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This provocative book takes a critical look at what is increasingly
viewed as the central political issue for Catholics_abortion. From
pro-choice politicians being denied communion to Democrats being
called 'the party of death,' for some of the most vocal Catholic
leaders, the abortion issue often trumps all others. The author, a
practicing Catholic who is against abortion in principle, believes
the Church is on the wrong course with this issue, with grievous
results for the Church and American society more broadly. He gives
a brief history of abortion legislation, then explores the issue
from legal, moral, and Christian perspectives, presenting
compelling reasons why Church leaders and Catholics should stop
trying to overturn Roe v. Wade and reconsider the issue.
Finding the Voice of the Church is written for a broad audience
interested in the challenges facing the contemporary Catholic
Church. These challenges are ones that should concern all
Christians, not only Catholics. Noted scholar and commentator
George Dennis O’Brien poses (and answers) three provocative
questions: What is the proper voice of the church? Is there a voice
of Christian faith? Can what is said about Christianity be
fundamentally distorted by how it is said? Through his clear and
relevant discussion of the basic content of Christianity, O’Brien
concludes that the primary voice of Catholic Christianity, the
papal teaching voice, must be radically “re-understood” if the
Church is to be the proper medium and voice of the gospel message.
O’Brien begins with the primary voice of the Church: baptism,
gospel, and Eucharist. He contends that too much official teaching
from the Roman magisterium to the local pulpit reverses the order
of the ancient formula lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer
is the law of faith) and therefore misses its message. In the
second part of the book, he turns to specific consideration of the
papal voice as the teaching voice of the Church. O’Brien
concludes with a series of practical suggestions for how the
practices and institutions of the Church can again become the
authentic voice of faith. This is a book all concerned Christians
will want to read and discuss.
George Bernard Shaw thought that a Catholic university was a
contradiction in terms--"university" represents intellectual
freedom and "Catholic" represents dogmatic belief. Scholars,
university administrators, and even the Vatican have staked out
positions debating Shaw's observation. In this refreshing book,
George Dennis O'Brien argues that contradiction arises both from
the secular university's limited concept of academic freedom and
the church's defective notion of dogma.
Truth is a central concept for both university and church, and
O'Brien's book is built on the idea that there are different areas
of truth--scientific, artistic, and religious--each with its own
proper warrant and "method." In this light, he argues that one can
reverse Shaw's comparison and uncover academic dogma and Christian
freedom, university "infallibility" and dogmatic "fallibility."
Drawing on theology and the history of philosophy, O'Brien shows
how religious truth relates to the work of a Catholic university.
He then turns to the current controversies over Pope John Paul II's
recent statement, "Ex Corde Ecclesiae," which seeks to make
Catholic universities conform to the church's official teaching
office. O'Brien rejects the conventional "institutional-juridical"
model used by the Vatican as improper both to faith and academic
freedom. He argues for a "sacramental" model, one that respects the
different kinds of "truth"--thus preserving the integrity of both
church and university while making their combination in a Catholic
university not only possible but desirable. O'Brien concludes with
a practical consideration of how the ideal Catholic university
might be expressed in the actual life of the contemporary
curriculum and extracurriculum.
For anyone concerned about the place of religion in higher
education, "The Idea of a Catholic University" will be essential
reading.
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