Au siecle des Lumieres, le roman de nature edifiante emprunte de nouvelles avenues, embrassant la forme didactique et le parti antiphilosophique. Au contact des idees et des valeurs que defendent Encyclopedistes et philosophes, les romanciers et les romancieres sont amenes a s'interroger sur la religion dans ses rapports sociaux et moraux avec la societe et a assortir les acquis philosophiques aux dogmes chretiens a l'aide d'un discours alliant foi et raison. En mobilisant la sensibilite, ils proposent un expedient pieux selon lequel la religion serait mise au service de l'ordre etabli et de la cohesion sociale. Le discours optimiste que donnent a lire les romans des Lumieres catholiques renoue avec l'idee de perfectibilite humaine et de progres social, devoilant un espace de chevauchement qui brouille les frontieres entre philosophie et antiphilosophie et qui temoigne de leur porosite. Cet ouvrage collectif a pour objectifs d'explorer les entreprises de mise en roman des Lumieres catholiques dans leurs dimensions narrative, rhetorique, topique et philosophique afin d'en souligner l'originalite et la complexite, d'exposer leur apport aux debats qui marquent le XVIIIe siecle et de les rehabiliter dans la constellation litteraire des Lumieres. --- In the eighteenth century, edifying novels explored new strategies, embracing the didactic form and the antiphilosophic party. Confronted with the ideas and values that the Encyclopaedists and philosophers defended, Catholic novelists were led to consider religion in its moral and social relationships to society and to reconcile philosophical findings and Christian doctrines by producing discourses on the union of faith and reason. By mobilizing sensibility, they propose a pious expedient whereby religion would serve the established order and maintain social cohesion. The optimistic discourse found in the novels of the Catholic Enlightenment is characterised by its belief in human perfectibility and social progress, which reveals an in-between space where the line separating philosophy from anti-philosophy is blurred and shown to be quite porous. This edited collection aims to study the novelistic experiments of the Catholic Enlightenment in their narrative, rhetorical, topical, and philosophical dimensions in order to show their originality and complexity, to reveal their contributions in the great debates of the eighteenth century, and to give them back their due place in the literary constellation of the Enlightenment.

Now in its third edition, Living Justice is an ideal introduction to Catholic social teaching. Thomas Massaro introduces readers to the history and basics of Catholic social teaching while highlighting new developments and helping readers understand how to apply this teaching to life today. Living Justice leads readers step-by-step through the building blocks of Catholic social thought, including its central themes, sources, and methods. Along the way readers encounter great heroes of social change and prophets of peace and justice. The third edition features significant updates throughout, including extensive coverage of Pope Francis and his two major social teaching documents: Evangelii Gaudium on gospel-grounded justice and Laudato Si' on the environment. It also looks at the Pope's contributions to peace and justice efforts around the world, including his advocacy for diplomacy, simplicity of lifestyle, and healthy family life. The third edition includes two new case studies in the dynamics of globalization-the global migration crisis and the scourge of human trafficking. It also contains expanded sections on globalization, the environment, and issues of peace and war. With its accessible and reader-friendly style, the third edition of Living Justice includes new discussion questions, revised topics for further study, and an updated list of resources that make the book an excellent resource for students or parishes.

A Brief Catechism for Adults is a little masterpiece designed for convert instructions. It was actually compiled from the notes of many Catholic priests who originally used the instructions from the first edition of the book with tens of thousands of converts. Thus, it represents the fruit of many minds. For years, it was practically the standard catechism in the U.S. and Canada for instructing people in the Catholic faith. Packed with facts and written in short, clear question-and-answer format, accompanied by brief Scripture quotes, the book is concise and to the point and shows exactly what one must believe and do in order to be saved. Using ordinary language to explain theological truths, it stresses what is required to form a correct Catholic conscience. This book gives special emphasis to marriage-since most people either save or lose their souls as married persons-showing the duties people have as spouses and parents. It includes also a list of common mortal sins, the interior design of a Catholic church, how to pray the Rosary, popular saints' names for Baptism and Confirmation, familiar Catholic prayers, and practical points on common questions that arise in an unbelieving world. A Brief Catechism for Adults is an incredible one-volume handbook on how to be a good Catholic that is at once perfect for inquirers, but also excellent for adult cradle Catholics. All Catholics need to know what is in this little book; whereas unfortunately, likely ninety-nine percent today do not For simplicity, readability, interest and completion, there is no book of its kind that comes close to A Brief Catechism for Adults.

