Taylor MarshallCritiques

Horrifying. I read this as an outsider, wanting to see how such fantastic machinations could possibly work themselves into an apparently well established ecclesial body unchecked. I come away with one thought - if it happened to Roman Catholicism, it can happen to other faiths. "It is to the youth we must go", says the Alta Vendita. A conspiracy this grand could only be accomplished across many decades and generations. Like many diseases of the body, it often goes unnoticed in the early stages, and later, God forbid, becomes an accepted part of the organism, something natural to its condition. The body becomes nothing more than a host for ill, a marionette for the evil one.

As a Christian, I come away with one profound message - a critical battle front in spiritual warfare is in plain sight, but often goes unnoticed and unheeded: protecting the souls of our children from apostasy. Evil is more patient than we expect, and is not confounded waiting hundreds of years to grow strong roots.

The question to anyone reading this should be: how long have they been poisoning generations, and is it far too late to sound an alarm?

Essential reading for any Catholic questioning the direction of the Church

The last book of the series - the story line started out and progressed well. It kept me interested and eager to read more. However, I feel that the ending was extremely unsatisfying! That is not in any way how I thought it would end. The conclusion of the story, and this entire series, feels rushed and thrown together. There were such great explanations and character development throughout the series, yet the end seemed to abandon that technique. Although I didn’t like how the book ended, it would have gone a long way if more time had been spent in explaining decisions, events, and character revelations that took place in the last chapters.

How did Paul's background as a Jewish rabbi inform his message? * Did Paul believe that the Church was one, holy, catholic, and apostolic? Did Paul hold that we are justified by faith alone? Did Paul teach baptismal regeneration? Did Paul hold that one might "fall from grace"? Did Paul consider himself to be a "priest"? Discover a theologian who is sacramental, a churchman who is hierarchical, a mystic who is orthodox-a Paul who is Catholic.

Read this book if you have ever wondered why the Catholic Church specifically claims to be Roman? Catholic theologian Taylor Marshall, Ph.D. provides a layman's account of how Christ chose the Rome as an instrument of redemption for the nations. Beginning with the Old Testament prophets, Dr. Marshall explains how the Messiah would come and assume reign over the nations through the Roman Empire. This book provides an exciting and popular account establishing Rome as 'the Eternal City' of Christ the King.

"Such sparkling insights appear on almost every page, as Taylor Marshall deftly compares various features of Judaism to their Catholic counterparts: the priesthood, vestments, holy days, marriage, and saints, to name but a few. Saint Augustine's dictum, "The New Covenant is in the Old, concealed; the Old Covenant is in the New, revealed" is on full display inThe Crucified Rabbi." -Cale Clarke, Catholic Insight Magazine

The book starts with a short biography of Thomas Aquinas. This is a very easy to read book that would be a great introduction for any young adult. A clear definition on the difference between philosophy and theology is addressed. The author shows us how the philosophical question leads to a theological question and gives some examples. As well as Thomas Aquinas defense that the realms of nature and grace, philosophy and theology, reason and faith are distinct but complementary. The examples given in this book are clear,concise and easy to understand. A perfect primer on the subject. If you are starting your journey on this field of study this is a good first step.½

The Crucified Rabbi is an interesting study of all the ways that Catholic teachings and traditions are derived from Judaism. From the holidays to the Eucharist to the priesthood, religious life, and marriage, he finds connections everywhere. I'm not sure it's all as simple or straightforward as the author makes out, but some parts are extremely compelling and at times it reads like a theologically orthodox Catholic version of Margaret Barker. However, other parts seem more like the theological equivalent of folk etymologies, and leave out the obvious possibility of adoptions from Middle Eastern or European pagan traditions. I also find his use of "Catholic Christian" instead of just "Catholic" to be extremely annoying, I thought we had left that term in the 70s where it belonged. But when the book's good, it's good, and anyone with an interest in the relationship between apostolic Christianity and Judaism will want to pick it up.

Sword and Serpent is a Christian YA novel belonging to that most retro of genres: sword and sandals Christian historical fiction. A retelling of the ancient story of Saint George and the dragon, it takes place during the early days of Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. Driven from their home due to their family's faith, Jurian and his sister Mariam travel across Anatolia and the Mediterranian to Rome to fulfill their mother's dying wish. However, they are not alone. Jurian's rival Casca is hunting them and wants them dead. Luckily, they make some familiar friends (i.e. saints you'll recognize) along the way. Meanwhile in Libya, Sabra is priestess of her city's local god—a god who has been demanding child sacrifices for years, something that is becoming less and less bearable for her. An old prophecy will bring her and Jurian together, just in time for the fight of their lives.

A clean YA historical read. Its Catholicism is rather blatant, but that's usually the case in Roman Empire Christian persecution novels. The cliffhanger ending promises at least one more book, and I think it will be interesting to see where the author goes with the story. Highly recommended for those looking for interesting Catholic historical fiction.

COLE

You’ll come to see that the seemingly endless scandals plaguing the Church are not the result, as so many think, of cultural changes, or of Vatican II, but rather the natural consequences of an orchestrated demonic plot to destroy the Church.