Catholicism Series 5Set Version

Love Bishop Baron's presentation, and it thoughtfully covers most subjects about the church well and stylishly. I'd give it 5 stars but Amazon packed it badly and now it's too smashed up to give as a gift. I recommend buying it directly from Word on Fire, which is what I'll have to do now.

I have watched the whole series several times and cannot recommend it too highly. Beautifully produced (on a shoestring), intelligent, lucid, engaging, the series (like Catholicism itself) works on several levels. The Church has gone through a dark period, 40 years in the wilderness of self-inflicted wounds - scandal and a kind of beige accommodation to the times that produced some of the worst liturgical excesses, music, art, and architecture in the Church's history.Father Barron does not dodge the issues that have preoccupied critics of the Church from within and without, but he does not let them set his agenda. Instead the series tells the Church's own story, restoring the color and beauty of the faith as an incarnational and sacramental religion like no other. Barron explores the relation of faith to reason, of Christian religion to science, of sensuous art and mystical experience to theology and philosophy.Drawing on some of the greatest analytic minds of the past two millennia as well as the Church's mystics, artists, architects, and poets, Barron offers us a rich tapestry of the faith and its adherents throughout the world. Some of the images of piety and devotion of masses of ordinary people in Uganda and at Fatima, as well of the living patrimony of great art and architecture, are unforgettable.I recommend watching (and buying if possible) the whole series. It is organized thematically rather than as historical narrative. Every theme reinforces and speaks to all the others. All are expounded through engaging and clarifying stories, similes, and images. Barron draws us in from the start with an arresting challenge to the mushy view that reduces Jesus to a great teacher, like other religious founders, even a kind of Deepak Chopra of his day. But his followers were "amazed and afraid" in the presence of the God-Man, who asked his disciples, not what people thought of his teachings, but who they said he was. The challenge is that Christianity confronts us with a stark choice - either Jesus was who he said he was (in which case we owe him everything) or he was a bad man who deluded himself and others. This challenge is at the heart of Rabbi Jacob Neusner's imagined dialogue with Jesus ( A Rabbi Talks With Jesus ) and Pope Benedict's engagement with Neusner ( Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration ).The series is an extraordinary contribution to the "New Evangelization" proclaimed by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. As such it will appeal to those Catholics, especially the young, who yearn for an orthodox, confident, holy Catholicism. It will inform and challenge others whose only knowledge of the faith derives from its critics and enemies. For those who, with a few knock-down arguments, condemn unheard the Church and its profound contribution to (especially but not only) Western civilization, science, ethics, and culture, this is a unique opportunity to hear the other side. Audi alteram partem!

Father Barron is becoming a prominent voice not only for Roman Catholicism but also for mainstream Christianity. Why? Because the good priest is able to communicate in an amiable an intelligent manner those truths that nearly all Christians profess, but often find a little difficult to articulate to an increasingly hostile media environment. (Note I did not say intellectual environment; it is a media-driven hyped up rejection of traditional values, norms and truths which is taking place.) And let's be honest, he is rather photogenic. Looks and style aside, Fr. Barron tackles head on and with love those issues most pressing upon believers and non-believers alike. So with his formidable reputation coming to this project, the expectations were high. The result will not leave viewers disappointed. This is simply the best dvd available on the subject in both scope and content.Beginning with the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he moves forward through history showing how the Roman Catholic tradition has answered the questions of head, heart and history to proclaim the salvation of God which is at hand, and which is present in the Church awaiting the Lord's return. Shot on location around the world over a period of four years, one really gets the sense of the places and times involved in the Church's history. What is most compelling about Fr Barron's presentation is that he continually ties it all back to our salvation and why what is preached really is "good news" to a seeking and confused world. No dry theology here. It is alive and vibrant and everything that is winsome about Roman Catholicism, from its preservation of the gospel in the bible and the saints' lives, to the multifaceted and universal manifestation of that gospel message in liturgy, art and philosophy. I only wish the series were longer. I want more!Viewers may also find  Civilisation: Complete Series  to be of interest, as it covers much of the same history in terms of time frame, but with a broader background. While dated, it is charming and highly detailed. The very thoughtful treatment of why Christianity makes more sense than the alternatives through the life of C S Lewis can be found here:  The Life and Faith of C.S. Lewis: The Magic Never Ends and  The Question of God: Sigmund Freud & C.S. Lewis .

WONDERFUL SERIES

Llegó en tiempo y forma, excelente calidad, nos hace viajar en el tiempo dando un ameno recorrido a través de nuestra fe, cien por ciento recomendado... forma agradable de aprender y retener doctrina de fe e historia de la Iglesia...

Llego bastante rapido y todo bienYa solo es cosa de reproducirlo para ver di funciona sin problema

Excelente producto para conocer la fe católica con excelente fotografía y lugares de importancia en la fe católica. Con doblaje al español. Es un dvd multi-región

Probably the best introduction to Catholicism I have ever had the good fortune to come across. This comes highly recommended both for those who are considering becoming Catholics, new converts and definitely for those who think that they already know what Catholicism is all about. Have gifted this to friends and they came back deeply grateful. This was a good introduction to Robert Barron and Word on Fire. I have been an ardent fan ever since. Thanks Bishop Robert Barron.

Having watched the free online streaming of Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholicism Series, in commemoration of its 10th anniversary, I had to possess my own boxed set , not only for myself, but to share the beauty and riches of the Catholic Faith with others.