Back to the Future of the Roman Catholic Church
Back to the Future of the Roman Catholic Church

Author: Carmen J. Calvanese

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2014-11-04

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1630877697

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This book explores the notion that the Roman Catholic Church risks imploding from within as a result of its inflexibility towards movements in favor of reasonable change and modernization. Attendance at Sunday Mass has dramatically decreased; the loss of the youth in these churches is a case in point. At the same time, the lack of vocations to the priesthood and religious life is at crisis proportions as is further evidenced by the closing of parishes and the curtailing of religious services including the rising phenomenon of "priest-less Parishes." Young men today--even if they aspire to the priesthood--experience both unrest and rejection at the continued demand of the Church's leadership that priests commit themselves to the lifelong discipline of celibacy. Back to the Future of the Roman Catholic Church addresses the root causes of the various developments that have provoked discontent with Church policies and defections from parish life on the part of those who appear to have lost faith in their hierarchical leaders at the highest levels of Church governance. Finally, this book probes the ways in which the Church can emerge from its crises to become, once again, faithful to its origins as founded by Jesus Christ.

To Change the Church
To Change the Church

Author: Ross Douthat

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: 2019-03-19

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1501146939

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A New York Times columnist and one of America’s leading conservative thinkers considers Pope Francis’s efforts to change the church he governs in a book that is “must reading for every Christian who cares about the fate of the West and the future of global Christianity” (Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option). Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936, today Pope Francis is the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis’s stewardship of the Church, while perceived as a revelation by many, has provoked division throughout the world. “If a conclave were to be held today,” one Roman source told The New Yorker, “Francis would be lucky to get ten votes.” In his “concise, rhetorically agile…adroit, perceptive, gripping account (The New York Times Book Review), Ross Douthat explains why the particular debate Francis has opened—over communion for the divorced and the remarried—is so dangerous: How it cuts to the heart of the larger argument over how Christianity should respond to the sexual revolution and modernity itself, how it promises or threatens to separate the church from its own deep past, and how it divides Catholicism along geographical and cultural lines. Douthat argues that the Francis era is a crucial experiment for all of Western civilization, which is facing resurgent external enemies (from ISIS to Putin) even as it struggles with its own internal divisions, its decadence, and self-doubt. Whether Francis or his critics are right won’t just determine whether he ends up as a hero or a tragic figure for Catholics. It will determine whether he’s a hero, or a gambler who’s betraying both his church and his civilization into the hands of its enemies. “A balanced look at the struggle for the future of Catholicism…To Change the Church is a fascinating look at the church under Pope Francis” (Kirkus Reviews). Engaging and provocative, this is “a pot-boiler of a history that examines a growing ecclesial crisis” (Washington Independent Review of Books).

Roman but Not Catholic
Roman but Not Catholic

Author: Jerry L. Walls

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2017-10-17

Total Pages: 434

ISBN-13: 1493411748

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This book offers a clearly written, informative, and fair critique of Roman Catholicism in defense of the catholic faith. Two leading evangelical thinkers in church history and philosophy summarize the major points of contention between Protestants and Catholics, honestly acknowledging real differences while conveying mutual respect and charity. The authors address key historical, theological, and philosophical issues as they consider what remains at stake five hundred years after the Reformation. They also present a hopeful way forward for future ecumenical relations, showing how Protestants and Catholics can participate in a common witness to the world.

Catholicism Today
Catholicism Today

Author: Evyatar Marienberg

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-07

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1317963555

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Catholics are not Christians. They worship Mary. They do whatever the pope says. They cannot divorce. They eat fish on Fridays. These flawed but common statements reflect a combined ignorance of and fascination with Catholicism and the Catholic Church. Catholicism Today: An Introduction to the Contemporary Catholic Church aims to familiarize its readers with contemporary Catholicism. The book is designed to address common misconceptions and frequently-asked questions regarding the Church, its teachings, and the lived experience of Catholics in modern societies worldwide. Opening with a concise historical overview of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, the text explores the core beliefs and rituals that define Catholicism in practice, the organization of the Church and the Catholic calendar, as well as the broad question of what it means to be Catholic in a variety of cultural contexts. The book ends with a discussion of the challenges facing the Church both now and in the coming decades. Also included are two short appendices on Eastern Catholicism and Catholicism in the United States.

