(This is a review of A Journey in Roman Catholicism, by
Richard P. Belcher. The book was published 2004 by Richbarry
Press, Columbia, S.C., United States of America. ISBN:
1-883265-25-8. The version which I reviewed was paperback, 220
pages. I would like to thank my good friend Lena Kittrell for
shipping the book to me from the United States).
Apparently this book
comes from a series of books by Belcher, all written as
'theological novels'. In his Introduction, we learn of at
least eleven earlier books of this kind. Of course, without
doubt, many will have avidly read them all.
But the whole concept of a 'theological novel' is entirely
new to me, and I quickly wondered if I would be able to cope with
what, to me, is a somewhat odd mix; after all, is not theology a
most serious and vital discipline, indeed, a discipline which
many of us preachers/writers just wish that the average
church-goer would take a whole lot more seriously?
I also hold strong views on fictional writing even though I
rarely read fiction any longer. To me, there are the truly great
writers and novellists, such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Ibsen,
Chekhov, Eugene O' Neill, Steinbeck, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Then
there are a huge army of 'lesser mortal' writers; some of these
are quite reasonable writers, but my belief is that a large
majority of this army simply write trash and are quite content to
go on writing trash, especially if it is profitable
trash.
The great writers seem to me to have perfected the art of
writing. Much of their work is moving, inspiring, comforting,
encouraging but challenging too; they were masters of their
craft.
I also firmly believe that standards in almost all areas of human
endeavour have fallen during the twentieth century; we see this
in what kind of music is now considered 'acceptable' (is John
Cage really any kind of an improvement on Tchaikovsky, or
Elgar?); we see it in 'Christian understanding' (somebody said to
me the other day that Word-faith, or the 'prosperity gospel' is
probably the most fitting theological correlation/exposition of a
society in which greed, gain and success are now seen as supreme
deities!); we see it in standards of human behaviour (can anybody
explain to me why our modern western media think that modesty and
decency are a joke, but that scoffing, derision and the regular
use of foul language are very much 'in' and 'cool', even though
if you or I called at the home of any media tycoon and started to
use foul language we would be quickly ejected?).
Certainly in the area of writing and drama we are faced with a
lamentable situation in which our children and young people are
no longer built-up and inspired by the words of Holy Scripture,
or by Ibsen, Dickens or O'Neill (the latter three writers of
course, were not inspired by God as Scripture is, but certainly
have the power to challenge and to inspire), but instead are
bombarded with the uselessness, meaninglessness, banality and
frequently immorality of television soap opera. This cannot even
be called "drama" in its more noble tradition and much of it
seems to have as much to do with quality writing as the late film
actor John Wayne had to do with embroidery!
In short, we no longer seem to encourage our children to strive
for high goals and high ideals, but seem to be saying to them,
'If you just want to lay down there in the gutter and wallow in
the mire, that is a perfectly acceptable "alternative
lifestyle"', so much so, that schools now often have 'wallow
in the moral mire' lessons on the curriculum for their pupils!!
(Of course, they give these lessons 'posh' names like, 'An
appreciation of alternative lifestyles', or,
'Understanding the issues of sexuality').
Okay, I have digressed from our subject quite enough, back to Dr
Belcher's book!!
I would say two things about this book:
1. Great reformed theology which is carefully explained in a
manner which anybody should be able to cope with.
2. Not very good fiction! I was reminded of Chandler's Philip
Marlowe in that the 'side plot' was just too preposterous and
hard to swallow; Chandler got away with it because of a certain
speed, flair and swagger, but not the writer here. The character
'Dink' too could be out straight of Philip Marlowe:
'"Hey, Preacha, where ya goin' sa fast?" he inquired.'
(Page 2).
The plot centers around the framing of a Baptist minister, Ira
Pointer - not a murder framing, a la Marlowe, but the frame-up is
that he has written a book extolling the virtues of Roman
Catholic theology! I was just amazed that everybody, especially
the Principal at the seminary at which he lectured, quickly
believed and fell for the frame-up hook, line and sinker! Had
Dr Pointer never built up any previous credibility?
Okay, so the side plot did not work for me and, very soon, I did
not read the portions of the book which kept this story going,
and went straight to the theology!
But I was pleasantly pleased with Dr Belcher's style of
theological explanation. In the story, Ira Pointer goes right
through the main and pivotal differences between Protestant
reformed and Roman Catholic theology. Dr Belcher sets out to do
this in a simple and logical way, just for the reader who has
never taken a theology degree. In this, he brilliantly succeeds!
And Richard Belcher should be congratulated for this.
Belcher shows an outstanding flair for clear, logical and concise
explanation. He notes many points from the history of the Roman
Catholic Church and compares many of these theological/doctrinal
points with clear biblical statements. Yet his approach is always
'lets just take one step at a time'. He finally builds up
a powerful case against Catholicism for misappropriation and
abuse of the Scriptures. Of course, many of us never doubted
this, but Belcher should be commended for adopting an approach
which is so easily accessible to all.
Let us imagine a lady called Joyce. Joyce has never done much
in-depth scriptural study, yet she is of God's own Elect and
knows the truth. But how can Joyce explain - in relatively simple
terms - how her equally sincere Roman Catholic friend, Ruth is
wrong in her adoration of Mary? Any explanation needs to be
really simple and straightforward for both Joyce and Ruth. It
needs to be based on showing what certain Scriptures clearly say
then comparing that with how Catholic theology made changes
away from the truth of Scripture and toward certain
traditions which sounded rather appealing, despite having no
scriptural basis. Any such explanation would need to be clear,
logical yet always relatively brief and concise. Richard
Belcher's book succeeds brilliantly in this role. This book is
just right for the many thousands of Joyces in this world.
I really warm to the way he tackles one point at a time,
explaining in 3 or 4 points what the position is, then comparing
this with Scriptural teaching. In fact, my admiration for his
clarity made me consider his on-going dramatic sub-plot (which
certainly did not work for me) once again. My feeling is that
many may warm to this style and may enjoy the story. It is well
known that in an age of television and video many have much
shorter attention spans than their grandparents did. I think that
Dr Belcher can succeed here, with his determination to keep
things simple and clear, and brief, accompanied by a story of
intrigue which will certainly appeal to some.
Another thought occurred to me:
The paperback version of this book has a picture of a cathedral
on the cover and, of course, it is called 'A Journey in Roman
Catholicism' - is it just possible that a few people will
purchase this book because they may feel it is a brief
explanation of the teachings of a Roman Catholic Church they are
feeling strongly called towards?? And might not this book provide
a powerful warning to these people?
Congratulations, Dr Belcher!
Robin A. Brace
2004.