Customer Reviews

Tomorrow's Catholic: Understanding God and Jesus in a New Millennium (Inspirational Reading for Every Catholic)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

With the publication five years ago of his bestselling first book, `God Is Near', Australian priest Michael Morwood demonstrated a rare awareness of the confusion about the contemporary Catholic Church experienced by many in our parish churches. While passionate about the need for change in the church, indeed radical transformation, he proved himself a sensitive guide for those struggling with the changes that have occurred since the Second Vatican Council.

After a period of study in the United States, but obviously still in touch with the concerns of those in the pews, Morwood is back with a new book unlikely to give much comfort to those traditionalists who considered `God Is Near' anathema but welcomed by the many who have benefited from his pastoral vision. (Indeed, the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne has recently banned `Tomorrow's Catholic' from schools and churches.)

`Tomorrow's Catholic' is a very readable presentation of a Catholic theology and spirituality that does not presume a worldview in which the Church is at the centre of our society and its authority unquestioned. Morwood is tackling the thorny issue of how to preserve the essence of the gospel and Catholic tradition without the `packaging' of the past. He explains the changing worldview in which we are now immersed, and shows how we can understand God, revelation and Jesus in such a context. He also makes insightful proposals for spirituality and the exercise of leadership in the Church.

Like its predecessor, `God Is Near', Morwood's book is suitable for personal or group use. It includes questions for reflection, suggestions for further reading, a bibliography and index. [Book of the Month Selection, John Garratt Catholic Book Club.]

I finished this book, flipped it over and started reading it again. Morwood's message spoke to me in a profound and exciting way: I've struggled to reconcile my call to Catholicism with church doctrines that appear irrelevant or affirmatively harmful; Morwood provides a framework for "re-imaging" God, Jesus and Church in a manner that resonates deeply for me. The church scandals and the relentless drumbeat of Apologist/conservative theology had me deeply depressed about the church and my role in it; this book has me feeling more hopeful and excited about my faith than I have in a long time.

I hope that no one is dissuaded from reading this book by the vehemence of some of the critical reviews posted here. Sadly, I think some people let ideology impede open-minded engagement with some wonderfully rich and important ideas. (And it's clear by some comments that certain reviewers haven't even read the book!)

Great stuff -- highly recommended.

This book pulls together all those issues that cross your mind without making a lasting impact. Then it challenges one to look at the whole new picture.

It takes courage to write this kind of book. Much of this material can be heard in Theology classes, but only Michael Morwood took it upon himself to shout it from the mountain tops. Of course what he wrote was disturbing, because truth is disturbing; but truth will set you free.

Christ did the same kind of distubance to Judaism during his time, and that was why he was crucified. Since crucifixion is now out of practice, hence the author was crucified with poor reviews.

Take it from the reviews on the first few pages of the book. I got my copy from Elizabeth's in Fremantle and there are four pages of "Praise" from priests, religious, nuns, theologians, writers, parishioners; and in this forum, from yours truly.

This is a book which is well-written and in very simple language. It is is easy to understand and the reflection questions allow for group discussion following each chapter. When I first saw the title, I wasn't sold on the book. But since we have gotten into the book, I am enjoying it very much and can readily identify with a lot of the references to the past and how we need to up-date our thinking if the Church is to remain a viable entity in the world today.

I am a practicing Catholic. I think this is a very interesting book, and a worthwhile read for progressive and traditional Catholics alike.

Sorry that one star is minimum. This book may indeed have some earth-shaking messages: but it's so poorly written I can't figure out what they are. I don't agree with Imran Currah on the main points of "tomorrow's Catholic's" beliefs, but that just illustrates how hard it is to figure out what Morwood is trying to say. It seems to me that it's the Big Bang, not the Internet, that undermines everything anyone once believed. Morwood is always saying things like "no one could possible believe ..." --when I know countless people who do just that. He will lump together in one paragraph, presumably representing one viewpoint, statements that sound to me variously outrageous, naive, perfectly obvious, and unintelligible--and by the end of the paragraph I don't know whether this is supposed to describe what "no one can believe" or the enlightened view of "tomorrow's Catholic." Morwood himself says people wonder why he bothers to call himself Catholic, but unfortunately, instead of answering this interesting question, he simply implies that anyone who asks it is closed-minded and uncharitable. I also get the impression that he has not read anything written before 1960--some of this ideas (when one flashes briefly into view) sound like things written one hundred years ago (or maybe many hundred years ago?). I would certainly like to read something written by someone who understands Morwood's views and also has seriously read some patristics, St. Thomas, and some Reformers, as well.

A very challenging and readable book. Recommended for those who allow themselves to think.

I was happy to get my hands on this book, but the previous owner had not only highlighted in it, but scribbled notations and drawn boxes and circles all over the place. It is very distracting, and I am very unhappy with this purchase.

Do not waste your time with this one. If you share the author's assumptions you may enjoy reading this book, but you will not learn anything new. If you disagree with the author's assumptions the author does not provide any convincing arguments for his views. This is the same old liberal neo-Catholicism that you can get out of any number of books, packaged in an unsatisfactory pseudo-philosophical format. According to the author tomorrow's Catholic will no longer be a Catholic. Tomorrow's Catholic will embrace a theology antithetical to the teaching of scripture and the Catholic Church. What is the reason the author gives for the rejection of Catholic theology? Why . . . it is the internet of course! For some reason the author believes that the invention of the internet precludes the belief in the Catholic faith. He seems to think that one can not use the internet and believe, for instance, that God punishes sinners. Now the internet may be a neat advance in technology, but I don't see how it disproves or is incompatable with Catholicism. Perhaps the author believes that our technology is resulting in a greater appreciation for and understanding of God. One could argue that the opposite is true. As technology leads us farther away from nature, and our world becomes increasingly more secular, why would we assume that the modern world would be moving closer to God?

After reading this book I have two huge questions: (1) Why would the author remain a Catholic (in name) even after he has rejected the teachings of the Church, and (2) even more importantly, why would the Catholic Church allow this author to remain a priest when he is obviously a wolf in sheeps clothing determined to lead Christ's sheep astray?