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R e v i e w
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This Rock
Volume 15, Number 10
 December 2004 
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An Apologetic Appetizer
Teenagers are spiritually hungry, and popular culture, for the most part, serves up junk food laced with poison. That’s why I’m pleased at the efforts of Our Sunday Visitor and Amy Welborn to reach teens with Scripture and Church teaching.
Prove It! The Catholic Teen Bible contains five separate sections covering the foundational topics of God, Jesus, Church, and prayer interspersed throughout the Scripture text (NAB). The first four sections parallel Welborn’s Prove It! series of apologetic books for teens.
In each area, questions related to the main subject are answered with a few brief paragraphs written in a warm conversational style. The questions Welborn poses reveal a talent for thinking like a teenager: "How do I know that God exits?" "Can I trust the Gospels?" "Why do people suffer?"
The graphics, photos, and layout of the book are also inviting, making the work appealing to the eye and easy to digest. My concern, however, is that it may be too easy, lacking enough substance to satisfy. It repeatedly left me hungry for more.
By way of example, the response given to "Can I trust the Gospels?" is "Sure" because they were written shortly after the events occurred. Is that sufficient evidence for skeptical teens to accept the validity of Scripture?
Also, an apologetic work incorporated into the Bible would seem to require a section dealing with the Bible itself—where it came from, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the historicity of the Gospels, Scripture’s relationship to Tradition and the magisterium of the Church, guidelines for interpretation and application. The Church provides ready resources on these topics in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the documents of Vatican II.
Which brings me to the next item I hungered for: more references to the Catechism. By my count there were two. The whole book easily could have been coordinated with the Catechism, if only by means of cross-references. When it is so accessible, why not serve this rich spiritual food to our kids?
The section on the Church happily contains a brief explanation of apostolic succession. Still, I couldn’t help thinking that if the intent is to prove the authenticity of Catholicism, this would have been a perfect place to introduce young people to the Fathers of the Church, particularly the apostolic Fathers. They have convinced countless converts and could do the same for our doubting teens.
And while important topics were addressed, including a very good summary of the just war doctrine, others issues pressing to teens were not, such as what’s wrong with fornication and what’s right with chastity.
The section on prayer provides useful insights on growing in personal prayer, including a concise, clear catechesis of why it’s okay to pray to saints. The Mass is mentioned here and again in the section on "The Map." What was written is good, but—call me a glutton for truth—I wanted more, particularly on the Mass. The reason: I believe we may be underestimating both our young people’s need to understand the deep truths of the faith and their ability to do so.
Obviously, my main complaint has more to do with what isn’t in the book than with what is. In only a few cases did I feel that the explanations lacked a precision that could cause some confusion. In one such case, Welborn states that it’s illogical to believe that Jesus was just a great teacher (good point) because "Jesus declared himself to have God’s power" (weak reason). God is known to be generous in sharing his power with mere human beings—from Old Testament prophets to Pentecost to the present day. The issue is not what Jesus has but who he is.
That being said, Prove It! A Catholic Teen Bible is worth having. It sends teens the message that the Bible and the Church are relevant to them. And this particular teen Bible is orthodox, encouraging kids to look with faith to Jesus, Scripture, and the Church for answers to life’s questions. While I think it will leave some hungry for more, that problem can be remedied by supplementing it with the Catechism and some personal guidance. And perhaps a follow-up work called Prove It! A Study Guide to the Catholic Teen Bible? Just a suggestion.
—Mary Beth Kremski
Prove It! The Catholic Teen Bible
By Amy Welborn
Our Sunday Visitor
1,600 pages
$14.95
ISBN: 1592760783
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