4 books found
`An invaluable, unique resource for readers of Roman Catholic theology' PHILIP ENDEAN, S.J., CAMPION HALL, OXFORD, UK `First as a theologian, then bishop and later the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Ratzinger is often thought to have moved steadily to the right. In this collection, Gerard Mannion and Lieven Boeve dispel such easy generalizations. With judiciously chosen and suitably lengthy extracts from Ratzinger's writings, accompanied by helpful editorial comments, these two leading European Catholic theologians demonstrate the continuity of the one Ratzinger and consequently shed light on the complexity of his present-day role as Pope. Anyone who wishes to understand better the current face of Roman theology is greatly in their debt.' PAUL LAKELAND, FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY, USA `An indispensable guide for understanding the theology of Joseph Ratzinger. Ratzinger insists that his theological opinions are distinct from his official positions as prefect and pope, but this collection shows otherwise. A very personal theology has become the official theology of the church.'---BRADFORD HINZE, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, USA `Anyone attempting to gain serious familiarity with the theology of Joseph Ratzinger will find this book invaluable. It is not just a conventional reader but a uniquely structured, signposted guide through the terrain of Ratzinger's theology as a whole. It comes at exactly the right time in emerging Ratzinger scholarship, providing a pathway for the uninitiated as well as a compact one-volume resource for those who are further along the road. I recommend it highly.'-JAMES CORKERY, S.J., MILLTOWN INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY, DUBLIN, IRELAND
The Catholic Church has in recent decades been associated with opposition to the death penalty. It was not always so. This timely work recovers, and calls for a revival of, the Catholic tradition of support for capital punishment. Drawing upon a wealth of philosophical, scriptural, theological, and social scientific arguments, the authors show that it is the perennial and irreformable teaching of the Church that capital punishment can in principle be legitimate -not only to protect society from immediate physical danger, but also for purposes such as retributive justice and deterrence. They show that the recent statements of churchmen in opposition to the death penalty are merely "prudential judgments" with which faithful Catholics are not obliged to agree. They also show that the prudential grounds for opposition to capital punishment offered by Catholics and others in recent years are without force. The extreme statements made by some Catholics in opposition to the death penalty do grave harm to the Church by falsely suggesting a rupture in her traditional teaching, thereby inadvertently casting doubt on the reliability of the Magisterium. And they do grave harm to society by removing a key component of any system of criminal justice which can protect the lives of the innocent, inculcate a horror of murder, and affirm the dignity of human beings as free and rational creatures who must be held responsible for their actions. By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed is a challenge to contemporary Catholics to move beyond simple-minded sloganeering to a serious engagement with scripture, tradition, natural law, and the actual social scientific evidence, and a faithful exercise of the "hermeneutic of continuity" called for by Pope Benedict XVI.
Christ is "the way, and the truth, and the life";, but fallen mankind, although made in Christ's image, is not so pure. Human history—including Church history—is a tapestry woven of three threads: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. This book tells the story of Christendom over two millennia, focusing on what was good, bad, and beautiful in each century. These three threads run through the heart of every person, revealing the pattern of our individual lives. These very same threads bind together the collective lives of men and make up the fabric of culture and civilization. No one saw this three-dimensional form more clearly than Benedict XVI. For him, the goodness of the saints and the beauty of art are the only antidote to the dark thread of evil that runs through history. Inspired by this insight, Joseph Pearce presents the past twenty centuries to show how goodness and beauty—stemming from God himself—work to conquer the bad.
God creates us out of infinite love for the purpose love. We are made to be in relationship with him, and it is God who initiates that relationship. To us, he reveals the truth about himself and his Creation. We call the way God reveals his truth to us the divine pedagogy. The word "pedagogy" comes from a Greek word meaning "to lead the child." Likewise, God's own manner of leading us, his children, toward himself, is God's pedagogy. The General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) states, "Catechesis as communication of divine Revelation, is radically inspired by the pedagogy of God, as displayed in Christ and in the Church" (143). We are called to hand on the truths of the faith not merely by doing our best according to human standards of theology and educational methodology, but rather by echoing God's own way of teaching us his truths. Discover how God's pedagogy is -- Directed toward the individual human person Incarnational Relational Structured, systematic, and comprehensive Perpetual With each aspect of God's Divine pedagogy, psychologist and master catechist Dr. Joseph White provides a practical outline for structuring your own catechetical ministry. Let God lead you to a deeper understanding of how to pass on our Faith with the help of The Way God Teaches: Catechesis and the Divine Pedagogy.