The Catholic Church and the Liberal Tradition

What's the Purpose of this Website?

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Is John Paul II too liberal?

That was the question National Catholic Reporter journalist John Allen Jr. posed on August 22, 2003:

The question cuts against most conventional wisdom. If the man who said “no” to women’s ordination, gay marriage, and decentralization of power isn’t a conservative, many people would insist, then there’s no such animal.
But what if one has in mind not the sense in which Ted Kennedy is “liberal,” but in which virtually all Westerners are “liberals,” i.e., the classic notion of liberalism as belief in democracy, human rights, and free markets? If that’s the standard, then John Paul, though not uncritically, stacks up as a basically “liberal” pope.
Witness his proud claim that Christianity actually shaped the core tenets of liberalism in his August 17 Angelus address: “The Christian faith gave form [to Europe], and some of its fundamental values in turn inspired ‘the democratic ideal and the human rights’ of European modernity,” the Pope said.
Not everyone in the Catholic world approves. Although the movement has largely flown under media radar, John Paul faces a growing conservative opposition to this embrace of liberalism, understood in the classic sense. . . .

It was in fact Mr. Allen's column which inspired this website and our homegrown investigation of the relationship between the Catholic faith and what has been called America's experiment in "ordered liberty." Such questions as:

What are the religious and philosophical foundations of the 'The American Experiment'?
Is the liberal tradition (understood in the sense of democracy, human rights and the free market) a help or a hinderance to the life of the Church and evangelization?
Is capitalism and the free market compatible with Christian morality and the social teachings of the Catholic Church?
What is the proper role of religion in the public life of America today and how ought we to interpret the 'separation of Church and State'?
What is the proper understanding of freedom, conscience and religious liberty in Catholic tradition?

This debate has occupied two prominent groups of Catholics during the 1990's-2000's -- between those loosely classified as the Whig Thomists or Catholic neoconservatives (George Weigel Michael Novak, and the late Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus, prominently featured in the journal First Things) and the "Communio School" (or Augustinian Thomists -- among them David Schindler, Dr. Tracy Rowland, Alisdair MacIntyre).

For a summary of the debate from the Augustinian Thomist perspective, see The Church's Response to Modernity with Dr. Tracey Rowland (Zenit News, July 25, 2005).

Please note that the purpose of this website is to serve as an archive of articles and resources available online, and to other helpful websites pertaining to this important discussion -- a depository of pertinent information for those interested in these issues. Furthermore, while the debate between the 'Catholic neoconservatives' and their critics has expanded into issues of foreign policy (such as the Iraq war), this website is by and large confined to theoretical matters of political and economic philosophy. For a similar archive and chronicle of the 2002-03 "just war debate" over Iraq.

As always I welcome comments and criticisms. If you encounter online articles I may have missed, please don't hesitate to email me.

Practical suggestions for the application of Catholic social teaching

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Education - Read and have good, precise knowledge of the Church's social teachings, to be able to expound them with assurance and clarity, and make sure that what we teach in the name of the Church is effectively what the Church teaches, and not our own personal opinions.
Humility - So as not to have to jump from general principles to definitive concrete judgments, especially when expressed in a categorical and absolute manner. We should not go beyond the limitations of our own knowledge and specific competence.
Realism - in assessing the human condition, acknowledging sin but leaving room for the action of God's grace. In the midst of our commitment to human development, never lose sight that man's vocation is above all to be a saint and enjoy God for eternity.
Caution - So as to avoid the temptation of using the Church's social doctrine as a weapon for judging "others" (entrepreneurs, politicians, multinational companies, etc.). We should instead concentrate first on our own lives and our personal, social, economic and political responsibilities.
Cooperation - Know how to closely cooperate with lay people, forming them and sending them out as evangelizers of the world. They are the true experts in their fields of competence and have the specific vocation of transforming temporal realities according to the Gospel.

Courtesy of Fr. Thomas Williams, Theology Dean at Regina Apostolorum

Resources on the Web

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Documents, Events, Addresses

Online Library of Liberty - a collection of online texts "which have contributed to our understanding of the nature of individual liberty, limited and constitutional government, and the free market" - over 1,000 titles by over 350 authors, from ancient Sumeria to the present.
The Acton Lecture on Religion and Freedom Delivered by eminent individuals (both lay and clerical) from all faiths and denominations, the Acton Lecture is sponsored by the Centre for Independent Studies -- the leading independent public policy 'think tank' within Australasia. It provides a forum to discuss the contribution religious thought has made to freedom in the modern world and its effects on political, social and economic issues. Begun by the Centre for Independent Studies in 1998.
Christian Faith and Postmodernity, an Index of WWW Resources. Articles and book reviews compiled by Dr. Scott H. Moore (Department of Philosophy, Baylor University, Waco, Texas.
Catholic Sources and the Declaration of Independence. Rev. John C. Rager. The Catholic Mind XXVIII, no. 13 (July 8, 1930).
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic Library of Congress.
Faith and Freedom The Christian Roots of American Liberty. A publication of the Christian Defense Fund.
The User's Guide to the Declaration of Independence, a project of the Claremont Institute.
The Busy Christian's Guide to Catholic Social Teaching, by Claretion Publications.
Roots of the Catholic Worker Movement. A collection of writings by Saints and Philosophers who Influenced Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Compiled by the Houston Catholic Worker.
The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church. A collection the central statements of the Roman Pontiffs from a range of texts, including papal encyclicals, apostolic letters, and Conciliar documents, on matters relating to politics, economics, and culture.
Catholics in the Public Square - a three-year research project conducted jointly by the Commonweal Foundation and the Faith & Reason Institute and supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, exploring the question: "an the Catholic church, with over 60 million adherents in the United States, make a distinctive contribution to American civic life?"

Organizations

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty. Inspired by the writings of the English historian Lord John Acton (1834-1902), the Acton Institute "seeks to articulate a vision of society that is both free and virtuous." It publishes two journals, Religion & Liberty and Markets & Morality.
The Ethics & Public Policy Center The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) was established in 1976 to clarify and reinforce the bond between the Judeo-Christian moral tradition and the public debate over domestic and foreign policy issues.
The Economy Project, sponsored by The GK Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture, Oxford. Advances the premise: "that every economy is a "cultural economy", and fundamentally an "ethical economy", the expression of an ethos . . . Christianity claims that our nature fulfils itself only in self-giving love. If this is true, it affects the goals and methods of economics. What kind of "sane economics" might emerge from such a transformation is the question that our project seeks to ask, if not to answer."
InterCollegiate Studies Institute - ISI works "to educate for liberty" — to identify the best and the brightest college students and to nurture in these future leaders the American ideal of ordered liberty. To accomplish this goal, ISI seeks to enhance the rising generation's knowledge of our nation's founding principles — limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, the rule of law, market economy, and moral norms.
First Principles Online Journal - the web journal of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). In order to further ISI’s mission of “educating for liberty,” it publishes, three times per week, new essays, articles, comments, and reviews related to six broad areas of inquiry: Western civilization, the American experience, free markets and civil society, America’s security, the conservative intellectual tradition, and higher education.
The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal - "Continuing in the tradition of Dr. Kirk, the Center’s mission is to strengthen the foundations—cultural, economic, and religious—of Western civilization and the American experience within it."
The Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society - founded in 1992 by Michael Novak, Rocco Buttiglione, Father Richard John Neuhaus, Father Maciej Zieba, OP, and George Weigel to deepen the dialogue on Catholic social doctrine between North American students and students from the new democracies of central and eastern Europe. The seminar is built around an intense study of John Paul II's 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, supplemented by readings from the classics of American political theory and contemporary articles.
The Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is "grounded in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every human person [and] protests injustice, war, racism, and violence of all forms."

The Social Encyclicals and Teachings of the Catholic Church

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Pope Leo XIII

Rerum Novarum. Enyclical of on Capital & Labor. Issued May 15, 1891.

Pope Pius XI

Quadragesimo Anno: On the Reconstruction of the Social Order. Issued May 15, 193

Pope John XXIII

Mater Et Magistra. Encyclical on Christianity and Social Progress. May 15, 1961.

Pope John Paul II

Ecclesia in America. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. Jan. 22, 1999.
Laborem Exercens: On Human Work. Enyclical of Pope John Paul II. Issued on September 14, 1981
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis: "On Social Concerns": On the Twentieth Anniversary of Populorum Progressio. Issued on December 30, 1987.
Centesimus Annus: The Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum. Issued on May 1, 1991

Pope Benedict XVI

Deus Caritas Est Issued December 25, 2005.
Spe Salvi Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on November 30, 2007.

Vatican II

Gaudium Et Spes: Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI on Dec. 7, 1965.
Dignitatis Humanae: Declaration on Religious Freedom Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI on Dec. 7, 1965.

