Desire & Deception

I am so glad I read this book. In "Desire & Deception" Mr. Coulombe tackles a subject that has the potential to be dry and theoretical, but at the same time controversial and polarizing. His premise is that the reason the Faith is in such decline (understatement alert) is that the dogma of Extra Ecclesia Nulla Sallus (no salvation outside the Church) got shoved down the memory hole.
He lays out the philosophical history leading to that and said philosophical history is what electrified me. This is not, however, a nerdy esoteric book. It is a knowledgeable, engaging everyman discussion of two irreconcilable currents of thought in the Church, what each current leads to and the consequences thereof. Mr. Coulombe's writing style is so entertainingly educated, veering perfectly between the twin pitfalls of oversimplification and insider baseball. It has caused me to think critically about ideas that I took as established facts. This book is important because its subject is foundational. Get the foundation wrong and everything built on that foundation will be out of kilter. This is a terrific read.

I can't recommend this book enough, the whole reason for the Catholic Church which Jesus established is the salvation of souls!, today the emphasis is on every other thing instead of why Jesus (GOD) incarnated on earth to bring salvation. Even the name Jesus means Savior. This shows the philosophy and history why modern Popes, Bishops ,Priests and Laity have no idea how to guide the Ship of Peter. Start preaching this Dogma and watch all HELL break out literally. A great book!!!!!

This was the first book I read from Mr. Coulombe and I was not sure what to expect. The title and cover are both a bit odd and I honestly was worried this would be a superficial analysis of where things went wrong. What a surprise! Mr. Coulombe lays out a detailed (and to me, unexpected) argument that the problems extend centuries back to the reintroduction of Aristotelian logic to European thought. The introduction to ultra-realism and nominalism alone was worth the price of this book. His arguments against Baptism of Desire and in support of E.E.N.S. are solid and I've noticed that elsewhere in trad-land, these topics can quickly make a man persona non grata. Often such bitterly emotional responses are indications that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and after reading this book, you'll have good reasons to believe it so. A must read.

Coulombe, in characteristically witty style, upholds the primacy of the Will over the Intellect and Plato over Aristotle, and he cuts through the fog and the "slithering" of certain theologians and philosophers.
It is Coulombe's assertion that the Church has long taught the necessity of water baptism for salvation, despite common deviation in the last two centuries. Before then, "There were those who believed in Invincible Ignorance, and in Baptism of Desire. But these were for the most part confined to Universities and Seminaries."
He points out that it was common practice for jailed catechumens and those in danger of death to be baptized, and so claims that use them as examples for "baptism of desire" or "baptism of blood" are unsubstantiated -- "one's own fallen blood, sprung of Adam, simply could not have the salvific effects of Christ's Precious Blood", he writes. He argues in response to users of St. Ambrose's Oration that the saint "in fact knew, that Valentinian had indeed been baptized, but was not at liberty to reveal the circumstances of the event, which presumably were bound up with the Emperor's mysterious death". He also highlights potential contradictions in St. Thomas Aquinas' stance. And he says that while the Council of Trent ruled that "the laver of regeneration or its desire" brings *justification*, it does not necessarily bring *salvation* ("which can only come about if the individual goes ahead and receives the Sacrament and then finally perseveres", according to the author).
There's a lot in here. For background, Coulombe shares several enlightening bits on the Americas that are given more context in his other work, and he goes into much detail on the case of Fr. Leonard Feeney, whom he clearly admires a great deal.
It would be nice if this work (written in 1993) were to be expanded to answer CCC #1258-1261.

I am a convert to the One True Faith and have done a lot of reading and praying before and since entering the Church. I needed to know as much as I could about the faith before committing and now I can't stop because the beauty and truth keeps coming. This is one of the most important books I've read; it so clearly, fully, and succinctly lays out the puzzle pieces to our current situation. It doesn't cover the Judeo-masonic portion of things but that's well covered by others. The material in this book is underrepresented and essential. The chapter called "Philosophy In The Early Church" made me weep with joy. I've sent a copy to two friends because I was so excited to find it.

Charles Coulombe does a fantastic job of reminding Catholics that the Church means what she says: There is no salvation outside the church. Be prepared to have whatever you think you know about church history/theology thrown out the window.

In Desire and Deception, Mr. Coulombe has presented several lines of evidence for a strict interpretation of the doctrine, "Extra Ecclesium Nulla Salus". Whether or not you agree with his conclusions or analysis (I can't say I do completely), I think it is difficult to come away from this book without realizing that something has gone terribly wrong in the Catholic Church over the last century. Simply put, if our doctrines inspire indifferentism rather than zeal for the salvation of souls outside of the Church, then something is dreadfully amiss.

I have subtracted two stars for the following reasons:
1) I believe it would have been beneficial to better represent more conservative interpretations that lie somewhere between Frs. Feeney and Rahner.
2) There are numerous typographical errors that need to be corrected. If Vincent reads these reviews, I would be willing to send him an email with the errors I found.

Thank you, Tumblar House and Mr Coulombe!

These were the first books I've read by Mr. Coulombe. I consider myself quite lucky to have found someone as insightful and knowledgeable in such an enormously important subject, particularly in these days. I look forward to reading all his other books.

Desire & Deception

Very convincing and well-argued