Moral Debates in Contemporary Catholic Thought - by James Bretzke (Paperback)

About the Book

A lucid introduction to Catholic moral theology with individual chapters exploring such controversial issues as abortion, the death penalty, gender, economics, immigration, and more.

Book Synopsis

How do we navigate a morally complex world? How do we know how to do the right thing, especially when so many voices are clamoring for our attention, telling us that they have the full truth of just what the "right thing" is, and what it requires of us? James T. Bretzke, S.J., one of most lucid interpreters of the Catholic tradition writing today, helps students morally analyze a wide range of controversial and contested issues in society today through the use of principles, paradigms, and the cardinal virtue of prudence.
After introducing the approach of principled prudence, drawing on Thomas Aquinas, Catholic Social Teaching, and other sources, Bretzke engages a range of moral considerations in the following chapters: the death penalty, abortion, gender, immigration and border security, welfare, economics, and faithful citizenship.
In the concluding chapter, Bretzke surveys our current political landscape, and its attendant culture wars, and suggests a possible path forward drawing on the central moral concept of the common good.
While politics has often been described as the "art of compromise," U.S. society seems to be short of such artists today. Bretzke, a master of moral theology, gives students the tools to better interpret and assess critical issues--and to appreciate the depth of the Catholic tradition's wisdom on such issues.
Ideal for classroom use, including such courses as Catholic ethics, theological ethics, and moral theology, this text illuminates the core moral principles that deal with moral discernment in an imperfect and increasingly polarized world.Each chapter includes case studies, questions for reflection and discussion, and resources for further reading.

Review Quotes

"This book is much like an expensive meal: tastes marvelous, but very rich and requiring time to digest." --Catholic Books Review

"In Father Bretzke's hands, we see the Catholic tradition of case-based reasoning at its best: deeply learned, sensitive to particular circumstances, and full of practical wisdom." --M. Cathleen Kaveny, Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Law and Theology, Boston College

"James T. Bretzke, S.J. has done it again. With his deft command of the history of Catholic moral theology and his wonted good sense in working through the complicated layers of human intentionality and desire in making moral decisions 'on the ground, ' Bretzke has offered his readers a lucid and brilliant reading of how the Catholic tradition can and should be applied to the always-messy question of 'how do I make a lightly informed moral decision in this case?' The lucidity of his analysis makes it look simple and obvious, but of course complex moral decisions are never simple and obvious: that's the brilliance of his argument. Go out and buy this book: it is one of the most important works on Catholic theology you'll read this year." --Mark Massa, S.J., coeditor of American Catholic History: A Documentary Reader

About the Author

Rev. James T. Bretzke, S.J., is Professor of Theology at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. He previously taught at Boston College's Graduate School of Theology and Ministry and Marquette University. He also taught for several years in Seoul, Korea at Sogang University and as a Visiting Professor of Moral Theology at the Loyola School of Theology of the Ateneo de Manila, Philippines. He has published over ninety articles and reviews as well as seven books, including A Handbook of Roman Catholic Moral Terms (2013), A Morally Complex World: Engaging Contemporary Moral Theology (1994) and Consecrated Phrases: A Latin Theological Dictionary (1998).