From the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Nov. 24, 2002.
Reactions & Commentary on 'Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life'
- Importance and current validity of the document, by Cardinal Joachim Meisner Archbishop of Cologne. L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English. 22 January 2003, page 7.
- Catholic Culture for True Humanism, by Cardinal Giacomo Biffi. Archbishop of Bologna. L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English. 22 January 2003, page 7.
- Secularism, Morality & Politics, by Prof. John Finnis. L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English. 29 January 2003, page 9.
- Doctrinal Note: An Overview, by Fr. Réal Tremblay, C.SS.R. L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 12 February 2003, page 9.
Instruction on Christian Freedom & Liberation. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. March 22, 1986.

David Schindler

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David Schindler is Gagnon professor of fundamental theology at the John Paul II Institute for the Study of Marriage and the Family in Washington, D.C., and editor of the North American edition of Communio, the international theological review. A nationally recognized author, teacher and lecturer, his latest book is Heart of the World, Center of the Church: Communio Ecclesiology, Liberalism, and Liberation (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich.)

See also: David Schindler (Biographical entry in First Principles' journal by Jeremy Beer.

Relevant Reading

Heart of the World, Center of the Church: Communio Ecclesiology, Liberalism, and Liberation Eerdmans (October 1996)
Wealth, Poverty, and Human Destiny edited by David Schindler, Doug Bandow. ISI Books (August 1, 2003).
Catholicism and Secularization in America: Essays on Nature, Grace and Culture, edited by David Schindler. Our Sunday Visitor (March 1, 1990)

Relevant Articles

"What a Lay Person Is" - Interview with John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter May 19, 2006.
Interview w/ John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter Nov. 22, 2003.
Threads Interview with David Schindler, editor of Communio.
The root and face of Relativism Traces interview. [Communion & Liberation] May 2005.
Religious Freedom, Truth & American Liberalism: Another Look at John Courtney Murray. Communio Winter 1994.

PLEASE NOTE: As with my other websites, my references are by and large limited to what's available on the web -- regretfully, Communio hasn't yet followed the norm of other Catholic periodicals in making their contents available online to the general public (free or by subscription).

As representative of the "Augustinian Thomists" I appreciate Dr. Schindler's contributions to the debate, but as he is generally published in Communio he falls among those authors who aren't as accessible online. Fortunately, David of the Catholic blog la nouvelle théologie provides a list of "must-read" Communio articles from Dr. Schindler and company (including an exchange btw. Schindler and Weigel):

Relevant Writings

Heart of the World, Center of the Church: Communio Ecclesiology, Liberalism, and Liberation (1996)

Today, thirty years after the Second Vatican Council, there can be little doubt that the notion of communion (“communion”) is at the center of Catholicism's renewed understanding of the Church. In Heart of the World, Center of the Church David L. Schindler shows that communion is also at the heart of the Church's worldly mission.

Invoking God's spousal relation to the world, Schindler argues that the Church's answer to the question of worldly freedom is nothing less than its own communio. Yet the claim that the Church promotes the “legitimate automony of earthly realities” by penetrating the world with its own intimate reality is hardly a matter of arcane speculation. Heart of the World, Center of the Church develops its thesis in critical dialogue with Western (especially Anglo-American) liberalism, whose ascendancy especially after the events of 1989 poses a host of urgent questions for the church.

Examining liberalism in politics, economics, and the academy, Schindler exposes its inadequate theology of human freedom and “worldly” autonomy, while suggesting how communion both transforms and protects freedom and autonomy in their varied cultural expressions. In the spirit of Pope John Paul II's call for a “new evangelization,” Schindler contributes to what the Pope himself has strongly reaffirmed as “the positive value of an authentic theology of integral human liberation” (Centesimus Annus, 26).

Anyone concerned with the problem of nature and grace or with the Church's engagement with culture in a contemporary context will find this book not only a useful resource but also a spur to further reflection.

Reviews

The New Republic

Modern Age

An Integrated Catholic Worldview

Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Catholic Social Science Review

Introduction - Guest Editor: Robert Hunt
The Dialogue between Catholic "Neoconservatives" and Catholic "Cultural Radicals": Towards a New Horizon Mark Lowery
Whose "New Horizon?" Adrian Walker
Democracy: Yes; Liberalism: No Kenneth L. Grasso

The Liberalism of John Paul II

First Things

"Shindler's Complaint"

First Things

Missing Person

Commonweal

Review

The Thomist

Tracey Rowland

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Dr. Tracy Rowland is the Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family based in Melbourne, and a Permanent Fellow of the Institute of Political Philosophy and Continental Theology. She holds degrees in Law, Politics and Philosophy from the Universities of Queensland and Melbourne and a Doctorate from the Divinity School of the University of Cambridge. She is a member of the editorial board of the international Catholic journal, Communio, and a member of the Commission for Australian Catholic women. Her current research interests include Theological Anthropology, The Philosophy of Language and it relevance to the New Evangelisation, The Thomist Tradition, Theological Critiques of the Political Philosophy of Liberalism, Genealogies of Modernity and Post-Modernity, Communio Ecclisiology and interpretations of Vatican II.

Info

Associate Professor Tracey Rowland Faculty Page. John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

Part I

Part II

John Paul II and Human Dignity Public Lecture for Feast of Sts Peter & Paul, June 2005. [.pdf format]
Interview Oct. 29, 2004.
Should we abandon Christendom?. An edited version of an address delivered at the 10th Annual Conference of the Ecclesia Dei Society held in Brisbane, 8-10 September.
The Pastoral Relevance of Beauty. Oriens Summer 2002.

Culture and the Thomist Tradition: After Vatican II (2003)

Thomist's influence upon the development of Catholicism is difficult to overestimate - but how secure is its grip on the challenges that face contemprary society? Culture and the Thomist Tradition Rexamines the crisis of Thomism today as thrown into relief by Vatican II, the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. Following the Church's declarations on culture in the document Gaudium et spes - the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World - it was widely presumed that a mandate hade been given for transposing ecclesiastical culture into the idioms of modernity. But, says Tracey Rowland, such an understanding is not only based on a facile reading of the Conciliar documents, but is flawed by Thomism's own failure to demonstrate a workable theology of culture that might guide the Church through such transpositions.

Reviews

Review by Daniel McInerney. Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly Vol. 28, No. 1. Spring 2005.
The Culture We Evangelize, by Bernhard Blankenhorn, O.P. O Lumen No. 1 - Publication of the Students of the Western Dominican Province.
Review by Fr Peter Joseph STD. AD2000 Vol 16 No 5 (June 2003), p. 17.
Review, by Douglas A. Ollivant. First Things 143 (May 2004): 47-49.
Whig vs. Augustianian Thomists, by Jeremy Beer The New Pantagruel Volume One, Issue Two. Spring 2004.

Alasdair MacIntyre

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Alasdair MacIntyre has written widely in philosophy since his first book, Marxism: An Interpretation , appeared in 1953. He has taught at Oxford University, Princeton University, Brandeis University, Boston University, Wellesley College, Vanderbilt University, Duke University, and the University of Notre Dame. In 1989 he was a Luce Visiting Scholar at the Whitney Humanities Center of Yale University. He has also served as President of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association. Professor MacIntyre is the author of over thirty books, including the influential triumvirate of recent works: After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (1981), Whose Justice? Which Rationality? (1988), and Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry: Encyclopaedia, Genealogy, and Tradition (1990). He has made prominent contributions to the history of philosophy, moral philosophy, political theory, philosophy of the social sciences, and philosophy of religion. He is currently working on a number of projects, including an examination of the philosophical work of Edith Stein set against the background of twentieth century phenomenology.

Bio

Bio from the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture.
A Bibliography of the Works of Alasdair MacIntyre, compiled by William Hughes, Dept. of Philosophy. University of Guelph.

Relevant Articles

By MacIntyre

The Only Vote Worth Casting in November Opinion piece on the 2004 U.S. Presidential election.

About MacIntyre

Some Contemporary Challenges for the Life and the Thought of the Church, as Seen from the West, by Javier MartÃnez Archbishop of Granada. Second Spring website. [date of publication unknown].
Did Benedict XVI Take a Page Out of MacIntyre's Book?, by Nathan Smith. TechCentralStation. April 22, 2005.
About 'AfterVirtue' by A. MacIntyre compilation of of a group of posts from Marijo Cook. August 30, 2003 - Sept. 11, 2003.
Virtue and After: MacIntyre's Solution to a Modern Dilemma, by Sara Staggs. Sewanee Senior Philosophy Essays. Class of 2003.
Still Waiting for Benedict, by Gilbert Meilaender. First Things 96 (October 1999): 47-55. Responding to MacIntyre's Dependent Rational Animals and Kelvin Knight's The MacIntyre Reader.
The Achievement of Alasdair MacIntyre by Edward T. Oakes. First Things 65 (August/September 1996): 22-26.
After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntryre Notes by Dr. Ronald C. Arnett
Theological reflections on MacIntyre's After Virtue, by Peter Sellick. Published in Trinity Occasional Papers Vol XV.No1 (1996) in honour of Revd Dr Michael Owen.

