Theology and Sanity
64. Frank Sheed, Theology and Sanity
In essence, this book sets forth the major doctrines of the Catholic Church in plain, intelligible language that is aimed toward the average person rather than a scholar of theology. Sheed’s central thesis is that sanity is the knowledge and acceptance of reality as it truly is, and that the Church is the ultimate possessor of this reality; therefore, sanity is belief. The book itself is divided into three main parts: a description God vis-à-vis Himself, an account of God’s relationship with mankind in history, and an examination of human behavior in the light of Christian revelation.
Obviously, this book is written from a Catholic perspective, and there are several things in it that would irritate or offend a non-Catholic. However, I think it’s a very good book for explaining the central beliefs of Catholicism (and Christianity more generally), and I would recommend it to anyone who is simply curious about what Catholics believe. The sections on the doctrine of the Trinity are particularly well done; the doctrine is basically unimaginable to the human mind, but Sheed demonstrates that it can be supported (if not fully explained) by human reason. I learned a lot from this book, and it gave me a new perspective on certain ideas. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys or is curious about Catholic theology.