Laying the Foundation: A Handbook of Catholic Apologetics and Fundamental Theology is a classic text by the late Fr. Joseph Clifford Fenton, a highly respected author, professor, and theologian of the twentieth century.

“This book appeared in 1942 under the rather unimposing title We Stand with Christ: an Essay in Catholic Apologetics. It should have become a classic. It is, I believe, the greatest work of apologetics produced in a time of superstar apologists such as F. J. Sheed, Ronald Knox, and Fulton Sheen. It represents the high point of apologetics as well as a gold standard for subsequent works of fundamental theology.”—from the foreword by Scott Hahn, Franciscan University of Steubenville.



About the author

Fr. Joseph Clifford Fenton (1906–1969) was professor of fundamental dogmatic theology at the Catholic University of America for twenty-five years and for two decades edited the American Ecclesiastical Review. He was a member of the Pontifical Roman Theological Academy, served as counselor to the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities, and participated in the Second Vatican Council as a member of the preparatory Theological Commission, the Doctrinal Commission, and the Commission on Faith and Morals.