Vatican II opened new pathways to engagement with societies shaped by modernity. Its project could be read as an attempt to interpret the stance of the church in relation to the whole project of modernity. The fundamental presumption of this collection of essays is that it is timely, indeed imperative, to keep alive the question of the church’s self-understanding in its journey alongside ‘the complex, often rebellious, always restless mind of the modern world.’ Cornelius J. Casey and Fáinche Ryan have assembled some of the most prominent commentators on ecclesiastical and social-political engagements from the fields of theology, political philosophy, social theory, and cultural criticism. The contributors present differing perspectives on the role of the church. Some argue that pluralism is here to stay. Others point out that the liberal pluralism of contemporary society is aggressively powered by global corporate consumerism. This book, with its variety of voices, explores these issues largely from within the Catholic tradition. The role of the church in a pluralist society is a narrative that is being written by many people at many different levels of the church.
Contributors: J. Bryan Hehir, Terry Eagleton, Patrick J. Deneen, Hans Joas, William T. Cavanaugh, Massimo Faggioli, Fáinche Ryan, Patrick Riordan, and Cornelius J. Casey
Tabella dei contenuti
Preface
1. Church-World and Church-State: The Journey since Vatican II by J. Bryan Hehir
2. Against Pluralism by Terry Eagleton
3. Hegemonic Liberalism and the End of Pluralism by Patrick J. Deneen
4. The Church in a World of Options by Hans Joas
5. The Church’s Place in a Consumer Society: The Hegemony of Optionality by William T. Cavanaugh
6. The Established Church Dilemma by Massimo Faggioli
7. “On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine”: The Twenty-First Century by Fáinche Ryan
8. The Secular Is Not Scary by Patrick Riordan, SJ
Epilogue by Cornelius J. Casey
Contributors
Index
Circa l’autore
Fáinche Ryan is the director of the Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin. She is author and editor of a number of books, including The Eucharist: What Do We Believe?