The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis
The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis

Author: Garry Wills

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2015-03-10

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 0698157656

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The New York Times bestselling historian takes on a pressing question in modern religion—will Pope Francis embrace change? Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope and the first from the Americas, offers a challenge to his church. Can he bring about significant change? Should he? Garry Wills, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, argues provocatively that, in fact, the history of the church throughout is a history of change. In this brilliant and incisive study, Wills describes the deep and serious changes that have taken place in the church or are in the process of occurring. These include the change from Latin, the growth and withering of the ecclesiastical monarchy, the abandonment of biblical literalism, the assertion and nonassertion of infallibility, and the erosion of church patriarchy. In such developments we see the living church adapting itself to the new historical circumstances. As Wills contends, it is only by examining the history of the church that we can understand Pope Francis's and the church's challenges.

What Happened to the Roman Catholic Church? What Now?
What Happened to the Roman Catholic Church? What Now?

Author: Gabriel Moran

Publisher: Bookbaby

Published: 2021-10-04

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9781098387587

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What Happened to the Roman Catholic Church? What Now? is a radical criticism of the Roman Catholic Church combined with some radical suggestions for dealing with its problems. The book is rooted in the tradition of the Church that the author draws upon in a creative way. The first three chapters trace the history of the Roman Catholic Church from 1945 to the crucial period of the 1960s. The remaining nine chapters examine various issues that surfaced after the partial reforms of the Second Vatican Council in 1962-65, The official Church's attitude on sexual issues has been a central problem but often it is a symptom of a structural problem of authority. By the mid-1970s, the Church had become badly split and the rift has never been healed. Millions of Roman Catholic who were disappointed at the direction that the Church took have ceased to be practicing members. Many people are skeptical about the Church's future. A positive attitude toward the Church that Pope Francis has generated has been largely obscured by the clergy sex-abuse scandal. This problem requires some profound examination of the structure of the Church. The author proposes a way to retain the function of priesthood while eliminating a clerical class. The last chapter of the book describes a democratic form of the Church which was not possible for most of history but is now both possible and necessary.

The Future Church
The Future Church

Author: John L. Allen, Jr.

Publisher: Image

Published: 2009-11-10

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 0385529538

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One of the world’s foremost religion journalists offers an unexpected and provocative look at where the Catholic Church is headed—and what the changes will mean for all of us. What will the Catholic Church be like in 100 years? Will there be a woman pope? Will dioceses throughout the United States and the rest of the world go bankrupt from years of scandal? In THE FUTURE CHURCH, John L. Allen puts forth the ten trends he believes will transform the Church into the twenty-second century. From the influence of Catholics in Africa, Asia, and Latin America on doctrine and practices to the impact of multinational organizations on local and ethical standards, Allen delves into the impact of globalization on the Roman Catholic Church and argues that it must rethink fundamental issues, policies, and ways of doing business. Allen shows that over the next century, the Church will have to respond to changes within the institution itself and in the world as a whole whether it is contending with biotechnical advances—including cloning and genetic enhancement—the aging Catholic population, or expanding the roles of the laity. Like Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat, THE FUTURE CHURCH establishes a new framework for meeting the challenges of a changing world.

Papa Don't Pope: Why I'm Not Roman Catholic (and Why the Future is Protestant)
Papa Don't Pope: Why I'm Not Roman Catholic (and Why the Future is Protestant)

Author: Douglas Wilson

Publisher: Canon Press & Book Service

Published: 2015-10-13

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 159128189X

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Papa Don't Pope evaluates some of the most important issues between Roman Catholics and Protestants, including personal interpretation, apostolic succession, sola Scriptura, and so on. So this little book should be a huge help for anyone (Catholic or Protestant) with honest questions, as well as for anyone looking to interact with the original Protestant vision. But what's the point in stirring up differences between Geneva and Rome? Don't we have enough division over church and theology already? The truth is, we don't have nearly enough clear disagreement--because clear disagreement is a necessary step on the way to agreement. So you could say this book has a catholic purpose (even if the future is clearly Protestant). The classical Protestant expression is Soli Deo Gloria. Roman Catholics might prefer Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam. May God hasten the day when we can say 'amen' to both.