| Prophetic and Public: The Social Witness of U.S. Catholicism Contributor(s): Heyer, Kristin E. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1589010825 ISBN-13: 9781589010826 Publisher: Georgetown University Press OUR PRICE: $59.35 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: June 2006 Annotation: "Anyone interested in grasping the terrain of U.S. Catholic social ethics or public theology today, and in discerning ways beyond internicene conflicts that detract from Catholics' shared vocation to solidarity within a suffering world, will delight in and benefit from Heyer's fine work."—Christine Firer Hinze, associate professor of Christian ethics, Marquette University |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Christian Theology - Ethics |
| Dewey: 261.808 |
| LCCN: 2005027235 |
| Series: Moral Traditions (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.64" H x 6.04" W x 9.04" (0.88 lbs) 252 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Catholic - Religious Orientation - Christian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: If faithful Catholics are called to be a light to the world, how should they make their faith known? What sort of public witness best reflects authentically Catholic behavior? Christians through the ages have faced a dilemma: if you want to remain morally pure, you'll have no impact on the system; but if you try to change the system, you'll compromise your moral purity. So while an ethicist such as Michael Baxter--one of the figures Heyer discusses--claims that the most important thing the church can do is to be prophetic, and champion nonviolence, and not get its hands dirty in politics, that's fine--but that speaks to only one aspect of what it means to be Catholic. Similarly, while the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops--which Heyer also discusses--can forumulate brilliant philosophical pronouncements and policies on just warfare, say, that recognize the role of government, they, too, are speaking to one side of the faith spectrum. Both sides are witnessing to their faith, and both are genuinely Catholic, but both sides are incomplete. Heyer looks at two prominent Catholics--Baxter and Bryan Hehir--as well as three Catholic social justice organizations--NETWORK, Pax Christi USA, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops--and demonstrates how their differing methods of public witness are both legitimate and complementary. Catholics, Heyer writes, should recognize and appreciate that there is no single, correct means of public witness. |