Whose Justice? Which Rationality? (1988)

Is there any cause or war worth risking one's life for? How can we determine which actions are vices and which virtues? MacIntyre, professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University, unravels these and other such questions by linking the concept of justice to what he calls practical rationality. He rejects the grab-what-you-can, utilitarian yardstick adopted by moral relativists. Instead, he argues that four wholly different, incompatible ideas of justiceput forth by Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas and Humehave helped shape our modern individualistic world. In his unorthodox view, each person seeks the good through an ongoing dialogue with one of these traditions or within Jewish, non-Western or other historical traditions. This weighty sequel to After Virtue (1981) is certain to stir debate. - Publisher's Weekly

Reviews

Review by Dr. Muhammad Legenhausen

al Tawhid Islamic Journal

Recoiling from Reason

After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, Third Edition (1981)

Morality, according to Alasdair MacIntyre, is not what it used to be. In the Aristotelian tradition of ancient Greece and medieval Europe, morality enabled the transformation from untutored human nature as it happened to be to human nature as it could be if it realized its telos (fundamental goal). Eventually, belief in Aristotelian teleology waned, leaving the idea of imperfect human nature in conflict with the perfectionist aims of morality. The conflict dooms to failure any attempt to justify the claims of morality, whether based on emotion, such as Hume's was, or on reason, as in the case of Kant. The result is that moral discourse and practice in the contemporary world is hollow: although the language and appearance of morality remains, the substance is no longer there. Disagreements on moral matters appeal to incommensurable values and so are interminable; the only use of moral language is manipulative.

The claims presented in After Virtue are certainly audacious, but the historical erudition and philosophical acuity behind MacIntyre's powerful critique of modern moral philosophy cannot be disregarded. Moreover, independently of its principal claims, the book, first published in 1981, helped to stimulate philosophical work on the virtues, to reinvigorate traditionalist and communitarian thought, and to provoke valuable discussion in the history of moral philosophy. It was so widely discussed that MacIntyre added another chapter to the second edition in order to reply to his critics. After Virtue continues to deserve attention from philosophers, historians, and anyone interested in moral philosophy and its history. -- Glenn Branch

Reviews

Theological reflections on MacIntyre's After Virtue

The Ethical Dance

Socialist Register

Can We Live the Good Life?

New York Review of Books

Robert Kraynak

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Robert Kraynak is professor of political science at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY.

Published Works (Relevant to the Discussion):

Christian Faith and Modern Democracy: God & Politics in the Fallen World University of Notre Dame Press (September 1, 2001).

Relevent Articles

Church-State Relations in America and Europe - Interview w. Zenit News Service.

Part I: America's Civil Religion. March 25, 2005.
Part II: Different Paths of Development. March 26, 2005.
III: on Catholicism and Americanism. March 27, 2003.

Aquinas for the Democratic Age. Review of Liberty, Wisdom, and Grace: Thomism and Democratic Political Theory, by John P. Hittinger. Claremont Review of Books Spring 2004.
The Illusion of Christian Democracy Conclusion to a symposium on Christian Faith and Modern Democracy, on the tension between Christianity and modern liberal democracy. [.pdf format]
Natural Rights and the American Experiment: Some Problems for Christian Theology Lecture for The Witherspoon Fellowship. March 12, 2004.
Aquinas for the Democratic Age. Review of Liberty, Wisdom, and Grace: Thomism and Democratic Political Theory, by John P. Hittinger. Claremont Review of Books Spring 2004.
Conservative Critics of Modernity: Can They Turn Back the Clock? The Intercollegiate Review Volume 37, Number 1 - Fall 2001.
Interview - Mars Hill Audio Journal Vol. 54.

About Kraynak

From Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 7, Number 2. Fall 2004:

The Influence of Kant on Christian Theology: A Debate About Human Dignity and Christian Personalism, by Derek S. Jeffreys.
A Response to Derek S. Jeffreys, by Robert Kraynak.
A Response to Robert Kraynak by Derek S. Jeffreys.
A Response to Derek S. Jeffreys [Part II], by Robert Kraynak.

Christian Faith and Modern Democracy - A Symposium - Catholic Social Science Review Volume IX (2004) - [NOTE: all articles in Adobe .pdf format]:

Introduction - Kenneth L. Grasso.
About Christian Faith and Modern Democracy, by Robert Kraynak.
Words That Sound Alike But Have Different Meanings, by Gary Glenn.
Making the Christian Case for Democracy, by Jeanne Heffernan
Democracy, Modernity, and the Catholic Human Rights Revolution, by Kenneth L. Grasso.
Kraynak: Christianity vs. Modernity?, by Robert P. Hunt.
Christian and Democrat? The Trans-Political Character of Christian Democracy, by Timothy Sherratt.
Freedom, Equality, Dignity of the Human Person, by Norris W. Clarke, SJ.
Personhood as Gift and Task, by Gregory Beabout.
Christianity, a Culture of Love, and Kraynakâ€™s PRIVATE Critique, by David S. Crawford.
The Illusion of Christian Democracy, by Robert Kraynak.

Christian Faith and Modern Democracy: God and Politics in the Fallen World (Frank M. Covey, Jr. Loyola Lectures in Politial Analysis) (2001)

Description (Amazon.com): Do Christianity and modern liberal democracy share a common moral vision, or are they opposed and even hostile to each other? In "Christian Faith and Modern Democracy", Robert Kraynak challenges the commonly accepted view that Christianity is inherently compatible with modern democratic society. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Kraynak argues that there is no necessary connection between Christianity and any form of government and that, in many important respects, Christianity is weakened by its close alliance with contemporary versions of democracy and human rights.

Reviews

Review

Markets & Morality

Review

Ordered Liberty under God, a review of Christian Faith and Modern Democracy

The Intercolleciate Review

Religion & Liberty

America

First Things

Commonweal

Joseph A. Varacalli

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Dr. Varacalli is Professor of Sociology and newly appointed Director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Nassau Community College. In 1992, he co-founded (with Stephen M. Krason) the Society of Catholic Social Scientists. He is the author, most recently, of Bright Promise, Failed Community: Catholics and the American Public Order.

Info

Special Section: Joseph Varacalli: a Bibliography (Catholic Social Sciene Review 2009)

Published Works (Relevant to the Discussion):

Bright Promise, Failed Community: Catholics and the American Public Order Lexington Books (January 2000).

Relevant Articles

Central Themes in the History of the Catholic Church in the United States The Catholic Social Science Review Volume XI, 2007.
Catholic Social Thought And American Civilization Homiletic & Pastoral Review Oct. 2002.
Catholicism & Democracy Homiletic & Pastoral Review May. 2002.
Putting the Catholic House Back Together. Lay Witness April 2001.
The Failure Of The Therapeutic: Implications For Society And Church. Faith & Reason Spring 1997.
The Contemporary Culture War In America: Whither Natural Law, Catholic Style? Faith & Reason Winter 1995.
The Catholic Religious and Cultural Center: A Contemporary Call on Behalf of the Faith. Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Newsletter Vol. 18, No. 3. July 1995. pp. 22-26. [.pdf format].
Multi-Culturalism, Catholicism and American Civilization. Homiletic and Pastoral Review March 1994.
Granting a Little Too Much to America: One Neo-Conservative on the Renewal of American Democracy. Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Newsletter Vol. 13, No. 3. June 1990. p. 21 ff. [review of Catholicism and the Renewal of American Democracy, by George Weigel].
Neo-Orthodoxy, the Crisis of Authority, and the Future of the Catholic Church in the United States. Faith & Reason Fall 1989.

The Catholic Experience in America (The American Religious Experience) (2005)

This volume in the American Religious Experience series chronicles the history and present situation of the Catholic Church and the American Catholic subculture in the United States. Catholics have had a long history in America, and they have often had conflicting demands--should they remain loyal to the authority of the pope in Rome, or should they become more accommodating to American culture and society? The Catholic Experience in America combines historical, sociological, philosophical, and theological and religious scholarship to provide the reader with an overview of the general trends of American Catholic history, without over-simplifying the complex nature of that history.

Bright Promise, Failed Community: Catholics and the American Public Order (2000)

In "Bright Promise, Failed Community", respected Catholic sociologist Joseph Varacalli describes how and why Catholic America has essentially failed to shape the American Republic in any significant way. American society has never experienced a "Catholic moment" --the closest it came was during the immediate post-World War II era--nor is it now close to approximating one. Varacalli identifies as the cause of the current situation the "failed community" of Catholic America: an ineffective and dissent-ridden set of organizational arrangements that has not succeeded in adequately communicating the social doctrine of the Church to Catholic Americans or to the key idea-generating sectors of American life. The "bright promise" of Catholic America lies in the long and still developing tradition of social Catholicism. With a revitalized, orthodox, sophisticated community to serve as the carrier of Catholic social doctrine, Varacalli sees trends of thought that would propose viable alternatives to philosophies and ideologies that currently dominate the American public sphere-ones that would thus have a formidable impact on American society.

