Catholic Review of: Old Errors and New Labels

Old Errors and New Labels

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

This book bears the imprimatur of Cardinal Hayes, dated March 2, 1931.

 

Archbishop Sheen wrote this book about 80 years ago and the enemies attacking the Church then are still going strong. The thing is, these attack are not new. They are not new now and were not new in 1931. These attacks are as old as the Church herself. The same heresies and distortions of Church teaching appear again and again throughout history each time with a different name. Most of the enemies of the Church spoken of in the book are external enemies. That is because in 1931, these errors were in the early stages of taking root in the Church, but were already very popular in the world. Many of these have since become very popular in the Church, particularly in the chaotic 60's and 70's, so it is more imporant that ever to understand these errors and how they oppose the Church.

 

Archbishop Sheen takes these errors and false teachings and compares them to the truth of the Magisterium to expose how they are flawed and also compares them to thinkers and researchers of centuries past to show that the mistakes thinkers and researchers make now have been repeated for a long time.

 

The errors fall into two broad categories. Many of these errors are humanistic-different ways of glorifying man in the here and now, that man's pleasure in the current moment is the most important and they say "glory to man in the highest" who makes God in his own image-seeking to change old beliefs because they go against man's current passions.

 

Another large number of errors are scientistic-different ways of deifying science and pitting science and theology against each other as if one proves the other false, when in reality science is concerned with how things take place and theology with why they take place-they study different things and thus complement each other, they don't compete.

 

One by one they are exposed as the latest edition of modes of thought that misguided people have had for centuries. Abp. Sheen makes constant references to philosophers and scientists of centuries past and their identities are briefly explained in very helpful footnotes throughout.

 

What is key to Archbishop Sheen's arguments is the fact that theology studies what already exists-it cannot be invented-and it is something that man does not have the power to change. In the same way as scientists study what already exists and they don't have the power to change what's there. Man cannot change the laws of sin and eternal life any more than a scientist can change things like the laws of gravity or the multiplication table.

 

Given how popular these errors have become in and around the Church, this book is a must read. The book is currently availiable here for $14.95.