension * How He achieved humanity's salvation * Personal union with Jesus effected through Baptism 4- Sharing His Anointing "Baptism in the Spirit?" * A Sacrament of Confirmation? * Attending a "non-denominational church * Catholicism's authoritarianism and unbiblical elements 5 - Every Boy Needs His Mother (and Brothers and Sisters too) Brief sharing of how God used events, but primarily Scipture, to overcome the author's misgivings regarding Catholic and Orthodox teaching on the Virgin Mary: her immaculate conception * life-long virginity * model discipleship * assumption into heaven * motherhood of all Christians * intercessory prayer * The Christian's relation to the whole "communion of saints." 6 - Confession and the Ongoing Nature of Salvation Salvation, a life-long process * Faith or Works? * Salvation can be lost * But regained through a confession of sin *This practice in Scripture and the early Church * Purgatory? 7 - Putting the Word in Context Interpreting the Bible: inspiration * freedom from error? * historical-critical method * different literary genres must be taken into account * the four "senses" of Scripture 8 - The End of Some Things Correctly interpreting the Book of Revelation - is it really about the end of the world? * Millenium * Rapture * Suffering and persecution of Church * Public vs. private revelation * What signs will precede Jesus' return? * An infallible book cries out for an infallible interpreter 9 - Sharing Jesus' Passion in Our Dating and Marriage Marriage as a sacrament and image of Trinity * John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" * Prevalent errors: contraception * non-marital sex * homosexual behavior * divorce * Annulments 10 - College: Friendships Inside and "Outside" the Church Church as Christ's Mystical Body * Working for unity among Christians * Salvation of non-Christians? 11 - Loose Ends Finally Tied Strong Catholic teachers opened author's eyes to the authority of the Church in matters of not just doctrine, but discipline. 12 - The Church and the Word of God Scripture and early Church writings illustrate: Apostles as foundations for a renewed Israel * Simon-Peter's function as Rock / Primeminister * Apostles' sharing of authority with those ordained to succeed them * God-given Tradition * Church authority determined contents of the New Testament * Loving the Church amidst scandals 13 - Who Are My Brothers and Sisters? Strong Catholic convictions do not negate the bonds shared with other Christians - the Catholic vision increases them! 14 - The Eucharist: Source and Summit Scriptural and early Church teaching regarding the Eucharist: our point of entrance into Jesus' sacrifice * His continuing "Real Presence" within the Church * The change of the bread and wine * Sequence of the Mass 15 - Parting Thoughts Appendix I - The Logic of Belief in God No conflict between science and faith * Aquinas' Five Proofs * Cosmology's revelation: a universe fine-tuned for life * Big Bang * Anthropic principle * No threat from evolution * Moral order demands a source Appendix II - Why Jesus' Claims Deserve a Hearing His claim, that of a Jew to be the One God, sets Him apart from the founders of every other world religion * Leaves us with only three alternatives Appendix III - A Christian View of the New Age Movement A far cry from harmless fun Appendix IV - The Old Testament "Apocrypha" Why do Catholic Bibles have a longer Old Testament than Protestant versions? Appendix V - The Validity of Infant Baptism A practice based soundly upon Scripture and Tradition Appendix VI - Should All Christians Receive "Tongues"? Many Christians involved in the Pentecostal, or Charismatic, Movement claim that all Christians receive the biblical gift of tongues, they have only to yield to it * view is a misinterpretation of Scripture Appendix VII - Scripture is Without Error While firmly rejecting fundamentalism, every Christian should still feel able to affirm Scripture's freedom from error * Different literary genres * Inerrancy constant teaching of Christian Church |
"Shane Kapler deals with the most profound and complex issues of our faith, and he does so with simplicity and clarity." Bishop Robert Hermann, Archdiocese of St. Louis
In the introduction, Kapler bills The God Who is Love as 'theological one stop shopping.' I'd say he delivered. Steeped in scriptural, philosophical, and historical insight, it is proudly Catholic, yet benevolently ecumenical - a heartfelt lesson that appeals to mind and soul."
Kevin Vost, Psy.D., author of From Atheism to Catholicism and Unearthing Your Ten Talents 
"Shane Kapler has given us a compendium of truth borne along by a compelling narrative. His book is both a moving charismatic testimony and an engaging Catholic catechesis.
That's a rare combination - and a grace for the reader." Mike Aquilina, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology 
"Shane shows us how to meet the Truth who is Christ where he has always been found: not in a specially sterilized room full of theological abstractions, but in the concrete ordinariness of everyday life."
Mark Shea, author of By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition 
"Mr. Kapler has written a superb synthesis of Christian doctrine. Immensely enjoyable and readable, informed, and surprisingly deep in its explorations of the mysteries of the Faith, it solidly deserves a place among the most outstanding recent works of Catholic apologetics."
Roy Schoeman, convert to Catholicism from Judaism and author of Salvation Is From The Jews: The Role of Judaism in Salvation History
Reviewed by
Dr. Kevin Vost on June 26, 2009
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