Reviews

In Search of a "Catholic Moment" in U.S. History

The Truth

Review

L'Osservatore Romano

The Self-Inflicted Wounds of American Catholicism

St. Catherine Review

Review

The Church That Failed

Catholic Faith

Briefly Noted

First Things

Eugene McCarraher

2009-02-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

Dr. Eugene McCarraher [Academic Homepage] is Assistant Professor of Humanities and History at Villanova University and a 2006 fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies. He received his Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University, where he studied with Jackson Lears. He is the author of Christian Critics: Religion and the Impasse in Modern American Social Thought. He has taught at Rutgers, the University of Delaware, and Princeton. In addition to articles for scholarly journals, he writes essays and reviews for Commonweal, Books and Culture, and In These Times. His current project is a cultural history of corporate business entitled The Enchantments of Mammon: Corporate Capitalism and the American Moral Imagination, which will be published in 2006.

Published Works (Relevant to the Discussion):

Christian Intellectuals: Imbedded or Otherwise, by Eugene McCarraher. The New Pantagruel Volume One, Issue One. Winter 2004.
Mammon's Deadly Grin: The New Gospel of Wealth and the Old Gospel of Life. Presented at the Culture of Life Conference. Notre Dame Center for Ethics & Culture. Nov. 30, 2001. [.pdf format]
Theology at the Barricades, by Eugene McCarraher. Commonweal July 13, 2001 / Volume CXXVIII, Number 13.
'The Long Loneliness' at 50: Dorothy Day's Enduring Biography Commonweal May 3, 2002 / Volume CXXIX, Number 9.
Smile When You Say 'Laity': The Hidden Triumph of the Consumer Ethos, by Eugene McCarraher. Commonweal September 12, 1997 / Volume CXXIV, Number 15. [SEE ALSO: Smile when You Say, 'Starbucks': Responses to Eugene McCarraher, by Patrick Allitt, Michael Baxter, Una M. Cadigan, et al. Commonweal November 21, 1997 / Volume CXXIV, Number 20.]
A Merry Marxy Christmas In These Times Dec. 23, 2003.

About McCarraher

"Marxists for Christ" The Revealer Dec. 30, 2003.

Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus (1936-2009)

2009-02-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus was one of America's leading conservative Catholic intellectuals and founder of the journal First Things First Things, an ecumenical journal of "religion and public life." He devoted much of his writing in his monthly column "The Public Square" to reflections on the issues which occupy this blog and intellectually sparring on occasion with Communio editor Dr. David Schindler. Fr. Neuhaus passed away on January 8, 2009; an online archive of his writings can be found here.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

"Proposing Democracy Anew", a three-part series from his monthly column "The Public Square":

Part One First Things October 1999.
Part Two First Things November 1999.
Part Three First Things December 1999.

Our American Babylon First Things 158 (December 2005): 23-28.
Internationalisms, Etc.. [From "The Public Square"] First Things 148 (December 2004): 64-84.
The Naked Public Square Now. Twenty years after its publication, various authors (Stanley Hauerwaus, Harvey Cox, Jeane Bethke Elshtain, et al.) reflect on the influence of the book and contemporary problems raised by its argument, with a response by Father Neuhaus. First Things 147 (November 2004): 11-27.
The Unresolvable Conflict: Religion, Politics, and Morality Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPS) "American Culture and Democracy" lecture series. September 27, 2004. [available in audio format]
Catholics, Protestants, and the Meanings of Freedom. [From "The Public Square"] First Things 135 (August/September 2003).
The Persistence of the Catholic Moment, First Things 130 (February 2003): 26-30.
"Schindler's Complaint", First Things 74, June-July 1997.
The Liberalism of John Paul II. First Things 73 (May 1997): 16-21.
To Propose the Truth: The Catholic Moment Requires Five Transformations. Crisis April 1994.
Religion's Role in Public Life, Interview w/ Richard John Neuhaus. Religion & Liberty Sept.-Oct. 1993.
Christianity & Democracy. A declaration, written by Richard John Neuhaus and published by the Institute for Religion & Democracy, "intended to set forth the Christian case for, and stake in, the liberal democratic order." Originally published October 1981 & republished in First Things 66 (October 1996): 30-36.

George Weigel

2009-02-17T22:58:00.001-08:00

George Weigel is Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II.

An online archive of Michael Novak's writings can be found here.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

Europe and America: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow The Wriston Lecture -- The Manhattan Institute. November 7, 2006.
From Centesimus Annus to Deus Caritas Est: The Free and Virtuous Society of the 21st Century On December 12, the Acton Institute hosted a conference at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University on the relationship of Pope John Paul II's 1991 social encyclical, Centesimus Annus, to Pope Benedict XVI's inaugural encyclical, Deus Caritas Est.
The Blessings of Charity: A papal challenge to conventional wisdom - on Deus Caritas Est. Philanthropy Magazine March 1, 2006.
Religious Conviction and Democratic Etiquette. Comments at the Thomas More Institute, London. Thursday, May 20, 2004.
The Free and Virtuous Society: Catholic Social Doctrine in the Twenty-First Century. The fourth annual Tyburn Lecture at Tyburn Convent, Marble Arch, London. May 19, 2004.
World Order: What Catholics Forgot. First Things 143 (May 2004): 31-38.
Europe's Problem: And Ours. First Things 140 (February 2004): 18-25.
A Better Concept of Freedom. First Things 121 March 2002): 14-20.
Papacy & Power. First Things 110 (February 2001): 18-25.
The Moral Foundations of Freedom. Acton Lecture on Religion & Liberty. October 23, 2000.
John Paul II and the Priority of Culture. First Things 80 (February 1998): 19-25.
The Catholic Human Rights Revolution Crisis July/August 1996.
Faith - Essential Ingredient of Democratic Capitalism. Interview with George Weigel. Religion & Liberty. The Acton Institute. March-April 1996.
Christian Conviction & Democratic Etiquette. First Things 41 (March 1994): 28-35.

