​The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism on Law, Politics, and Human Nature

Coeditor, The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism on Law, Politics and Human Nature (New York/London: Columbia University Press, 2007) (with Frank S. Alexander)
Description

The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism on Law, Politics, and Human Nature examines how modern Catholic thinkers have answered the most pressing political, legal, and ethical questions of our time. It discusses the enduring teachings of important Catholic intellectuals of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Leading contemporary scholars analyze these thinkers' views on the nature and purpose of law and authority, the limits of rule and obedience, the care of the needy and innocent, the ethics of war and violence, and the separation of church and state, among other themes. A diverse and powerful portrait of Catholic legal and political thought, this volume underscores the various ways Catholic intellectuals have shaped modern debates over the family, the state, religion, and society. The book focuses on the writings of Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903); Jacques Maritain (1882-1973); John Courtney Murray (1904-1967); Pope John XXIII (1881-1963); Gustavo Gutièrrez (b. 1928); Dorothy Day (1897-1980); and Pope John Paul II (1920-2005).
Table of Contents

  • Introduction, John Witte, Jr. 
  • Introduction to Modern Catholicism, Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa
  • Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903), Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa
  • Jacques Maritain (1882-1973), Patrick Brennan, Arizona State University                               
  • John Courtney Murray (1904-1967), Angela Carmella, Seton Hall University                         
  • Pope John XXIII (1881-1963), Leslie Griffin, University of Houston                                            
  • Gustavo Gutiérrez (b. 1928), Paul E. Sigmund, Princeton University                                         
  • Dorothy Day (1897-1980), David Gregory, St. John’s University                                  
  • Pope John Paul II (b. 1920), Robert P. George, Princeton University and Gerard V. Bradley, University of Notre Dame
Reviews

"Rarely have the riches of modern theology and theological anthropology been so incisively analyzed for their insights into the fundamentals of our modern political condition."
-- Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago

"A useful resource and a powerful inspiration."
-- Rebecca S. Chopp, President, Colgate University; Former President, American Academy of Religion

"Crisp, informative, even-handed, and, above all, interesting. It is a joy to learn what riches there are in modern times in the major Christian traditions."
-- Robert N. Bellah, University of California, Berkeley

"An indispensable volume for theologians, philosophers, jurists, and political theorists."
-- First Things

“These essays and excerpts address an extraordinary range of essential theological and political concerns.”
-- Choice

“Liberating and dangerous stuff.”
-- John E. Coons, University of California, Berkeley