Because God Is Real: Sixteen Questions, One Answer

This book is written for younger Catholics, but I found it to be helpful for the adult reader as well. Its question/answer format answers the questions that many young adults ask. The answers are written in a clear/concise and understandable way. Peter Kreeft has an excellent command of the material and he delivers it in non-pandering way. I bought this book for my confirmation candidate and all of my godchildren. It is also great for non-Catholics.

Peter Kreeft has distilled decades of wisdom about Thomistic theology and Catholic apologetics into a wonderful explanation of the Faith for young readers. Targeting students of Confirmation age -- adolescents to teens -- Kreeft poses a series of skeptical questions about God and gives thorough, charitable, and orthodox answers. While every chapter is praiseworthy, his answers to "Why is Jesus different?" are exceptional. Here is a sample: "The center of Christianity is Jesus because Jesus is not just a great human being; Jesus is God. The center of Islam is not Muhammad, because Muhammad, like Moses, claimed only to be a prophet, not God. The center of Budddhism is not Buddha, because Buddha, like the Hindu gurus, claimed only to be an enlightened man, not God. ... But Jesus is the center of Christianity because Jesus claimed to be God, and Christians believe that claim. ... The divinity of Christ is the distinctive Christian belief: it is the one thing all Christians believe and no one else does. If a Christian ceases to believe this, he ceases to be a Christian. If a non-Christian comes to believe this, he becomes a Christian." If any of what is excerpted above appeals to you, this is your book, as it is chock full of similar aphoristic expressions of Catholicism. There is a tremendous gap in catechetical materials for middle school-aged students; Peter Kreeft has helped fill it. Make "Because God Is Real" your standard Confirmation gift. (Yet readers of all ages will benefit from reading it.)