In the lengthy tradition of Christian theology, considerable attention has gone to understanding attributes of God that can be discerned through Scripture and natural revelation. For example, He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and perfect in justice, mercy, and holiness.

There is also a long tradition of “apophatic” theology, also called “negative theology,” wherein one seeks to understand God by explaining what He is not. He is immutable (without change), He is infinite (not limited by anything), and He is incomprehensible (we can know things about Him by analogy, but He will never fit neatly inside of our brains).

In The Faith Unboxed – Freeing the Catholic Church from the Containers People Put It In, Andrew Petiprin applies apophatic theology to explain the Catholic Church to those who may misunderstand her. We say the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, but what is the Church not? Petiprin’s answers focus on cultural, doctrinal, and sociological labels frequently assigned to classify her; then he explains why those labels are inadequate or misleading.

For example, in a world filled with different theological takes on Christianity, one easily falls into the tendency to talk about the Catholic Church as another denomination. Drawing from Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium document, Petiprin applies the principle that the Catholic Church is the fullest light of Christianity, of which the various denominations possess fragments and reflections.

Likewise, Catholicism (and religion in general) is often treated as a therapeutic escape. Perhaps the reader has heard that religion is harmless as long as it helps someone cope with life and gives him a sense of purpose. Petiprin counters that the Catholic Church is less like a fictional utopia filled with comfort shielding us from reality and more like an actual family with odd uncles and saintly grandmothers—where you will be frustrated and hurt but also challenged and loved. Those who approach the Church as a handy escape or an easy road are likely in for a rude awakening. As Flannery O’Connor put it, it is deeply naive to think that the Catholic faith offers “a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross.”

Petiprin raises an especially fascinating point when he discusses the dangers of reducing the Catholic faith to an ideology amid our cultural landscape saturated with “-isms.” He notes that the word “Catholicism” is found nowhere in the entire text of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Those familiar with Petiprin’s writing will be delighted to know that his style in The Faith Unboxed remains consistent with his previous work, which is characterized by numerous references to literature and film with a heavy dose of humor along the way. And coming from Catholic Answers’ print publishing arm, it is no surprise that the book heavily references Scripture and Church documents.

Petiprin comes by his perspective of the Church honestly. As a former evangelical Protestant who found a home and priestly vocation in the Anglican tradition, he addresses questions that were part of his own journey to full communion with Rome.

Any reader who’s been frustrated, especially during this papal transition, because friends, family, coworkers, and the media mischaracterized the Church, and who’s wanted to yell back, “That’s not what the Church is! ” will find a welcome resource in The Faith Unboxed.

Matt Swaim is co-host of the Son Rise Morning Show and Director of Outreach for The Coming Home Network.

This article appeared in the June 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.