Picks from 2006
We hope you enjoy this month's selections! We encourage feedback, so please email us your reviews and suggestions for future books. Reviews will be posted on the Forum as we receive them. Thank you.
In Search of Belief by Joan Chittister
About the author:Joan D. Chittister, a Benedictine Sister of Erie, is a best-selling author and a well-known national and international lecturer and columnist. She is founder and executive director of Benetvision: A Resource and Research Center for Contemporary Spirituality, and past president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Sister Joan has been recognized by universities and national organizations for her work for justice, peace, and equality for women in Church and society. http://www.benetvision.org/benetvision/joanpage/aboutjoan.html
Notes on the book:
In Search of Belief Sr. Joan Chittister examines the Apostles' Creed phrase by phrase, offering new interpretations of its themes and new ways of understanding its tenets.
Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic & Gay by James Alison
About the author:James Alison is a Catholic theologian, priest and author. He is openly gay. He has studied, lived and worked in Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and the United States as well as his native England. He earned his doctorate in theology from the Jesuit Faculty in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. http://www.jamesalison.co.uk
Notes on the book:
For James Alison, a gay Catholic priest, the key to moving beyond resentment is faith. Widely acclaimed for his work examining the fundamental themes in Catholic theology, in Faith Beyond Resentment James Alison offers an account of Christianity that is moving, liberating, and deeply personal, yet rooted in Catholic tradition.
This is not a book of gay theology but, much more daringly, of Catholic theology from a gay perspective, addressing both those who are not gay and those who are not Catholic, "people of whatever background negotiating the world of faith in the time of the collapsing closet".
Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men by Thomas B. Stevenson
About the author:Thomas Stevenson, PhD, received his BA in the Program of Liberal Studies (the Great Books Program) from the University of Notre Dame, his MA in philosophy from Boston College, and his PhD in Systematic and Philosophical Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has taught philosophy and religion for a number of years.
Notes on the book:
The book that can help you reconcile being both gay and Catholic. Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men spotlights testimonials from over forty gay Catholic men to answer the question, "How can you be gay and Catholic?" Dr. Thomas B. Stevenson explores this question by using various interviews to thoroughly analyze the many dimensions of being gay and Catholic while providing a powerful and convincing criticism of Church teaching on homosexuality.
Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men tells one story-the story of what it is like to be gay and Catholic-through the various stories of gay Catholic men. Each chapter is arranged thematically, beginning with experiences of childhood and youth, being homosexual, and being Catholic. Chapters delve into the ways these men each finally accepted themselves, integrated their sexuality, related to others who did or did not understand, dealt with homosexual promiscuity, found intimate relationships, became a part of a community, and ultimately found ways to come to terms with the Catholic Church and their faith. Throughout, these 'witnesses' explain how their faith in God guides them through the various experiences and issues they face. The positive aspects of Catholic Christianity are respectfully explored, all the while challenging the present Church teaching on homosexuality.