	Against the Grain: Christianity and Democracy, War and Peace (2008) Cutting against the grain of conventional wisdom, New York Times bestseller, George Weigel, offers a compelling look at the ways in which Catholic social teaching sheds light on the challenges of peace, the problem of pluralism, the quest for human rights, and the defense of liberty. In this major contribution one of America's most prominent intellectuals offers a meticulous analysis of the foundations of the free society as he makes a powerful case for the role of moral reasoning in meeting the threats to human dignity posed by debonair nihilism, jihadist violence, and the brave new world of manufactured men and women.
	The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God (2005) Why do Europeans and Americans see the world so differently? Why do Europeans and Americans have such different understandings of democracy in the twenty-first century? Why is Europe dying, demographically? In The Cube and the Cathedral, George Weigel offers a penetrating critique of "Europe's problem" and draws out its lessons for the rest of the democratic world. Contrasting the civilization that produced the starkly modernist "cube" of the Great Arch of La Defense in Paris with the civilization that produced the "cathedral," Notre-Dame, Weigel argues that Europe's embrace of a narrow and cramped secularism has led to a crisis of civilizational morale that is eroding Europe's soul and failing to create the European future. Even as thoughtful Europeans and Americans wrestle with these grave issues, many European political leaders continue to insist-most recently, during the debate over a new European constitution-that only a public square shorn of religiously informed moral argument is safe for human rights and democracy. The most profound question raised by The Cube and the Cathedral is whether there can be any true "politics"-any true deliberation about the common good, and any robust defense of freedom-without God. George Weigel makes a powerful case that the answer is "No"-because, in the final analysis, societies and cultures can only be as great as their spiritual aspirations. Reviews Review by John Ballantyne. AD2000 Vol 18 No 11 (December 2005 - January 2006). Abandoning Our Spiritual Roots is Suicide Review by Mark M. Wilkins. St. Anthony Messenger. Continental Christophobia Cubed by Daniel Gallagher. Christianity Today August 15, 2005. Christophobia and Culture: Weigel Looks at Europe, by Father John McCloskey. The National Catholic Register August 21, 2005. "The Democratic Project", by Nancy Hawkins. America Vol. 192 No. 21 June 20, 2005. Godless Continent, by Randy Boyagoda. National Review April 25, 2005. Europe's Apocalypse, by Daniel Johnson. New York Sun April 11, 2005. Why Europe's great churches are empty, by Brian M. Carney. Wall Street Journal April 14, 2005. Review by Loredana Vuoto. Townhall.com. See Also: "Europe, America, and Politics Without God" Interview with Paul Belien (Brussels Journal October 16, 2005).
	Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (2001) Given unprecedented access to Pope John Paul II and the people who have known and worked with him throughout his life, George Weigel presents a groundbreaking portrait of the Pope as a man, a thinker, and a leader whose religious convictions have defined a new approach to world politics--and changed the course of history. John Paul II has systematically addressed every major question on the world's agenda at the turn of the millennium: the human yearning for the sacred, the meaning of freedom, the glories and challenges of human sexuality, the promise of the women's movement, the quest for a new world order, the nature of good and evil, the moral challenge of prosperity, and the imperative of human solidarity in the emerging global civilization.By bringing the age-old wisdom of biblical religion into active conversation with contemporary life and thought, the Pope "from a far country" has crafted a challenging proposal for the human future that is without parallel in the modern world. Weigel explores new information about the Pope's role in some of the recent past's most stirring events, including the fall of communism; the Vatican/Israel negotiation of 1991-92; the collapse of the Philippine, Chilean, Nicaraguan, and Paraguayan dictatorships during the 1980s; and the epic papal visit to Cuba. Weigel also includes previously unpublished papal correspondence with Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Deng Xiaoping, and draws on hitherto unavailable autobiographical reminiscences by the Pope. Witness to Hope also discusses the Pope's efforts to build bridges to other Christian communities, and to Judaism, Islam, and other great world religions; presents an analysis of John Paul's proposals for strengthening democratic societies in the twenty-first century; and offers synopses of every major teaching document in the pontificate. Rounding out the dramatic story of Pope John Paul II are fresh translations of his poetry; detailed personal anecdotes of the Pope as a young man, priest, and friend, sketched by those who knew him best; and in-depth interviews with Catholic leaders throughout the world. A magisterial biography of one of the most important figures--some might argue, the most important figure--of the twentieth century, Witness to Hope is an extraordinary testimony to the man and his accomplishments, and a papal biography unlike any other. Reviews Review, by Paul Johnson. Commentary, Dec. 1999. Review by John L. Allen, Jr. National Catholic Reporter. Nov. 5, 1999. Witness to the Witness, by Avery Dulles. First Things 97 (November 1999): 49-57. Wojtyle writ large, and long, by Eamon Duffy. CommonWeal. Oct. 22, 1999. The Pole in Rome, by Jay Nordlinger. National Review. Oct. 11, 1999. Review by Mary Ann Glendon. L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English. 29 September 1999, page 9
	Soul of the World: Notes on the Future of Public Catholicism (1996) Reviews Review, by R. Bruce Douglass. Journal of Church and State, June, 1997.
	Freedom and its Discontents: Catholicism Confronts Modernity (1991) How can an authoritative church avoid authoritarianism? How can a church committed to a dialogue with modern science and the humanities still hold itself accountable to an ancient religious tradition? How can a hierarchied church defend religious freedom and support the democratic revolution in world politics? George Weigel's exploration of these issues of the modern Catholic debate over freedom touches concerns far beyond Catholic circles.
	Catholicism and the Renewal of American Democracy (1989) Taking his cue from Richard J. Neuhaus's work, Weigel offers a conservative Catholic critique of the problems of Church and state in America. Well versed in American political theory as well as Catholic tradition, Weigel--author of Tranquillitas Ordinis ( LJ 2/15/87), a study of Catholic teaching on war and peace from a conservative perspective--offers a well-conceived right-of-center argument for a "civil public square" that recognizes the role of religion in American democracy but does not seek to impose one set of beliefs on everyone. Included are essays on major public policy issues, such as war and abortion. Overall, the book is a hard-hitting critique that is accessible to the general reader. -- Library Journal
	Tranquillitas Ordinis: The Present Failure and Future Promise of American Catholic Thought on War and Peace (1987) n recent years, Roman Catholic bishops and activists have been highly visible in the public debate over issues such as nuclear arms control and U.S. policy in Central America. Until now, however, the evolution of American Catholic thought on these questions has received little attention. This book is the first comprehensive critical analysis of American Catholic thought on war and peace. The author's purpose is to evaluate the post-Vatican II transformation of the Church's approach to war/peace issues and to point a wiser direction for its future development. The book begins with a survey of American Catholicism's rich and sophisticated heritage of moral reasoning on war, peace, and political community. In a major reinterpretation of American Catholic history, Weigel shows how the American Bishops' development of a theology of democracy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries enriched the Church's classic understanding of peace as political community. Weigel thus challenges the now-prominent idea that the U.S. Catholic bishops were not seriously involved in the war-peace debate until the last decade. A highlight of the book is its detailed intellectual portrait of John Courtney Murray, S.J., whom Weigel calls the finest political theorist ever produced by the American Church. Weigel then demonstrates how, over the past generation, American Catholic intellectuals and publicists began to abandon their heritage, and thereby impoverished the theological and political argument over war and peace, security and freedom. The book analyzes the ideas of seven key figures in the transformation of the American Catholic war/peace debate--Dorothy Day, Gordon Zahn, Thomas Merton, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, James Douglass, and J. Bryan Hehir--and critically explores the U.S. bishops' recent involvement with nuclear and Central American policy. Recovering and developing the classic American Catholic heritage, Weigel argues, is essential to creating a wiser theology and politics whose concern for both peace and freedom challenges realists and idealists alike. Reviews Review by Richard J. Neuhaus. National Review, April 10, 1987. Review by Robert Royal National Review August 14, 1987. Review by Charles J. Leonard. Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 4. Sept. 1987.

Michael Novak

2009-02-17T22:58:00.000-08:00

Michael Novak holds the George Frederick Jewett Chair in Religion and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. His research focuses on the three systems of the free society--the free polity, the free economy, and the culture of liberty--and their springs in religion and philosophy. Twice the U.S. ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission, and once to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He directs social and political studies for the AEI and is the author of twenty-five influential books published in every major Western language (as well as Bengali, Korean, Japanese). He is the recipient of the 1994 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion; the Antony Fisher Prize for The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism presented by Margaret Thatcher; the Weber Award for contributions to Catholic Social Thought in Essen, Germany; the Cezanne Medal from the City of Provence, and the Catholic Culture Medal of Bassano del Grappa in Italy; the highest civilian award from the Slovak Republic in 1996; the Masaryk Medal, presented by Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic, in 2000.

An online archive of Michael Novak's writings can be found here.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

Understanding Novak: Introductory Resources

The Novak Achievement, by Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus. First Things 36 (October 1993).
Controversial Engagements. First Things 92 (April 1999): 21-29. Novak gives an account of his career and development of thought in response to Eugene McCarraher.
The Debate We Have To Have: Michael Novak, Christianity, and Capitalism, by Samuel Gregg. The Adelaide Review June 1999.

On Democracy, Religion & 'The American Experiment'

Michael Novak on the "Hunger for Liberty" -- an interview with Zenit.org. May 11, 2005.

The Universal Hunger for Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations Is Not Inevitable. Online discussion with Joanne Myers, Director of Merrill House Programs, and Q&A with readers. Sponsored by the Carnegie Council.
The Truth About Religious Freedom First Things 161 (March 2006): 17-20.
Religion and the Founders, by Christopher Levenick & Michael Novak. National Review March 7, 2005.
On "The Amerian Experiment" with Peter and Helen Evans. August 4, 2003.
Michael Novak's Recipe for a Civilization of Love. Zenit.org. July 17, 2003.
The Faith of the Founding. First Things 132 (April 2003): 27-32.
Democracy & Religion in America: Tocqueville's surprising linkage. National Review Online, October 2, 2002
A Nation That Believes: America without religion is not America. National Review Dec. 31, 2001.
The Judeo-Christian Foundation of Human Dignity, Personal Liberty, and the Concept of the Person Markets & Morality Vol. 1, No. 2. Fall 1998.
The Future of Civil Society. CRISIS Magazine, 14 no. 8. September 1996.
Aquinas and the Heretics First Things 58 (December 1995): 33-38.

On Economics & Social Thought

Wealth & Virtue: The moral case for capitalism. National Review Online. Feb. 18, 2004.
Michael Novak's Recipe for a Civilization of Love. Interview w/ Zenit.org. July 17, 2003.
Human Dignity, Personal Liberty: Themes from Abraham Kuyper and Leo XIII. Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 5, Number 1. Spring 2002.
Defining Social Justice. First Things 108 (December 2000): 11-13.
Capitalism and the Human Spirit. The Public Interest April 15, 2000.
The International Vocation of American Business. Religion & Liberty. The Acton Institute. July-August, 1999.
God, Man & Money Catholic Dossier May / June 1999.
Controversial Engagements - an account of his career and development of political thought. First Things 92 (April 1999).
Economics as Humanism. First Things 76 (October 1997): 18-19.
The Future of Civil Society. Crisis 14 no. 8 (September 1996).
- Michael Novak and Yves R. Simon on the common good and Capitalism, by Thomas R. Rourke. Review of Politics, Spring 1996, Vol. 58 Issue 2, p229, 30p;
- A `Catholic Whig' replies, by Michael Novak. Review of Politics, Spring 1996, Vol. 58 Issue 2, p259, 6p.
- Response to a `Catholic Whig', by Thomas R. Rourke. Review of Politics, Spring 1996, Vol. 58 Issue 2, p265, 3p.
The Free Market & Public Morality. Interview with Michael Novak. Religion & Liberty May-June 1994.
Capitalism Rightly Understood: The View of Christian Humanism. Faith & Reason, April 1991.
Centesimus Annus: Maintaining the Continuity of Catholic Social Teaching.
Response by Stephen M. Krason. Faith & Reason Winter 1991.
A Salute to Jacques Maritain. The Catholic Writer: The Proceedings of the Wethersfield Institute. 2 (1989): 65-82.
Michael Novak's Portrait of Democratic Capitalism, by Edward W. Younkins. Markets & Morality. Vol. 2, No. 9 Spring 1999.

