Catholic Marriage and Family Collection (6 vols.)

In Sex au Naturel, Patrick Coffin presents a clear and compelling case for the timeless teaching of the Church on contraception. Coffin demonstrates the beauty, power, and joy that is possible in marital sexual love when a couple does not separate what God has joined—their union expressing life-giving love.

—Kimberly Hahn, author, Life-Giving Love: Embracing God’s Beautiful Design for Marriage

Opinion surveys report that, while most Catholics believe most Catholic doctrines, they overwhelmingly reject the Church’s teaching on the immorality of contraception. Why? I think it is because no one ever explained it to them clearly and convincingly. ( When did you last hear Catholic sexual teaching explained well from the pulpit—or at all?) In this book Patrick Coffin succeeds in doing what many have failed to do—or have not even tried to do. He makes old truths new and not just new but winsome and liberating. He takes up every challenge to the Church—s teaching, makes that teaching accessible to everyone, and shows that sex au naturel is best understood as sex au supernatural.

—Karl Keating, president, Catholic Answers

Patrick Coffin represents a new generation in rebellion against the rebels of my generation, standing against the 1960s battle cries, ‘Keep the Pope out of my bedroom!’ (This was self-flattery: What made them think he wanted to be there?) Having once accepted the principles that separated procreation from union and love within sex, Coffin came to see the tragedy developing in his generation. Sex au Naturel describes the many intertwined but knotted and confused strands of thought about sexuality that are strangling the life out of society. By unraveling teachings on sexuality in the Church, Scripture and tradition, as well as in useful science, medicine and social trends, the knots come loose and the reader is surprised by one startled point of Christian sexual freedom after another.

—Fr. Mitch Pacwa, host, EWTN Live

I firmly believe that Catholic teaching on contraception will one day be vindicated around the world. Patrick Coffin’s own journey from dissent to discovery will resonate with a whole generation who were really never invited to ‘come and see’ this sublime vision of sexuality and Christian marriage.

—Christopher West, author, Theology of the Body Explained

Of all the Catholic Church’s moral teachings, its teaching against contraception is by far the most reviled and attacked precisely because it is so misunderstood by so many. Happily, Patrick Coffin has set about to remedy that problem with this new book. He explains how he went from rejecting Catholic teaching on contraception to wholeheartedly embracing it, and along the way he explodes many popular myths and misconceptions about Humanae Vitae. If you or someone you know has left the Catholic Church over the issue of birth control, this book will help set the record straight by showing you why the Church teaches what it does on this very important life issue.

—Patrick Madrid, director, Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College

Family Matters is a wonderful resource for couples looking for the keys to success in marriage.

—Kimberly Hahn, coauthor, Rome Sweet Home and Catholic Education: Homeward Bound

God has a plan for marriage; so does the Devil. Any couple that attempts marriage without proper formation runs the risk of missing out on one of the greatest opportunities for joy and happiness to be found in this life. Learned, fast paced, deeply insightful, and overflowing with inspiration, Family Matters should be required reading for all engaged couples, or for any couple seeking to renew the abundant love experienced on their wedding day.

—Carolyn A. Saeman, board of directors, Culture of Life Foundation

Family Matters courageously and compassionately gives couples the keys for building a successful marriage and family life—even in the midst of our anti-family culture. Family Matters isn’t untested theory, but is filled with practical, real-life illustrations from the Martins’ own family experiences. A helpful, encouraging, and valuable book for all spouses and parents.

—Steve and Karen Wood, Family Life Center International

This handbook is outstanding both for its practicality and for its fidelity to the Catholic faith. It is practical because it offers good suggestions on most aspects of married life, such as the wedding, the honeymoon, the relationship between husband and wife, in-laws, finances, raising children, sexual relations, practicing the faith, and developing a spiritual life of personal relations with God. The handbook is also thoroughly Catholic. It offers excellent advice on how to live the Catholic faith as a married man or woman. There is no waffling here, no dissent, no ambiguity. The author spells out clearly what the Catholic Church expects of married people in the areas of married life, sexuality, and family life.

—Fr. Kenneth Baker

Frankly, I wish that such a book had existed when I was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications as a text which I could have recommended. The important thing, however, is that it exists now to provide text, context, and challenge for those who wish to bring both Christian principles and professional excellence to their work in the media.

—Cardinal John Patrick Foley

Even when disagreeing with Gan’s assessments, the reader benefits by being invited to think more deeply about the media under discussion. Excellent for individual use, this volume would work even better in a group setting. This is a great reading group book for parents who are concerned about their children’s (and their own) use of media. This would also be useful to teachers at all levels. It could be a textbook, but it certainly should be a reference book. It would apply well to religious and communication studies. While Infinite Bandwidth obviously has a strong Catholic influence, it would be valuable to anyone who is concerned about the impact of media on themselves and their loved ones. Additionally, those who want to engage the culture and impact it positively would benefit from this book.

—The National Catholic Register