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Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church
vBulletin Book Store > vBulletin books beginning with T
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Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church |
Author: H. W. Crocker III
Published: 2001-09-23 |
List price: $19.95
Our price: $13.57
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As of: December 04th, 2008 08:01:01 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Fun but flawed history
If you are looking for a scholarly, objective history of the Catholic Church...look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a rollicking, politically incorrect romp through the history of Catholicism, you have found it in "Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church."
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br /H.W. Crocker makes no apologies for the Church or her members, and in many ways this is refreshing. A standard preconception today is that "religion poisons everything," and Catholicism is the most poisonous religion of them all. Yet an objective look through history reveals that the Catholic religion is the foundation for most of Western civilization -from our hospitals to our universities to our view of human rights. Crocker is sure to emphasize these highlights in a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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br /However, one must also be truthful to history, and the reality is that some of the sons and daughters of the Church - often acting in the name of the Church - have failed enormously to live up to the ideals of the Church's founder, Jesus Christ. At times Crocker's overlooking of these errors are harmless; other times, less so. For example, Crocker places no blame at all on Catholics for the events leading to the great schism between Eastern and Western Christians, although all objective observers today agree that both sides did many things to foster and further the schism that rent Christendom in two. By defending actions that are indefensible, Crocker does not help advance the goal that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict desire greatly: the reunion of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches.
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br /That being said, I would still recommend this book as a counter-balance to the typical history that we all received in the educational system. Croker's entertaining style and bold defense of the Church, while flawed at times, is effective in reminding one of the legitimate "power and glory" that is the Catholic Church.
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 What a CROCK..er
I should have known right off the bat that this book was the Fox News version of a Catholic history book by the mere fact that the top three reviews on the rear cover were by Hannity, Buckley and Novak; after all, can we think of three more shining examples of Catholic moral and social fabric in this country? Wow. You don't have to get very far into this literary drivel to see the slant that Mr. Crocker is coming from, with his borderline deification of Constantine and the fact that only five pages were devoted to the actual Man who started this whole faith in the first place. So often do Christian history books overlook the very basis of the story, namely the life of Christ Himself and so conveniently does this book completely omit any mention whatsoever of what is arguably the most important "speech" ever orated, the Sermon on the Mount. In my experience that is the one passage in Scripture that if most right-of-center "theologians" and politicians could strike from the record, they would do so gladly, and I'm sure that Mr. Crocker, like those who so happily lent their names to the back cover, is no exception. His understanding of the Reformation is laughable at best, relegating Martin Luther to little more than an abused child with a George Carlin-esque fixation on potty humour. Crocker's assumption, backed by less than reputable sources to say the least, was that Luther's decision to become a monk was out of a need to escape an abusive household. Being in a period of discernment myself, I find it hard to believe that anyone would become a priest, monk or pastor out of a desire to escape from something; certainly not a man of Luther's moral and intellectual ilk. Crocker's take on Luther's view of the Eucharist was downright slanderous, if not completely and utterly incorrect and his basically favorable view of indulgences only served to strengthen the Protestant view of the Church's fabricated ideas on penance. Luther's was a desire to reform the Church, not break from it, much like that of another suppressed, would-be reformer from an abusive household, St. Francis of Assisi. The only difference was that Francis possessed a greater degree of restraint and did not directly challenge the pope so the hierarchy of Francis' time saw him as little more than an eccentric and an oddball, but of no threat to their own power. His "reformation" quietly passed by the wayside. This book serves as nothing more than a Catholic rallying cry with absolutely no substance to back it up. My attack is not on Catholics as a whole, but the loud, alpha-male minority over the past 2,000 years, continuing today, who have done nothing but hijacked the Christian faith and turned it into a corporation. This book is the mission statement of that corporation. It minimizes, if not attempts to completely absolve, the Church of any and all wrongdoing during the Crusades and Inquisition and takes it further by claiming that those aforementioned travesties were justified! Being a convert to Lutheranism from Catholicism, I fully understand the idea of questioning an archaic and all too often, closed minded and closed off hierarchy. In full, I give it one star out of sheer entertainment value. The laughs were worth giving it a star because if the book were meant to be satire or parody, it might've topped the best-seller's list. Try Paul Johnson's, "A History of Christianity."
 Anti-Italian and ignorant
As an Italian-American I found this book to be patently offensive. The author takes every opportunity to slander and defame the Italian people making snide remarks as often as possible. His view of Italian immigrants reminded me of reading Jacob Riis with its turn-of-the-century ignorance. Crocker also does not seem to have a good grasp of Irish Catholic history and has an obvious bent toward mother England. Perhaps that's his Anglican background shining through. It's obvious this book has an agenda and I specifically don't recommend it for the impressionable recent convert for this reason.
 Chonology of papal Succession
I have been looking for a book that would place the Papal succession in sync with world events, well, I largely found what I'd been looking for. "triumph: the Power and the glory of the Roman Catholic Church" gives an awesome insite of what the various Popes had to endure to be leaders of the Christian and later the Roman Catholic faith. Having read this book it seems a miracle in it self that Christ's church has been so vibrant throughout all the wars onslaughts etc. etc.
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Great history and very entertaining
A very good historical record of the Church that pulls no punches and is a very fun and witty read. Triumph reads more like a novel than a history book. One word of caution however this book is not for "liberal Catholics". Mr. Crocker speaks the truth without worrying about "ecumenical" and other feel good I'm okay your okay gobledeegook
br /A must read for any serious Catholic who wants to know about the Triumph of Christs church through the ages.
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