Weekly Giveaway (10/05)

"Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others." - St. Augustine

Because I've built up a large collection of extra books and resources, every week I give away some absolutely free, no strings attached.

Each giveaway lasts seven days with a new one beginning each Friday, and you can enter any time during the week. Check out the past giveaways items here.

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This week we talked a lot about the New Evangelization. There was Fr. Barron's YouTube video on the "7 Great Qualities of a New Evangelist," my own talk on "The New Evangelist," and an interview with Dr. Ralph Martin, expert on the New Evangelization. In addition to those events, this Sunday kicks off the long-awaited Synod on the New Evangelization in Rome.

So in line with that focus, this week's giveaway features two books to help you become a more effective evangelist.

The first is Mark Brumley's How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics and Evangelization (Catholic Answers, paperback, 124 pages.) Mark is the CEO of Ignatius Press and a well-respected apologist who is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live. His book is an excellent field guide on avoiding the traps which threaten all people sharing their faith. Here's the summary from Amazon:

"Not long after converting to the Catholic faith, noted author and apologist Mark Brumley found himself in a discussion with a Protestant friend. Secure in his newfound faith—and feeling somewhat superior to his "less-enlightened" friend—Brumley smugly said, "Yes, I, too, used to think as you do." It was an outburst of pride that undermined Brumley's arguments for the faith and likely drove his friend further away from the truth. Brumley had just committed one of the seven "sins" he describes in his remarkable book, How Not to Share Your Faith: The Seven Deadly Sins of Catholic Apologetics and Evangelization.
 
In the book, Brumley describes seven of the most common and tragic mistakes he and other apologists have made over the years in their attempts to defend and explain the Catholic faith. More importantly, he reveals how you can avoid these mistakes and become far more effective at sharing your faith in a charitable way. Brumley's book isn't only about how to argue more effectively or how to make your points more clearly. It's about finding the most effective way to share your faith—even if that means losing an argument from time to time."

 
The second giveaway book is co-authored by Dr. Peter Kreeft and Fr. Ron Tacelli, two sharp philosophy professors at Boston College. The Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics (Intervarsity Press, paperback, 142 pages) is a slimmer, pocket-sized version of their must-read Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Here's the description from Amazon:

"'Be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you,' wrote the apostle Peter. That is what apologetics is all about. Here is a concise, informative guide for anyone looking for answers to questions of faith and reason. Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli have condensed their popular Handbook of Christian Apologetics, summarizing the foremost arguments for major Christian teachings and offering compelling responses to the most common arguments put forward against Christianity.

In this book you'll find answers to questions about:

• faith and reason
• the existence of God
• creation and evolution
• predestination and free will
• miracles
• the problem of evil
• Christ and the resurrection
• the reliability of the Bible
• life after death
• heaven and hell
• salvation and other religions
• objective truth

The Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics is the place to begin for people with questions about Christianity."

 

 
In order to win this week's giveaway, leave a comment below answering this question:

What do you find most difficult about sharing your faith?

 

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The winner will be randomly selected next Friday and the giveaway item will be sent out, free-of-charge, shortly thereafter.

UPDATE:

The drawing is now closed. Congratulations to Heather T. for winning this week! Check your e-mail for instructions on receiving the book. If you don’t see an e-mail from me, check your spam box—apparently e-mails with “giveaway” in the title are prone to end up there.

In the future I'll be giving away more books and resources, sometimes multiple items per giveaway! So subscribe via feed reader or email to ensure you never miss your chance to win.