In 1598, the first English convent was established in Brussels and was to be followed by a further 21 enclosed convents across Flanders and France with more than 4,000 women entering them over a 200-year period. In theory they were cut off from the outside world; however, in practice the nuns were not isolated and their contacts and networks spread widely, and their communal culture was sophisticated. Not only were the nuns influenced by continental intellectual culture but they in turn contributed to a developing English Catholic identity moulded by their experience in exile. During this time, these nuns and the Mary Ward sisters found outlets for female expression often unavailable to their secular counterparts, until the French Revolution and its associated violence forced the convents back to England. This interdisciplinary collection demonstrates the cultural importance of the English convents in exile from 1600 to 1800 and is the first collection to focus solely on the English convents.

The global pandemic has levied a heavy toll on humanity, but in its wake appears a great opportunity. Amidst what he calls a crisis of modernity, Giulio Maspero points to a phenomenon that can be seen in plain sight. "The absence of personal relationships highlighted by the health crisis exposes the consequences of the modern matrix, which, having lost its Christian element, now risks transforming itself into a digital matrix, substantially configuring itself as a technognosis." Without Trinitarian framework ancient and new idols emerge, as the Covid-19 tragedies have shown. Yet post-pandemic must be a moment of clarity and realism, as we can see how necessary it is that humanity place itself in relation to something beyond. The post-modern journey, however, must be in the spirit of Christian humanism or else any so-called progress will no longer be unable to speak authentically of our humanity. That is to say, the relational dimension of human life will be erased right along with the other ills that plague our earth.

This book is about the sexual and religious lives of Catholic women in post-war England. It uses original oral history material to uncover the way Catholic women negotiated spiritual and sexual demands at a moment when the two increasingly seemed at odds with each other. It also examines the public pronouncements and secretive internal documents of the central Catholic Church, offering a ground-breaking new explanation of the Pope's decision to prohibit the Pill in 1968. The material gathered here offers a fresh perspective on the idea that 'sex killed God', reframing dominant approaches to the histories of sex, religion and social change. The book will be essential reading not only for scholars of sexuality, religion, gender and oral history, but anyone interested in social and cultural change more broadly. -- .

Natural law has long been considered the traditional source of Roman Catholic canon law. However, new scholarship is critical of this approach as it portrays the Catholic Church as static, ahistorical, and insensitive to cultural change. In its attempt to stem the massive loss of effectiveness being experienced by canon law, the church has to reconsider its theory of legal foundation, especially its natural law theory. Church Law in Modernity analyses the criticism levelled at the church and puts forward solutions for reconciling church law with modernity by revealing the historical and cultural authenticity of all law, and revising the processes of law making. In a modern church, there is no way of thinking of the law without the participation of the faithful in legislation. Judith Hahn therefore proposes a reformed legislative process for the church in the hope of reconciling the natural law origins of church law with a new, modern theology.

Between 1600 and 1800 around 4,000 Catholic women left England for a life of exile in the convents of France, Flanders, Portugal and America. These closed communities offered religious contemplation and safety, but also provided an environment of concentrated female intellectualism. The nuns' writings from this time form a unique resource.

This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of American Catholicism's historical development and distinctive features. The essays - all specially commissioned for this volume - highlight the inner diversity of American Catholicism and trace the impact of American Catholics on all aspects of society, including education, social welfare, politics, and intellectual life. The volume also addresses topics of contemporary concern, such as gender and sexuality, arts and culture, social activism, and the experiences of Black, Latinx, Asian-American, and cultural Catholics. Taken together, the essays in this Companion provide context for understanding American Catholicism as it is currently experienced, and help to situate present-day developments and debates within their longer trajectory.