See Also:

Relevant Writings

List of Major Works by Michael Novak [.pdf format]
Extended Summaries of Novak's Writing [.pdf format]

	Washington's God March 2006.
	The Universal Hunger For Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations Is Not Inevitable September 2004. Reviews Could Allah be Great for Democracy? Randy Boyagoda. Claremont Review of Books March 8, 2005. Benefits of capitalism, by William H. Petersen. Washington Times Dec. 21, 2004. A Global Gospel of Freedom, by Alan Wolfe. America Nov. 8, 2004. Democracy for All, by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. The American Conservative Feb. 25, 2005.
	On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding April 2003 Reviews A Republic on the Rise, With Powerful Minds and Earnest Prayers, by Lee Bockhorn. The Wall Street Journal. February 4, 2002 The Eagle's Flight. Review by Charles R. Kesler. National Review. April 8, 2002. One nation, including God, by Wilson Carey McWilliams. CommonWeal. Feb. 22, 2002.
	Three in One: Essays on Democratic Capitalism April 2001
	On Cultivating Liberty: Reflections on Moral Ecology March 1999
	Business As a Calling: Work and the Examined Life August 1996
	The Catholic Ethic & The Spirit of Capitalism February 1993
	Will it Liberate?: Questions About Liberation Theology July 1991 Book Reviews Review by Lee Cormie. St. Michael's College. Theology Today Vol. 45, No. 3, October 1988.
	The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism June 1991 Book Reviews Benne and Novak on Capitalism, by Daniel A. Dombrowski. Theology Today Vol. 41, No. 1. April 1984.
	This Hemisphere of Liberty November 1990. Book Reviews A Catholic Whiggism for Latin America, by Richard J. Neuhaus. Washington Post Book World. Jan 6, 1991. [Future of Freedom Foundation] Review, by Richard M. Ebeling, May 1991. Freedom Daily The Future of Freedom Foundation. Review by Jeffrey A. Tucker. The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty October 1991. The Foundation for Economic Education.
	Freedom with Justice: Catholic Social Thought and Liberal Institutions February 1989 [2000 reprint] Book Reviews Review by John T. Pawlikowski, O.S.M. Theology Today Vol. 42, no. 2. July 1985. Review by John K. Williams. The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty Foundation for Economic Education. December 1985.
	Free Persons and the Common Good January 1988

Fr. Robert Sirico

2009-02-17T22:57:00.000-08:00

Rev. Robert A. Sirico received his Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic University of America, following undergraduate study at the University of Southern California and the University of London. During his studies and early ministry, he experienced a growing concern over the lack of training religious studies students receive in fundamental economic principles, leaving them poorly equipped to understand and address today's social problems. As a result of these concerns, Fr. Sirico co-founded the Acton Institute with Kris Alan Mauren in 1990.

In April of 1999, Fr. Sirico was awarded an honorary doctorate in Christian Ethics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and in May of 2001, Universidad Francisco Marroquin awarded him an honorary doctorate in Social Sciences. He is a member of the prestigious Mont Pèlerin Society, the American Academy of Religion, and the Philadelphia Society, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Civic Institute in Prague. Father Sirico also served on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission from 1994 to 1998. He is also currently the Parochial Vicar at St. Mary Catholic Church in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Fr. Sirico's pastoral ministry has included a chaplaincy to AIDS patients at the National Institute's of Health and the recent founding of a new community, St. Philip Neri House in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

Economics According to John Paul II's Anthropology Zenit Interview. April 19, 2005.
Papal Economics 101: Freedom and truth National Review Online, April 7, 2005.
Subsidiarity: A lesson from the United States TRACES interview. [Communion & Liberation] May 2002.
Can a Camel Pass Through the Eye of a Needle? Zenit Interview. April 30, 2000.
Fr. Robert Sirico Comments on "The Social Agenda" Zenit Interview. April 30, 2000.
The Entrepreneurial Vocation Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 3, Number 1. Spring 2000.
The Late-Scholastic and Austrian Link to Modern Catholic Economic Thought Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 1, Number 2. October 1998.
Catholicism's Developing Social Teaching. The Freeman, December, 1991 (Vol. 41 No.12).
The Morality of Freedom The Freeman March 1988, Vol. 38, No. 3. Foundation for Economic Education, Inc.

Dr. Samuel Gregg

2009-02-17T22:56:00.001-08:00

Dr. Samuel Gregg is a moral philosopher who has written and spoken extensively on questions of ethics in public policy, jurisprudence, bioethics, and ethics in business. He has an MA in political philosophy from the University of Melbourne, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in moral philosophy from the University of Oxford, which he attended as a Commonwealth Scholar. Dr. Gregg is the author of several books, including Morality, Law, and Public Policy (2000), Economic Thinking for the Theologically Minded (2001), Challenging the Modern World: Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II and the Development of Catholic Social Teaching (2003) and On Ordered Liberty (2003). He also publishes regularly in journals such as Markets & Morality, Crisis, and Policy. He is the American editorial consultant for the Italian journal, La Societa, as well as American correspondent for the German newspaper Die Tagespost. Dr. Gregg is Director of Research at the Acton Institute, an Adjunct Professor at the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Marriage and the Family within the Pontifical Lateran University, and a consultant for Oxford Analytica Ltd. In 2001, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and in 2003 he was elected a member of the Mont Pèlerin Society.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

A Lost Opportunity: The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church—A Review Essay Markets & Morality Volume 9, Number 2 | Fall 2006. [PDF].
One Nation Under God? The Tablet June 25, 2005.
Old Europe’s New Despotism Acton Commentary. May 11, 2005.
The Challenge of Ordered Liberty: Constitutionalism and a Free Society Thomas More Institute Seminar. November 24, 2004.
Markets, Morality, and Civil Society. Intercollectiate Review Fall 2003/Spring 2004. [.pdf format]
Globalization and the Insights of Catholic Social Teaching Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 4, Number 1. Spring 2001.
The Limits of Politics January 31, 2001.
Dignitatis Humanae and the Catholic Human Rights 'Revolution' St. Thomas More Society, March 23, 2000.
Dr Samuel Gregg on Secularism Interview w. Stephen Crittenden
Rendering Unto Caesar: New Challenges for Church & State The Centre for Independent Studies. Tuesday 18 May, 2004. The Acton Lecture on Religion & Freedom.
Democracy and the Free Economy: The Anthropological Imperative [Address - time / date unknown].

Relevant Writings

On Ordered Liberty: A Treatise on the Free Society (2003)

On Ordered Liberty goes beyond the liberal and conservative divide, asking its readers to think about the proper ends of human choice and actions in a free society. Beginning with the insights of Alexis de Tocqueville and some natural law sources, author Samuel Gregg suggests that integral law must be distinguished from most contemporary visions of freedom. This requires, he believes, a complete repudiation of utilitarian ideas as incompatable with human nature and further analysis of the basic but often neglected-question: what is man?

Reviews

Reviewed by Daniel J. Mahoney

Challenging the Modern World: Karol Wojtyla/John Paul II and the Development of Catholic Social Teaching

Samuel Gregg provides an insightful, cogent, and thorough analysis of the issues surrounding developments in Catholic social teaching during the pontificate of John Paul II. He compares the treatment in John Paul's social encyclicals of three topics-industrial relations, capitalism, and the relations between developed and developing countries-with the handling of these matters in the social teachings of the Second Vatican Council and Paul VI. Through the application of a comparative exegetical approach to the relevant texts, it becomes apparent that John Paul's development of the teaching derives from several sources. Within this analysis, Gregg considers a more specific and less widely examined issue: the extent to which the development in Catholic social thought has been influenced by the writings of Karol Wojtyla before he became pope in 1978. In addition to revealing an openness to certain modern philosophical insights and expressing a range of views about the modern world, these writings elaborate a distinctive anthropology of man as the conscious subject of moral acts. -- Publisher

Reviews

Reviewed by Gregory R. Beabout

"Book Review: Challenging the Modern World"

Dr. Gregory M. A. Gronbacher

2009-02-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Dr. Gregory M. A. Gronbacher is the director of the Center for Economic Personalism, the academic research division of the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, MI. He holds a Ph. D. in philosophy from the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy in Dublin, Ireland, where he also was a lecturer. Dr. Gronbacher researches and lectures on the synthesis of free market economic science and Christian personalism as well as political and social philosophy and Catholic social thought.

