Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007 [Hardcover]

S.J. Avery Cardinal Dulles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0823228622 | ISBN-13: 978-0823228621 | Edition: 3

One of the leading theologians of our time, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., has written and lectured on a wide range of topics across his distinguished career, and for a wide range of audiences. Integrating faith and scholarship, he has created a rich body of work that, in the words of one observer, is both faithful to Catholic tradition and fresh in its engagement with the contemporary world. Here, brought together for the first time in one volume, are the talks Cardinal Dulles has given twice each year since the Laurence J. McGinley Lectures were initiated in 1988, conceived broadly as a forum on Church and society. The result is a diverse collection that reflects the breadth of his thinking and engages with many of the most important-and difficult-religious issues of our day.Organized chronologically, the lectures are often responses to timely issues, such as the relationship between religion and politics, a topic he treated in the last weeks of the presidential campaign of 1992. Other lectures take up questions surrounding human rights, faith and evolution, forgiveness, the death penalty, the doctrine of religious freedom, the population of hell, and a whole array of theological subjects, many of which intersect with culture and politics. The life of the Church is a major and welcome focus of the lectures, whether they be a reflection on Cardinal Newman or an exploration of the difficulties of interfaith dialogue. Dulles responds frequently to initiatives of the Holy See, discussing gender and priesthood in the context of church teaching, and Pope Benedict's interpretation of Vatican II. Writing with clarity and conviction, Cardinal Dulles seeks to render the wisdom of past ages applicable to the world in which we live.For those seeking to share in this wisdom, this book will be a consistently rewarding guide to what it means to be Catholic-indeed, to be a person of any faith-in a world of rapid, relentless change.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this collection, the late, great theologian takes up important social and political questions (including the death penalty and the nature of human rights), explicates the thought of Popes John Paull II and Benedict XVI, and treats sacramental, ecumenical, and interreligious issues with deep insight.--George Weigel, Long Island Catholic

". . . testifies to the wide-ranging erudition and boundless curiosity that characterizes the work of America's greatest Catholic intellectual."--The Thomist

". . . This volume, which is a collection of the biannual public lectures he gave during this time, provides a unique and comprehensive overview of his life work and interests."--The Australasian Catholic Record

"The lectures are arranged chronologically and treat such subjects as religion and politics, human rights, fith and evolution, forgiveness, the death penalty, religious freedom and the population of hell."--W. Charles Heiser, Theology Digest

"Dulles is a master at clarifying theological issues in terms of distinct, if overlapping, categories, tendencies, schools and, yes, models."--The Catholic World

"Clearly written, carefully balanced, rich in categories, models, and distinctions, and ever attentive to the tradition."--Commonweal

" . . . Dulles evinces clarity of thought and expression, attentiveness to subtle but important distinctions, command of tradition, dispassion and a willingness to engage the strongest objections to his arguments."--America

" A splendid achievement. . ."--First Things

About the Author

AVERY CARDINAL DULLES, S.J., is the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University, a position he has held since 1988. Ordained a priest in the Society of Jesus in 1956, he was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001, the first American-born theologian not a bishop to receive this honor. The author of more than 800 articles, Cardinal Dulles is also the author of 23 books, including Models of the Church, Testimonial to Grace, and a revised edition of his classic History of Apologetics.

REV. ROBERT P. IMBELLI is Associate Professor of Theology at Boston College and editor of Handing on the Faith: the Church's Mission and Challenge.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 546 pages
• Publisher: Fordham University Press; 3 edition (March 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823228622
• ISBN-13: 978-0823228621
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Church, Society And Theology, August 17, 2008

By 

Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007 (Hardcover)

Avery Dulles (son of John Foster Dulles) is one of America's most distinguished theologians. In 2001, John Paul II named him a cardinal, joining a select rank of eminent theologians who were granted this title, including Jean Danielou, Hans Urs von Balthasar and Henri de Lubac.

This work collects Cardinal Dulles' Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, which he gave from 1988-2007. (Many of them were published in First Things, but this edition is helpful because it contains extensive notes.)

Cardinal Dulles addresses a variety of "hot topics" related to society and theology (such as the death penalty, the population of hell, and the salvation of non-Christians) free from polemics and with an incredible grasp of the history of theology.

Not everyone will agree with Cardinal Dulles' conclusions. For example, he believes that von Balthasar's ruminations about the possibility that no one is in hell is orthodox. (In fact, it might even have been shared by John Paul II.) He is rather optimistic about non-Christians being saved and shows that recent church teaching has "evolved" on this issue (speaking of which, there is an excellent lecture on evolution). Some Evangelicals might use Cardinal Dulles' writings as an example of how, on a few issues at least, Catholic teaching has veered toward liberal (or at least mainstream) Protestantism.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very well written modern theology, May 19, 2008

By 

Manel Purroy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007 (Hardcover)

This is an extremely well written book(great command of English language) that brings catholic christian theology into terms with the 21st century world. It embraces history, tradition and the evolution of roman catholic theology, giving it a sense at the core of nowadays society. Highly recommended not only for theology lovers but for English language and sociology lovers as well.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, August 2, 2008

By 

Christopher L. Mccabe "Irisfoole" (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007 (Hardcover)

this piece helped place my ideals of Spirituality back in line with my families ideals of what being a Catholic truly is -- we are not mainstream -- and neither was Monsignor McGinley