Books

To its ldquo cultured despisers rdquo Schleiermacher rsquo s felicitous term Christianity might well seem occupied with turning guile into guilt In Conscience Across Borders Vernon Ruland S J who teaches at the University of San Francisco has written a bracing rejoinder to those who think

Timing is everything Many of the elements of a sophisticated theology of the laity and recommendations for church reform featured in Paul Lakeland rsquo s new book originated earlier and elsewhere But never before have they been put together in such a compelling way and more to the point at such

This study seeks to synchronize intellectual developments in American Catholicism with parallel events abroad and to examine how an international conversation among Catholic thinkers sought to influence the church rsquo s dialogue with the modern Western world Most importantly John McGreevy stress

Several years ago when I visited the shrine and retreat house of the Valley Missionary Program in Coachella Valley Calif I knew that something exceedingly unusual had happened Out in the Mojave Desert economically disadvantaged Mexican immigrants had built a stunningly beautiful spirituality c

There are Ph D dissertations yet to be written on religion according to Bill Moyers and the liberal intellectuals of Public Television When they are Professor Elaine Pagels of Princeton University will figure prominently as one of their well-known talking heads Her earlier books The Gnostic Gos

In the winter of 1951-52 Caroline Gordon had a vision of the triumph of Catholic writing in the United States Flannery O rsquo Connor rsquo s novel Wise Blood which Gordon had recently read in proof was about to be published A manuscript novel sent to her by a Louisiana convert seemed even more

The title of this collection of 11 essays offers the hope that some consensus has developed on the way religion should coordinate with government Alas the question is too complex There is not even consensus on the meaning of the ldquo public square rdquo But these essays written by experts of

Pope John Paul II will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his election to the Chair of Peter on Oct 16 2003 That makes this a timely publication His papacy has been the most visible in history this pope ldquo reaches out across borders rdquo that are not just geographic but also social politi

Valerie Martin rsquo s new novel is aptly titled The power of property mdash persons and things mdash drives the plot and illuminates the characters Captors become captives and lives are irrevocably changed by power struggles over property The novel rsquo s setting moves back and forth from plan

More and more regional and intrastate conflicts throughout the world have led to huge increases in the numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons Their pressing needs have in turn resulted in a corresponding growth in nongovernmental organizations that attempt to provide them with basic e