Relevant Articles / Interviews

Relevant Articles

The Humane Economy thegoodsteward.com. January 26, 2001.
Economic Liberty And Social Ethics: The Morality Of The Third Way thegoodsteward.com. January 18, 2001.
Choice, Even In A Free Society, Has Its Limits. thegoodsteward.com. February 2, 2001.
The True Meaning of Catholic Action The Wanderer Forum, 2000. Based upon a presentation made to the 1998 Chicago Wanderer Forum, which examined the infiltration of the Industrial Areas Foundation into U.S. Catholic institutions.

The 'Finn-Gronbacher Debate' 1998-2001

The Need for Economic Personalism, by Gregory M. A. Gronbacher. Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 1, Number 1. March 1998.
The Economic Personalism of John Paul II: Neither Right Nor Left, by Daniel Rush Finn. Professor of Economics and Theology. Saint John’s University. Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 2, Number 1. Spring 1999.
The Humane Economy: Neither Right nor Left: A Response to Daniel Rush Finn, Gregory M.A. Gronbacher. Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 2, Number 2. Fall 1999.
On the Choice of Method in Economics:Options for Humanists: A Response to Gregory Gronbacher, by Daniel Rush Finn. Professor of Economics and Theology Saint John's University. Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 3, Number 2. Fall 2000.
The Finn–Gronbacher Debate, by Gabriel J. Zanotti. Associate Professor of Philosophy. Universidad Austral. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 4, Number 2. Fall 2001.

Fr. John Courtney Murray (1904-1967)

2009-02-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

John Courtney Murray was a Jesuit theologian and prominent American intellectual who was especially known for his efforts to reconcile Catholicism and religious pluralism, religious freedom, and the American political order. His best-known book We Hold These Truths: Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition (Sheed & Ward, 1960) collects a number of his essays on such topics.

Murray is especially known as one of the chief architects and explicators of the Second Vatican Council document on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae.

Relevant Readings

On the thought of John Courtney Murray

The Civic University, by Stephen M. Fields, S.J. First Things 161 (March 2006): 12-15.
"American Catholics and the State: John Courtney Murray on Catholics in a Pluralistic Democratic Society", by Greg Kalscheur, S.J. America Vol. 191 No. 3, August 2, 2004 -- full text requires subscription).
Does John Courtney Murray's Defense of Freedom Extend to Economics? An Austrian Perspective. Markets & Morality Vol. 5, No. 2. Fall 2002. The Acton Institute.
Citizen Murray, by J. Leon Hooper, S.J. Boston College magazine. Winter. 1995.
Religious Freedom, Truth & American Liberalism: Another Look at John Courtney Murray, by David Schindler. Communio Winter 1994.
What would John Courtney Murray say? On abortion & euthanasia, by Todd David Whitmore. Commonweal, Oct 7, 1994.
John Courtney Murray and the American Catholic Experience, by Michael Tortolani. 1993 Lord Acton Essay. The Acton Institute.
John Courtney Murray, S.J., and Religious Pluralism. Panel discussion on "the formative influence that religion and American political life have on each other" with J. Leon Hooper, S.J., Woodstock fellow and Murray scholar; Os Guinness of the Trinity Forum; and Michael J. Perry of Northwestern University Law School & moderated by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, editor of Commonweal. Woodstock Report, March 1993, no. 33.
A Contested Legacy, by James Finn. Book review of John Courtney Murray and the American Civil Conversation, ed. by Robert P. Hunt & Kenneth L. Grasso. First Things 30 (February 1993): 54-57.
"John Courtney Murray: Reliable Interpreter of Dignitatis Humanae?", by Fr. Brian W. Harrison. Part I Living Tradition No. 33, Jan. 1991.; Part II Living Tradition No. 34, March 1991.;
An Unfinished Argument: John Courtney Murray, Dignitatis Humanae and the Catholic Theory of the State, by Professor Kenneth L. Grasso, Department of Political Science, Southwest Texas State University. [Lecture Series].
Economic Justice for Some? - Is Murray's Discourse Ethic a Serious Alternative to Class Warfare, as an instrument of Public Policy Formation?, by Dennis P. McCann. DePaul University, Chicago, IL.

Excerpts from Books

Religious Freedom: John Courtney Murray, S.J. and Vatican II, by Francis Canavan, S.J. Faith & Reason Summer 1987.
We Hold These Truths and More: Further Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition, by Donald D'Elia. Chap. 5 in We Hold These Truths and More: Further Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition The Thought of Fr. John Courtney Murray, S.J. and its Relevance Today. 62-76. Steubenville, OH: Franciscan University Press, 1993.
The Truths They Held: The Christian and Natural Law Background to the American Constitution, by Robert R. Reilly. Chap. 6 of We Hold These Truths and More: Further Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition. The Thought of Fr. John Courtney Murray, S.J. and its Relevance Today. Edited by J. D'Elia & Stephen M. Krason. Steubenville, OH: Franciscan University Press, 1993.

Relevant Writings (by and about John Courtney Murray)

	We Hold These Truths: Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (September 2005) The 1960 publication of We Hold These Truths marked a significant event in the history of modern American thought. Since that time, Sheed and Ward has kept the book in print and has published several studies of John Courtney Murray's life and work. We are proud to present a new edition of this classic text, which features a comprehensive introduction by Peter Lawler that places Murray in the context of Catholic and American history and thought while revealing his relevance today. Book Reviews We Hold These Truths - Review by William F. Buckley This review ran in the January 28, 1961, issue of National Review.
	Religious Liberty: Catholic Struggles with Pluralism, by John Courtney Murray and J. Leon Hooper. Westminster John Knox Press; (June 1993) [From the Publisher:] John Courtney Murray is renowned for his contributions to American ethical debates and well known for his defense of civil religious freedom. He strongly felt that religion should be taught in public schools and universities. Murray had a decisive influence on juridical, political, and social theories. This intriguing volume includes, in addition to two of Murray's most important statements on religious freedom, two essays newly made available to the reading public: one on religious freedom originally suppressed by the Vatican and published here for the first time, and a discussion of human dignity - how it is defined and how it functions as the philosophical foundation of religious freedom - newly translated into English. This fascinating collection will help readers look back at past struggles over religious liberty and forward to dilemmas presently facing the church.
	Bridging the Sacred and the Secular: Selected Writings of John Courtney Murray, edited by J. Leon Hooper. Georgetown University Press (October 1994) Book Reviews Bridging the Sacred and the Secular - Review by Joseph A. Komonchak First Things August/September 1996.
	The Believer As Citizen: John Courtney Murray in a New Context , by D. Thomas Hughson Paulist Press (July 1993) [From the Publisher]: In recent years religious leaders of mainline Christian and Jewish groups have been calling on their adherents to play a larger role in the creation of a just social order. One of the most publicized of these was the declaration of the American Catholic bishops, Economic Justice For All. It remains to be seen whether believers raised in an era of affluence are deeply committed to the plight of the needy, and whether religion itself can mark out a path between social activism and conventional party politics. John Courtney Murray (1904-1967) was a pioneer in the ongoing dialogue about the role of believers in public life. For all of his contributions, however, Murray spoke in a patrician manner to a social order that was stable and structured. How useful are his ideas in an age of multiculturalism, when the strongest pressure for justice comes from grassroots organizations of the poor and marginalized? The Believer as Citizen proposes a fresh view of Murray's public philosophy in a way that makes it applicable to today's conditions.
	Catholic and American: The Political Theology of John Courtney Murray, by Thomas P. Ferguson. Sheed & Ward (July 1, 1993)
	John Courtney Murray and the American Civil Conversation, edited by Robert P. Hunt and Kenneth L. Grasso. Eerdmans Pub Co (June 1992) Book Reviews A Contested Legacy, by James Finn. First Things February 1993. John Courtney Murray and the American Civil Conversation - Review by Neal Fuller The Acton Institute.
	The Search for an American Public Theology: The Contribution of John Courtney Murray, by Robert W. McElroy. Paulist Press (May 1989) [From the Publisher]: A synthesis and critical evaluation of Murray's social writings which argues that Murray's life work still represents the best starting point for public theology in the United States of America.

Jacques Maritain (1882–1973)

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Jacques Maritain (1882–1973), French philosopher and political thinker, was one of the principal exponents of Thomism in the twentieth century and an influential interpreter of the thought of St Thomas Aquinas.

