Five matters have been on my mind in the weeks since Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, each of them connected to my work as a moral theologian.
Faith and Reason
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Never die? The dangers of transhumanism in the 21st century
Laws aimed at providing “death with dignity” and internet influencers promising to extend life unnaturally are actually two sides of the same coin: In both circumstances, humans usurp a role intended for God.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
A ‘fourth order’ for women deacons in the Catholic Church? Reflecting on the possibility
The possibility of a “fourth order” of deaconess in the Catholic Church has become part of the conversation around women deacons. But is it the right response?
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Proclaiming Jesus Christ in a time of climate crisis
“Laudato Si’” and its implementation seem to have stalled in the church. We need to revivify our efforts—and to recognize the Christological perspectives of our care for creation and our common home.
Posted inFaith and Reason, Politics & Society
Caesars, presidents and apostles: Viewing the presidential election from Rome
I am rather fond of my native land and her robust and quirky republican traditions, but Jesus did not preach democracy nor endorse any particular political philosophy.
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A call for Catholics and Protestants to receive Communion—side by side
Why can’t Catholics and Protestants share the experience of partaking in the Eucharist each according to their tradition?
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St. Ignatius, the Spiritual Exercises and the social sin of racism
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola have a structure which forms a counterpoint to racism and can help social activists in their confrontation with it.
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To teach faith and morals in a diverse church, we must recognize the doctrinal authority of bishops’ conferences
At a time when the church’s doctrinal teachings on faith and morals are questioned everywhere, the relevance of such teachings to the believers brought up in diverse contexts is of utmost importance.
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R.I.P. Gustavo Gutiérrez, the prophet who revolutionized Catholic theology for the poor
In a world that was coming to understand the structural underpinnings of poverty and violence, Father Gutiérrez was a prophet who saw clearly how the Christian proclamation of salvation involved not merely the afterlife but included human liberation in this life as well.
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
Popes Francis and Benedict agree: we must not confuse proselytism and evangelization
If our true desire is for others to know Christ, we must imitate him. Authentic evangelization is not accomplished through clever argumentation but by bearing witness to the working of God’s love and mercy in our lives.