Book Study Signup
Thank you for your interest in the Thomistic Institute's book studies! We are offering three texts this year that provide a wide range of Thomistic thought. No matter your knowledge-level of philosophy or Catholicism, the books and book study leaders will be able to guide your understanding of the text. If you have any questions, please contact the book study coordinator, Ellie Kirby, at ekirby@iastate.edu.

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THE ONE(S) YOU ARE INTERESTED IN - YOU DO NOT NEED TO FILL IN EVERY SINGLE ONE
Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Email *
Please enter your name *
Please enter your phone number *

In the Beginning: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall

In the Beginning: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall

by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger


Difficulty: Beginner
Page Count: 112

In four superb homilies and a concluding essay, Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, provides a clear and inspiring exploration of the Genesis creation narratives. While the stories of the world’s creation and the fall of humankind have often been subjected to reductionism of one sort or another ― literalists treat the Bible as a science textbook whereas rationalists divorce God from creation ― Ratzinger presents a rich, balanced Catholic understanding of these early biblical writings and attests to their enduring vitality.

Beginning each homily with a text selected from the first three chapters of Genesis, Ratzinger discusses, in turn, God the creator, the meaning of the biblical creation accounts, the creation of human beings, and sin and salvation; in the appendix he unpacks the beneficial consequences of faith in creation.
If you are interested in participating in this book study, when are you free to meet if you would like to participate? (Select ALL that apply):
Is there anyone you would prefer to be in a group with (if there is more than one section)?

Heretics

by G.K. Chesterton

Heretics

by G.K. Chesterton

Difficulty: Intermediate
Page Count: 206

For well over a hundred years now, many scholars have questioned the historical truth of the Heretics (1905), written by renowned English author Gilbert Keith Chesterton, is a collection of essays where one by one he takes the battle to the major intellectuals of his day, many of whom he knew personally, including George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, and Matthew Arnold. Through witty and thought-provoking arguments, Chesterton criticizes their views on morality, religion, and society. He argues that their views are shallow and do not reflect a deep understanding of the issues. 

He also touches on topics ranging from Cosmology to Anthropology to Soteriology and argues against Nihilism, Humanism, Utilitarianism, Social Darwinism, Eugenics, and more. Along with his book "Orthodoxy," this book constitutes Chesterton's most significant and widely read contributions to Christian moral theology and apologetics. Published over a century ago, Heretics remains an insightful and engaging read that continues to inspire readers today.
If you are interested in participating in this book study, when are you free to meet if you would like to participate? (Select ALL that apply):
Is there anyone you would prefer to be in a group with (if there is more than one section)?

The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism

by Thomas Joseph White

The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism

by Thomas Joseph White

Difficulty: Advanced
Page Count: 328

The Light of Christ provides an accessible presentation of Catholicism that is grounded in traditional theology, but engaged with a host of contemporary questions or objections. Inspired by the theologies of Irenaeus, Thomas Aquinas and John Henry Newman, and rooted in a post-Vatican II context, Fr. Thomas Joseph White presents major doctrines of the Christian religion in a way that is comprehensible for non-specialists: knowledge of God, the mystery of the Trinity, the Incarnation and the atonement, the sacraments and the moral life, eschatology and prayer.


At the same time, The Light of Christ also addresses topics such as evolution, the modern historical study of Jesus and the Bible, and objections to Catholic moral teaching. Touching on the concerns of contemporary readers, Fr. White examines questions such as whether Christianity is compatible with the findings of the modern sciences, do historical Jesus studies disrupt or confirm the teaching of the faith, and does history confirm the antiquity of Catholic claims.

If you are interested in participating in this book study, when are you free to meet if you would like to participate? (Select ALL that apply):
Is there anyone you would prefer to be in a group with (if there is more than one section)?
Next
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy

Does this form look suspicious? Report

Google Forms