Relevant Readings

About Maritain:

The Tragedy of Democracy without Authority: A Reflection on Maritain and Thucydides Jose Maria J. Yulo, Ed.D. Presented to The American Maritain Association at the 2010 Annual Meeting, held at Walsh University, North Canton, Ohio.
Acting Reasonable: Democracy, Authority, and Natural Rights in the Thought of Jacques Maritain | Brian Jones, M.A. | Ignatius Insight | January 17, 2011
The Social Theory of Jacques Maritain, by D. Q. McLnerny. The Catholic Social Science Review Volume XI 2007.
Maritain’s America, by Thomas Howard. First Things January 2007.
Maritain's True Humanism, by Richard Francis Crane. First Things 150 (February 2005): 17-23.
The Faith of the Founding, by Michael Novak. First Things 132 (April 2003): 27-32. (defends Jacques Maritain's assertion that modern democracy of the American type cannot be understood apart from the inspiration of the gospel of Jesus Christ).
Nature and Grace: The Theological Foundations of Jacques Maritain's Public Philosophy, by Eduardo J. Echeverria. Associate Professor of Philosophy. Conception Seminary College. Markets & Morality Vol. 4, no. 2 Fall 2001.
John Rawls and Jacques Maritain on the Law of Peoples, by John P. Dougherty. Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Newsletter Vol. 23, No. 3. Fall 2000. pp. 18-22. [.pdf format].
Jacques Maritain: Integral Humanism, by Michael S. Joyce. First Things 101 (March 2000): 49-50.
The Christian Personalism of Jacques Maritain Faith and Reason Summer 1991.
A Salute to Jacques Maritain, by Michael Novak. The Catholic Writer: The Proceedings of the Wethersfield Institute 2 (1989): 65-82.

By Maritain:

Jacques Maritain Center , University of Notre Dame. Directed by Ralph McInerny. A treasure-trove of readings and resources, including a number of selected "Readings for philosophers and Catholics".
Reflections on America 1956. [Entire book available online].
Christianity and Democracy Dec. 1949. From a typewritten manuscript by Jacques Maritain, who gave this address at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in New York on the 29th of December 1949 and again at Gettysburg College under the auspices of the Adams County Round Table of the National Conference of Christians and Jews on the 19th of February 1950.

Lord Acton (1834-1902)

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Described as "the magistrate of history," Lord Acton was one of the great personalities of the nineteenth century and is universally considered to be one of the most learned Englishmen of his time. He made the history of liberty his life's work; indeed, he considered political liberty the essential condition and guardian of religious liberty. - Acton Institute.

See also: "Lord Acton" from First Principles Journal Reference. By Stephen Tonsor.

Relevant Readings

The History of Freedom in Antiquity Address delivered to the members of the Bridgemouth Institute on February 26, 1877.
The History of Freedom in Christianity Address delivered to the members of the Bridgemouth Institute on May 28, 1877.
The History of Freedom and Other Essays (1907), ed. by John Neville Figgis and Reginald Vere Laurence (London: Macmillan, 1907). [Entire book available online and in .pdf format].
Lord Acton, Cardinal Newman, and How To Be Ahead of Your Time, by Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus. First Things 105 (August/September 2000).
Catholicism and the Architecture of Freedom, by Cardinal George Pell. The 1999 Acton Lecture. The Centre for Independent Studies Wednesday, August 4th 1999 (Customs House, Sydney Australia).

Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850)

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Claude Frédéric Bastiat (June 30, 1801 – December 24, 1850) was a French classical liberal theorist, political economist, and member of the French assembly.

Relevent Texts

Economic Harmonies Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., trans. W. Hayden Boyers, ed. George B. de Huszar, 1996. First published: 1850, in French.
Economic Sophisms Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., trans. and ed. Arthur Goddard, 1996. First published: 1845, in French.
The Law. Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., trans. Dean Russell, 1998. First published: 1850, in French.

Relevant Articles / Resources

An Annotated Bibliography by Sheldon Richman. The Library of Economics and Liberty.
Claude-Frederic Bastiat, by Stanislas A. Lortie. Entry - Catholic Enyclopedia 1917.
Bastiat’s Christian Defense of Morality in the Law, by Steve Farrell.

	American Babylon: Notes of a Christian Exile (2009) Christians are by their nature a people out of place. Their true home is with God; in civic life, they are alien citizens “in but not of the world.” In American Babylon, eminent theologian Richard John Neuhaus examines the particular truth of that ambiguity for Catholics in America today. Neuhaus addresses the essential quandaries of Catholic life—assessing how Catholics can keep their heads above water in the sea of immorality that confronts them in the world, how they can be patriotic even though their true country is not in this world, and how they might reconcile their duties as citizens with their commitment to God. Deeply learned, frequently combative, and always eloquent, American Babylon is Neuhaus’s magnum opus—and will be essential reading for all Christians.
	Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, And the Splendor of Truth (2007) Readers acquainted with Neuhaus's previous books and his work with the magazine First Things will be most interested in this latest tome on the state of the Catholic Church. A former Lutheran pastor who became Catholic in 1990 and a priest in 1991, Neuhaus has emerged as a leading voice among those considered to be faithful to the Church's Magisterium, or teaching authority. Here, Neuhaus challenges the oft-heard statement, "Yes, I am a Catholic, but I think for myself," explaining how fidelity to the church begins with thinking for oneself so one can think with the church. He expands on this by exploring the role of conscience, drawing a distinction between doing what one wants and discerning and acting upon the truth. Neuhaus also discusses the church's authority, emphasizing that it is never invoked to require people to believe what is false. Other topics include the eerily prophetic Humanae Vitae, the 1968 papal encyclical on artificial contraception; the loss of Catholic identity when Friday abstinence from meat faded from practice; and how news reporting on the Second Vatican Council shaped its meaning for many American Catholics. Neuhaus devotees and others interested in the issues he raises will find here a thoughtful exposition of Catholicism's present moment. -- Publisher's Weekly. Reviews The Zeal of a Convert, by Patrick Allitt. New York Times April 16, 2006.
	To Empower People: From State to Civil Society (1996) - Co-authored with Peter Berger. In the first edition of this pathbreaking book, the authors showed that such "mediating structures" as family, neighborhood, church, and voluntary and civil associations are crucial institutions, whose weakening spells disaster. They have returned to their original argument to assess today's efforts at renewing civil society.
	America Against Itself: Moral Vision and the Public Order (1992) An even-tempered (if rather partisan) critique of the American soul as it exhibits itself on the different fronts of our "culture war." Neuhaus (Unsecular America, 1986, eta) traces the traumas of our social and political life back to their ontological roots and supplies a prognosis that will undoubtedly scandalize as many as it sways. A Catholic priest and scholar who presides over the Institute of Religion and Public Life, Neuhaus has concentrated his sociological efforts for some years now on the intersection between the political and the spiritual in American life. In doing so, he has run counter to prevailing notions of secularism - held only, he maintains, by an elite minority - that would, he says, collapse all religious impulses into an entirely private realm. Neuhaus skips over the more obvious examples of conflict - school prayer, Nativity scenes in public parks, etc. - and attempts in more theoretical terms to show that liberal democracy (in its American incarnation) requires a religious foundation if it is to succeed as a unifying social force. He draws on his experiences with the civil-rights movement to show how a religious vocabulary can he used - as it was by Martin Luther King - to bring together even the most mutually antagonistic groups. -- Kirkus Reviews.
	Doing Well/doing Good: The Challenge to the Christian Capitalist (1992)
	The Catholic Moment: The Paradox of the Church in the Postmodern World (1987)
	The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (1986) Underlying the many crises in American life, writes Richard John Neuhaus, is a crisis of faith. It is not enough that more people should believe or that those who believe should believe more strongly. Rather, the faith of persons and communities must be more compellingly related to the public arena. "The naked public square"—which results from the exclusion of popular values from the public forum—will almost certainly result in the death of democracy. The great challenge, says Neuhaus, is the reconstruction of a public philosophy that can undergird American life and America’s ambiguous place in the world. Arguing that America is now engaged in an historic moment of testing, he draws upon Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish thinkers who have in other moments of testing seen that the stakes are very high—for America, for the promise of democratic freedom elsewhere, and possibly for God’s purpose in the world. An honest analysis of the situation, says Neuhaus, shatters false polarizations between left and right, liberal and conservative. In a democratic culture, the believer’s respect for nonbelievers is not a compromise but a requirement of the believer’s faith. Similarly, the democratic rights of those outside the communities of religious faith can be assured only by the inclusion of religiously-grounded values in the common life. "The Naked Public Square" does not offer yet another partisan program for political of social change. Rather, it offers a deeply disturbing, but finally hopeful, examination of Abraham Lincoln’s century-old question—whether this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. Reviews Reviewed by Dean K. Thompson Theology Today Vol. 42, No. 2 (July 1985). Reviewed by Joseph Sobran National Review July 27, 1984. Discussion The Naked Public Square Now [Symposium with Stanley Hauerwas - Mary Ann Glendon - Harvey Cox - Alan Mittleman - Andrew Murphy - Jean Bethke Elshtain - Ralph C. Wood - Allen D. Hertzke - David Novak - Wilfred M. McClay]. First Things November 2004.