The 20th and 21st Centuries have been characterized by theologians and philosophers rethinking theology and revitalizing the tradition. This unique anthology presents contributions from leading contemporary theologians - including Rowan Williams, Fergus Kerr, Aidan Nichols, G.R. Evans and Tracey Rowland - who offer portraits of over fifty key theological thinkers in the modern and postmodern era. Distinguished by its broad ecumenical perspective, this anthology spans arguably one of the most creative periods in the history of Christian theology and includes thinkers from all three Christian traditions: Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox. Each individual portrait in this anthology includes a biographical introduction, an overview of theological or philosophical writing, presentation of key thoughts, and contextual placing of the thinker within 20th Century religious discourse. Overview articles explore postmodern theology, radical orthodoxy, ecumenical theology, feminist theology, and liberation theology. A final section includes portraits of important thinkers who have influenced Christian thought from other fields, not least from Continental philosophy and literature.

Many Catholics today are disenchanted with the Church's continuing distrust of women and laity. But, despite this widespread dissatisfaction, traditional power relations have hardly changed over the last century. "Catholics, Conflicts and Choices" presents detailed interviews with lay people, priests, Sisters, and Christian Brothers, each discussing their personal struggles with church teachings and practices. The conversations are selected to illustrate different experiences of power relations - particularly different aspects of gender dynamics - within the organisational structures of the Church. The interviews are examined within a framework of feminist, sociological and psychological theory. "Catholics, Conflicts and Choices" reveals how, despite a long history of challenging official notions of authority and obedience and assumptions about intimate relationships, there is little potential for change if the established power relations of the Church are not confronted.

Written by noted Catholic philosopher Michael Novak, the selections in The Myth of Romantic Love and Other Essays highlight the arc of his intellectual career. Collectively demonstrating the fundamental unity of Novak's work, the sixteen essays in this book span a broad range of political, economic, and social topics.

The selections offer clarity of thinking for the sake of concrete ends. For example, "The Myth of Romantic Love," the chapter from which the title of this work is drawn, sharply distinguishes the "love" that popular culture portrays from the true Christian vision of love. And "The Family out of Favor" argues, "if things go well with the family, life is worth living; when the family falters, life falls apart." Thus, true Christian love manifest in marriage and family life is a greater resource for civilized society than any other institution.

Although this collection shows that Novak's viewpoints did evolve over time, he remains a thinker that is clearly rooted in the ancient and medieval Catholic tradition. From his discussions of gender relations, to economics, culture, and politics, his perspective honors the primacy of man and his immediate experience, and thereby ultimately glorifies the Creator. Novak's writing will infuriate some readers, and inspire many others--but both comrades-in-arms and intellectual opponents will find the clarity and intensity of his writings undeniable.

Catholic social teaching (CST) refers to the corpus of authoritative ecclesiastical teaching, usually in the form of papal encyclicals, on social matters, beginning with Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum (1891) and running through Pope Francis. CST is not a social science and its texts are not pragmatic primers for social activists. It is a normative exercise of Church teaching, a kind of comprehensive applied - although far from systematic - social moral theology. This volume is a scholarly engagement with this 130-year-old documentary tradition. Its twenty-three essays aim to provide a constructive, historically sophisticated, critical exegesis of all the major (and some of the minor) documents of CST. The volume's appeal is not limited to Catholics, or even just to those who embrace, or who are seriously interested in, Christianity. Its appeal is to any scholar interested in the history or content of modern CST.

Since the end of state repression against religion, two major processes have taken place in the formerly socialist countries: historically dominant churches strive to reassert their position in society, while new religious groups and ideas from various parts of the world are proliferating. This generates pluralism of religious communities and individual religious attitudes. Religious Diversity in Post-Soviet Society presents the first collection of ethnographies of this new religious diversity for Lithuania, a country that has a long history of a dominant Catholic Church. The authors reveal how Catholicism has become increasingly diversified and other religions (Charismatic Protestantism, Baltic Paganism, Eastern religions and other alternative spiritualities) are claiming their space in the religious field.