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A tightly written, dispassionate and unsentimental account of American Catholic political history, one backed by substantial research.” —Jason K. Duncan, The Review of Politics In Rome We Trust examines the unusually serene relationship between the chief global superpower and the world's most ancient and renowned institution. The "Catholicization" of the United States is a recent phenomenon: some believe it began during the Reagan administration; others feel it emerged under George W. Bush's presidency. What is certain is that the Catholic presence in the American political ruling class was particularly prominent in the Obama administration: over one-third of cabinet members, the Vice Pr...
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An enduring solution starts with the correct diagnosis… The Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandal has haunted the lives of its victims and the Catholic community at large for decades. Even today, it continues to undermine the credibility of the Church and dishearten its faithful. Catholics remain rightfully frustrated and disappointed as Church leaders try to move beyond this ugly chapter without creating a cohesive plan to address the underlying issues that contributed to the scandal in the first place. Media coverage has often oversimplified these contributing factors, leaving many with the impression that simplistic solutions can fix the Church's problems. This is not the case. Written from an insider's perspective, this book strives to dispel unhelpful caricatures and more fully examine the broad contextual and aggravating factors that make the Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse Scandal. It is heavily researched work designed to help parishioners, priests, and Church leaders more clearly consider the complexities of the crisis so that they may continue to make informed, concrete, and effective steps to heal the Church and its people.
Offers a big picture analysis of American Catholicism The Catholic Church is at a crossroads. In the United States alone there are many challenges facing the church that are both internal and external to the institution. With the rise of the growing Gen Z population and the diminishing of the pre-Vatican II generation, gone are the days of a patriarchal, “father knows best” religious obedience. Indeed, as issues of gender, race, reproductive rights, and non-nuclear families have risen in prominence, the Catholic Church has had to adapt to keep pace with the times. The latest in a series of important sociological overviews drawing on nation-wide surveys administered every six years, Catho...
The priests and pastoral ministers of our day increasingly reflects the multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual nature of the church in the United States. For a variety of reasons, they come from diverse ethnic backgrounds and countries of origin. Seminaries and religious communities are welcoming international candidates with the vision that diversity strengthens the character and mission of the church. Yet this ecclesial diversity also comes with unique challenges. To Be One in Christ is a groundbreaking resource that delves into the questions raised by these complexities and provides an in-depth analysis from theological, sociological, psychological, cultural, and Protestant perspectives. Gerard McGlone and Fernando Ortiz are both nationally recognized experts on the integration of psychology and spirituality in priestly life. The book they have edited investigates issues, answer questions, and provide insights on the increasingly multicultural settings and programs affecting seminary and religious formation. The comprehensive resource will be welcome by vocation directors, seminary formators, clergy, religious, and seminarians.
Religious traditions in the United States are characterized by ongoing tension between assimilation to the broader culture, as typified by mainline Protestant churches, and defiant rejection of cultural incursions, as witnessed by more sectarian movements such as Mormonism and Hassidism. However, legal theorist and Catholic theologian Cathleen Kaveny contends there is a third possibility--a culture of engagement--that accommodates and respects tradition. It also recognizes the need to interact with culture to remain relevant and to offer critiques of social, political, legal, and economic practices. Kaveny suggests that rather than avoid the crisscross of the religious and secular spheres of...
American Catholics in Transition reports on five surveys carried out at six year intervals over a period of 25 years, from 1987 to 2011. The surveys are national probability samples of American Catholics, age 18 and older, now including four generations of Catholics. Over these twenty five years, the authors have found significant changes in Catholics’ attitudes and behavior as well as many enduring trends in the explanation of Catholic identity. Generational change helps explain many of the differences. Many millennial Catholics continue to remain committed to and active in the Church, but there are some interesting patterns of difference within this generation. Hispanic Catholics are mor...
What does consumerism have to do with the sacraments? We live in cultures where our senses of meaning, identity, and purpose are often found in what we purchase. Apart from the question of hedonism, there is the question of how we orient ourselves in an environment in which we end up marketing our very selves. In this book, Timothy Brunk examines how this consumer culture has had a corrosive effect on the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. He also assesses how sacramental worship can provide resources for responsible Christian discipleship in today's consumer culture.
As an adjunct to the Best Practices in Church Management Series, Creativity in Church Management covers a number of topics that, while important, do not warrant their own volumes in the series. Topics include co-responsibility, managing parish diversity, and issues surrounding parish reconfiguration and consolidation.
The recent Year for Priests focused considerable attention on the priesthood, resulting in many books, articles, retreats, conferences, and symposia. In Gold Tested in Fire, Ronald D. Witherup, SS, makes an important new contribution. Intersecting scriptural and theological context with lived pastoral insight, Witherup explores both classic and contemporary understandings of the priesthood, offers insights into the four pillars" suggested for priestly formation, and looks at the charism of priests, and the need for ongoing formation across a life-span. Having engaged in priestly formation in seminaries for a number of years, Witherup moves beyond overly idealized or pietistic approaches to the presbyteral life to offer key insights on the challenges and rewards inherent in contemporary priestly ministry. Underlying his approach is the firm conviction that the present testing in the priesthood is a profound summons to a new Pentecost, inopportunity for the priesthood to be cleansed and remade, and ultimately stronger.