Faith That Dares to Speak [Hardcover]

Donald B. Cozzens (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 138 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press; First Edition edition (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814630189
• ISBN-13: 978-0814630181
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Catholics Urged to Question Church Structures and Practices, January 14, 2005

By 

Carol Blank (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Faith That Dares to Speak (Hardcover)

Never departing from his devotion to the gospel and commitment to the vision of the Second Vatican Council, Cozzens examines forces that work against attempts of the laity to engage in the life of the church. He sees a particular obstacle in the recent " major re-entrenchment by powerful curial and episcopal archconservatives" who continue to see the church as two separate segments, superior episcopal pastors and inferior docile laity.

In Cozzens' view, the church will never be quite the same in the aftermath of revelations involving clergy sexual abuse, abuse of ecclesiastical power, and the church's financial scandals. He believes that along with Vatican II it is the sexual abuse issue that has liberated the U.S. Catholic faithful. "The faithful have both the right and obligation to question structures, practices, and disciplines that no longer serve the pastoral needs of the church nor its mission," he writes.

The author finds much to be hopeful about. Today's priests, for example, may be "polarized, demoralized, fearful, and resentful, "but they are also hardworking, persevering, faithful, and, in growing numbers, courageous." He also expects positive changes to result from the work of organizations such as Call to Action, Voice of the Faithful, and the bishop-appointed National Review Board. The activity among these groups, he writes, may indicate that we are getting close to the "critical mass required to bring about meaningful structural renewal and reform" in the church.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars importance of lay persons in Catholic Church troubles, December 25, 2004

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faith That Dares to Speak (Hardcover)

Cozzens, a priest who is also a writer, understands that the crisis facing the Catholic Church because of the wide-ranging sexual abuse scandals bears on the "sacramental character of the church; its mission of liberation in the 'way of Jesus'; the role of the laity and particularly the role of women; the future of the ministry; [and] the church's structures." He concentrates on the conscience and work of lay persons in trying to amend the problems that allowed for the abuse. Cozzens does not go much into practical or administrative recommendations for responding to the calls by lay persons for changes in the Catholic Church. He writes about the appropriateness and desirability of the ideas and role lay persons are calling for. Such lay persons appear more than any others to be affected by the scandalous behavior of many priests and concerned about the future of the Catholic Church and the spirituality it professes to embody. The author is a respected and compelling voice for the value of the substantive involvement of lay persons in overcoming the church's troubles.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revolutionary testimony, January 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith That Dares to Speak (Hardcover)

Faith That Dares To Speak is a revolutionary testimony calling for the transformation of the Catholic Church from a feudal format into a new era of accountability and transparency. The dawn of the twenty-first century has seen the Catholic Church beset with scandals, perhaps most reprehensibly sexual abuse scandals involving children, and the Church has repeatedly reacted in a manner consistent with feudal culture - secrecy, denial, and an all-out effort to protect reputation and institutional resources. This feudal response neglects the poison of unethical and even criminal behavior within the Church, and the Church itself is in dire need of transformation; the author focuses upon the voices of lay Catholics in North America calling for needed change. A highly recommended contribution to modern religious and Catholic studies.