At the Limits of the Secular: Reflections on Faith and Public Life

by William A. Barbieri Jr. (Editor), Charles Taylor (Foreword by)

Overview

This volume presents an integrated collection of constructive essays by eminent Catholic scholars addressing the new challenges and opportunities facing religious believers under shifting conditions of secularity and "post-secularity."

Using an innovative "keywords" approach, At the Limits of the Secular is an interdisciplinary effort to think through the implications of secular consciousness for the role of religion in public affairs. The book responds in some ways to Charles Taylor's magnum opus, A Secular Age, although it also stands on its own. It features an original essay by David Tracy — the most prominent American Catholic theologian writing today — and groundbreaking contributions by influential younger theologians such as Peter Casarella, William Cavanaugh, and Vincent Miller.

CONTRIBUTORS
William A. Barbieri Jr.
Peter Casarella
William T. Cavanaugh
Michele Dillon
Mary Doak
Anthony J. Godzieba
Slavica Jakelic
J. Paul Martin
Vincent J. Miller
Philip J. Rossi
Robert J. Schreiter
David Tracy

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802868770
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	07/12/2014
Pages:	386
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

William A. Barbieri Jr. is associate professor of theology and religious studies at Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Foreword Charles Taylor viii

Acknowledgments William A. Barbieri Jr x

Introduction William A. Barbieri Jr. 1

I Religion and the Public

Public

1 Religion in the Public Realm: Three Forms of Publicness David Tracy 29

Culture

2 Public Reason and Inter/cultural Dialogue Peter Casarella 51

Catholicity

3 Catholicity, Globalization, and Post-Secularity Robert Schreiter 85

II Post-Secularity? Critical Reflections

Religion

4 The Invention of the Religious-Secular Distinction William T. Cavanaugh 105

Post-Secularity

5 The Post-Secular Problematic William A. Barbieri Jr. 129

Tradition

6 Media Constructions of Space, the Disciplining of Religious Traditions, and the Hidden Threat of the Post-Secular Vincent J. Miller 162

III In and Beyond a Secular Age: Theological Anthropology

Imagination

7 Imagination, the Body, and the Transfiguration of Limits Anthony J. Godzieba 199

Agency

8 Faith, Autonomy, and the Limits of Agency in a Secular Age Philip J. Rossi, S.J. 226

Charity

9 Love and Justice: Engaging Benedict XVI on Christian Discipleship in a Secular Age Mary Doak 250

IV Religion in a Post-Secular World

Community

10 Multiple Belongings: The Persistence of Community amidst Societal Differentiation Michele Dillon 275

Humanism

11 Engaging Religious and Secular Humanisms Slavica Jakelic 305

Pluralism

12 Religions in a Globalizing World J. Paul Martin 331

Contributors 362

Index 365

Editorial Reviews

Cathleen Kaveny
— author of Law's Virtues: Fostering Autonomy and Solidarity in American Society
"Should the Catholic Church advocate a spirit of openness to the modern world, or should it focus upon preserving and passing on its own rich heritage? This volume suggests it might just be possible to do both — and thereby move beyond an impasse that has paralyzed the Church since the Second Vatican Council."

Lisa Sowle Cahill
— author of Global Justice, Christology, and Christian Ethics
"William Barbieri here convenes notables in philosophy, theology, and the social sciences to address a quandary on the minds of many in modern Western societies: What does religion have to do with 'secular' public and political life? Together these authors show that religion is alive and well, and is already contributing productively to the renewal of civil society and of political participation in a renegotiated and newly hospitable 'secular' sphere. Readers will learn immensely and gain widened vision from the timely content and superb intellectual quality of this effort."

Charles Taylor
— from foreword
"This is a marvelously rich and suggestive book, which has helped to jar me out of the ruts I had fallen into. I am sure it will do the same for many others."

From the Publisher