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Foreword vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Section 1 Sola Scriptura 1
Sola Scriptura: A Blueprint for Anarchy 4
Going Beyond 23
Don't Touch That Bible! 27
Those "Extra" Books in the Bible 33
A Catholic/Protestant Debate on Sola Scriptura Between Patrick Madrid and Douglas Jones 36
The Madrid/Jones Dialogue on Scripture and the Church 43
Section 2 Comparative Religions 53
Modern Art and Muslims 57
Mormon Missionaries: My First Encounter 60
In Search of the Great Apostasy 64
The Iconoclast Heresy 72
A Short Course on Judaism 75
A Short Course on Hinduism 79
Picking Fruit and Petting Animals 82
Saturday or Sunday? 85
What's New About the "New Atheism"? 88
Section 3 Saints and Holy People 95
Blessed Miguel Pro, Modern Martyr 98
Any Friend of God's Is a Friend of Mine 103
Mary, Ark of the New Covenant: A Biblical Look at the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 118
Does Honoring Mary and the Saints Offend God? 125
Rapid City's Straight-Talking Bishop 132
Frank Sheed: The Prophet of Hyde Park 149
Divine Word Missionaries in the American South 158
Section 4 All Things Catholic 163
An Interview With The Wanderer Newpaper 166
Wine or Whine? 172
Pope Fiction: Answers to Five Myths and Misconceptions About the Papacy 176
More Vicarius Thrills: The Numbers of the "Beast" and the Men Who Flub Them 192
Guess What, Mom 204
Purgatory: God's Emergency Room for Sinners 211
Common Sense Checked at the Door 224
A Big Blast of Smells and Bells: Discovering the Catholic Church's Eastern Rite 233
When Opportunity Knocks… 241
Sects and Sin in Manila 242
Section 5 Life, Morality, and Scandals 251
The Five Most Pathetic Words: "I Am a Pro-Choice Catholic," 255
N.O.W., Hear This! 261
Here Comes the Son 263
They Will Know We Aren't Christians by Our Hate! 265
The Porn Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost 267
This Is No Time for Happy-Face Stickers 270
Section 6 Prayer, Forgiveness, and Doing the Right Thing 275
How I Pray Now 278
Life Is Short. Pray Hard. 282
Are Novenas No-Nos? 285
Forgiveness 289
Do the Right Thing 295
Forgive From the Heart 299
Fatherhood 303
An Embarrassing Case of Sacramental Mistaken Identity 308
If You Love Them, Tell Them 311
Epilogue: "Pat-Pourri" 315
Notes 317
Index 325
Scripture Index 337
In the introduction to his new book, Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid describes the nature of apologetics and gives some background on his 25-year career in the field. He defines apologetics as offering a reasoned defense of something, in this case, the Catholic faith. A cradle Catholic from a devout home, Madrid began working with Karl Keating of Catholic Answers in 1988. Keating, a San Diego lawyer, was producing a newsletter and writing tracts on Catholicism, which he attached to car windshields in response to “papering” by fundamentalists attacking the Church. In the late ‘80s he gave up his law practice in favor of full-time apologetics. Early in their association, Madrid and Keating connected with Scott Hahn, a former minister who had converted to Catholicism, and shared their goals regarding apologetics. Madrid captures the excitement and challenges in the late 1980s and early ‘90s as Catholic apologetics experienced a resurgence: debating, teaching, speaking, writing and, above all, learning. The theme of growth in the practice of apologetics comes up throughout the book, which consists of material Madrid has produced (mostly written, but also in broadcast media) during his career. Most pieces are blueprints for meeting specific criticisms of Catholic dogma in sections such as comparative religions (for example, Muslims and Mormons) and life, morality, and scandals (for example, “pro-choice” Catholics and radical feminists). In addition, Madrid offers copies of his two written debates with a Reformed Evangelical Protestant; an essay on Frank Sheed, whom he considers one of the twentieth century’s greatest apologists; and personal reflections on prayer and fatherhood. He points out that learning about our own faith and that of our detractors is basic to fulfilling our call to evangelize. This book, Envoy for Christ, is a good starting place.
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