Reconstructing Catholicism

Reconstructing Catholicism

Author: Robert Ludwig

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2000-04-04

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1579103383

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A leading pastoral theologian re-imagines Catholicism for a new millenium.


Deconstructing Sacramental Theology and Reconstructing Catholic Ritual

Deconstructing Sacramental Theology and Reconstructing Catholic Ritual

Author: Joseph Martos

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2015-05-12

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 1498221807

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Catholic sacramental doctrine has lost much of its credibility. Baptized people leave the church, adolescents stop attending shortly after they are confirmed, supposedly indissoluble marriages regularly dissolve, few go to confession, and many do not believe in transubstantiation. Drawing upon his decades-long study of the sacraments, Martos reveals how teachings that seemed rooted in the scriptures and Catholic life have become unmoored from the contexts in which they arose, and why seemingly eternal truths are actually historically relative. After carefully constructing Catholic teaching from the church's own documents, he deconstructs it by demonstrating how biblical passages were misconstrued by patristic authors and how patristic writings were misunderstood by medieval scholastics. The long process of misinterpretation culminated in the dogmatic pronouncements of the Council of Trent, which continues to dominate Catholic thinking about the church's religious ceremonies. If the sacraments are released from their dogmatic baggage, Martos believes that the spiritual realities they symbolize can be celebrated in any human culture without being tied to their traditional rites.


Rebuilding Catholic Culture

Rebuilding Catholic Culture

Author: Ryan Nathan Scott Topping

Publisher: Sophia Institute Press

Published: 2013-01-18

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 1933184949

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Rarely does a book come along that so succinctly explains the decline of modern culture, articulates a defense of the Church's teachings, and offers a hope-filled path for building a civilization grounded in Catholic truth. In these pages, Dr. Ryan Topping does all three, pulling back the curtain on the false philosophies of the secularists and showing that in the West today the most formidable threat to freedom is not failing economies or Islam, but secularism. Our best defense, he claims, is a vibrant Catholic culture, and our best hope for creating it lies in the principles found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In Rebuilding Catholic Culture, you'll discover sensible ways to begin restoring Catholic culture - right now-in your own life and family, and in our larger communities as well: in the theater, in the classroom, in our hospitals, and even in the public square. This profoundly accessible book will renew your confidence in the world-transforming character of our Creed and in the potency of our Faith to shape and redefine the culture of the West. Book jacket.


Religion, Race, and Reconstruction

Religion, Race, and Reconstruction

Author: Ward M. McAfee

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 1998-07-10

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1438412312

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Religion, Race, and Reconstruction simultaneously resurrects a lost dimension of a most important segment of American history and illuminates America's present and future by showing the role religious issues played in Reconstruction during the 1870s.


Religion and Social Reconstruction in Africa

Religion and Social Reconstruction in Africa

Author: Elias Kifon Bongmba

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-06-13

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1351167383

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Religion has played a major role in both the division and unification of peoples and countries within Africa. Its capacity to cause, and to heal, societal rifts has been well documented. This book addresses this powerful societal force, and explores the implications of a theology of reconstruction, most notably articulated by Jesse Mugambi. This way of thinking seeks to build on liberation theology, aiming to encourage the rebuilding of African society on its own terms. An international panel of contributors bring an interdisciplinary perspective to the issues around reconstructing the religious elements of African society. Looking at issues of reconciliation, postcolonialism and indigenous spirituality, among others, they show that Mugambi’s cultural and theological insight has the potential to revolutionise the way people in Africa address this issue. This is a fascinating exploration of the religious facets of African life. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars of religious studies, theology and African studies.


The Future of Catholicism in America

The Future of Catholicism in America

Author: Mark Silk

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2019-04-02

Total Pages: 437

ISBN-13: 0231549431

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Catholics constitute the largest religious community in the United States. Yet most American Catholics have never known a time when their church was not embroiled in controversies over liturgy, religious authority, cultural change, and gender and sexuality. Today, these arguments are taking place against the backdrop of Pope Francis’s progressive agenda and the resurgence of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. What is the future of Catholicism in America? This volume considers the prospects at a pivotal moment. Contributors—scholars from sociology, theology, religious studies, and history—look at the church’s evolving institutional structure, its increasing ethnic diversity, and its changing public presence. They explore the tensions among members of the hierarchy, between clergy and laity, and along lines of ethnicity, immigration status, class, generation, political affiliation, and degree of religious commitment. They conclude that American Catholicism’s future will be pluriform—reflecting the variety of cultural, political, ideological, and spiritual points of view that typify the multicultural, democratic society of which Catholics constitute so large a part.


Catholicism in the Third Millennium

Catholicism in the Third Millennium

Author: Thomas P. Rausch

Publisher: Liturgical Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 9780814658994

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What is Catholicism? Where is the Church headed in the third millennium? These questions provide the structure for this book, which combines a faithful presentation of the tradition as well as a critical theological reflection of where the Church is today and where it might be moving.


American Catholics

American Catholics

Author: William V. D'Antonio

Publisher: Rowman Altamira

Published: 2001-08-07

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 0759117004

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How much do American Catholics still identify with the Catholic Church? Do they agree with the Church's teachings, and how often do they participate in its sacraments? What do they think it takes to be a good Catholic? What do they consider to be the Church's core teachings? How do they believe issues of faith and morals should be decided: by the hierarchy, the laity, or some combination of the two? How are they coping with the priest shortage, and what do they believe the Church should do to solve the problem? How do they feel about social issues such as capital punishment and increased military spending? In American Catholics, four distinguished sociologists use national surveys from 1999, 1993, and 1987 to examine these issues. They show that Catholics' beliefs and practices are changing. They also demonstrate how differences in gender, generation, and commitment to the Church influence attitudes on all of these issues. Balanced and clear, filled with useful tables and charts, and unique in its ability to compare results over time, American Catholics makes essential reading for anyone interested in the future of Catholicism in the United States.