Living Catholic Faith in a Contentious Age

(Paperback)

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Catholics, especially in the U.S., are sharply divided over what constitutes faithful Catholicism: a quest for the relevance of their faith to the actualities of their lives or unquestioning obedience to the precepts of Church leadership. Tension over these questions goes to such extremes that it has drastically reduced church-going and identification of Catholics with the institution within a remarkable brief period of time. Writing in sharp, accessible language, Helmick attempts to focus these issues on the nature of faith. To do so involves exploring the task of theologians, who are in the first line of attack by those who see submissiveness as criterion of fidelity.
He balances this with a study of the nature of orthodoxy, still concentrated especially on theologians and those Catholics who want to read and discuss relevant material on living their faith in the real world. The early chapters take these themes - faith, theologians, orthodoxy - in turn. From there the remaining chapters describe the contentious character of our current life in the Church and the critical questionsfacing up to wedge issues in the political realm, dealing with the long-running sexual abuse crisis, the flagging ecumenical front and the fundamental task of reconciliation as mission of the Church.

Reviews

Living Catholic Faithin a Contentious Age is about whatcommunity of faith means in times of profound social change. As a Catholic theologian, Helmick catches up all of the issues that face the ecumenical church in ways that fosterrespect for difference,an appreciation of complexity, and finds valuein the Gospel call to forgive and to follow the path of reconciliation.It is thestory of ministry on the edge by one whomarches to a different drummer.' - Rodney Petersen, Boston Theological Institute, Newton Centre, MA, USA. -- Rodney Petersen
This fine Jesuit scholar has written a significant and needed book on issues many Catholics hesitate to acknowledge, yet of which they are uncomfortably aware. The work is recommended for all Catholic collections and to study groups interested in understanding the contentious state of our Church today and working for peace and reconciliation. -- Catholic Library World - Vol. 82, No. 1

Author Bio

Raymond G. Helmick, S.J., Instructor in Conflict Resolution, Department of Theology, Boston College, has mediated for many years, in such conflicts as Northern Ireland, the Middle East, the Balkans.