Catholic Concerns: Where Does the Road to Rome Lead?
By Mary Ann Collins
IUniverse, 2008, 272 pages
If you browse through a Christian bookstore these days, there’s an excellent chance you won’t see any critical examinations of Roman Catholicism on the shelves. Why not? The ecumenism that’s rampant today is intolerant of anyone who is so “uncharitable” as to suggest that Rome teaches a different gospel.
But there are MANY resources available that expose Rome’s false gospel of sacramental grace and merit, you just have to know where to look (see here for my books list and here for my list of links).
Occasionally, I stumble upon a book that’s available as a free PDF download, like “Catholic Concerns” by Mary Ann Collins. Ms. Collins was a secular humanist who eventually converted to Catholicism and spent two years as a postulant and novice nun. Advised by her religious “superiors” that religious life wasn’t for her, she left the convent, began attending Protestant services, and eventually accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior by faith alone.
Between 2003 and 2010, Collins self-published eight books on Roman Catholicism and maintained a website, CatholicConcerns.com (no longer functioning).
“Catholic Concerns” is a very good overview of the differences between Roman Catholicism and Biblical Christianity from a “layperson’s” perspective. Collins is not a theologian or an academic, just a born-again believer in Christ who has a sincere heart for lost Catholic souls. The writing is unpolished to a degree and the material begs for professional editing, but every Roman Catholic and evangelical would greatly benefit by reading this book. This isn’t an angry and hateful harangue against Catholicism from a bitter ex-member, but a loving invitation to Catholics to “Come, see a Man” (John 4:29).
Chapters:
- Competing Worldviews
- Mixing Catholicism with Non-Christian Religions
- Mary Worship
- The Eucharist (Catholic Communion)
- Wide Variety in Catholic Beliefs
- Who Gave Us the Bible?
- Was Peter the Pope?
- Invalid Popes
- Reflections on Unpleasant History
- The Birth of the Roman Catholic Church
- Tradition
- Infallibility
- Faith versus Works
- The Good Thief
- Ecumenism
- Faith Under Fire
- Appendices A-G
To access a free PDF of “Catholic Concerns” see here.
I usually prefer to read hard copy if I can, so I printed out the PDF double-sided and had it spiral bound at Staples for $6.00.
Enjoy and be blessed!
excatholic4christ 
Wow you are on a reading roll! That’s the second book you reviewed in two days! Thanks for another review and also link to a free version of the book
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They were short and easy to read. Finishing up a similar one today, but I’ll sit on the review until next week because my readers demand variety! 😁 BTW, I picked up a library book yesterday and stumbled across two excellent books at Amazon today so I have enough reading material for the next month, always have to have at least 2 or 3 in the queue.
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Good to hear!
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I’m so excited to read this, brother! I’m reading her testimony now, praise God He saved her! Thank you for sharing this, God bless you!
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Thanks, sister! I really enjoyed this book – simple but lots of good information, and she included a lot of her personal experiences so it’s not one of those difficult, strictly theological reads. The appendices provide same very practical information and guidance for those who have accepted Christ and left Catholicism, but are being pressured by family to return. I didn’t experience that but for many ex-Catholics the family/cultural bond to the RCC is extremely strong. Thanks for checking it out and God bless you, too, sister!
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I think that meekness, humility, docility, wisdom and unity are more important than the arrogance and divisiveness of untrained and unschooled rebellion.
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Regarding wisdom, are you referring to the wisdom of pope Francis who has lifted the ban on communion to remarried divorcees or the wisdom of cardinals Caffarra, Burke, Brandmüller, and Meisner who oppose him?
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The Pope made a footnote, he didn’t make a new definition. The actions of those Cardinals seems to be based in some other motivation which is simply dubiously biased.
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A change in doctrine via a footnote is a mark of purposeful shrewdness and ambiguity. I cited four names but you are aware as well as I am that all conservative prelates and the EWTN crowd are alarmed by Francis’ “wisdom.”
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As history proves, Cardinals can be masters of mistakes.
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Cardinals AND popes. JPII would not have endorsed the Amoris footnote. It explicitly contradicts his Familiaris Consortio.
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If you read FC, you will begin to understand how Francis continues on what St. John Paul intended. For example, in FC 81, he states: “The pastors and the ecclesial community should take care to become acquainted with such situations and their actual causes, case by case. They should make tactful and respectful contact with the couples concerned, and enlighten them patiently, correct them charitably and show them the witness of Christian family life, in such a way as to smooth the path for them to regularize their situation.” He also allows divorced and invalidly remarried couple to live together under the appearance of siblings…something which is obviously counter to the wisdom of avoiding situations which can lead a person into sin, like proximity.
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https://romalocutaest.com/2017/11/09/amoris-laetitia-and-the-confusion-of-those-contradicting-the-magisterium-of-john-paul-ii/
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Your link caused my app to crash. Must be a really bad site.
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Actually, it’s a WordPress blog…hardly a bad site.
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Ok. But, it did crash. So, I will pass. Thank you for chatting.
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Have a pleasant Memorial Day, Francis.
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Thank you! You, too my friend. 🙂
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