A balanced, broad summary of Catholicism's response to sexuality that will be a valuable reference tool for the layperson, although the scholar will find little that is original here. Fox, editor of the National Catholic Reporter, writes with an easy, accessible, journalistic style. The greatest strength of the book is the way he delineates the interconnectedness of the many sexual issues he tackles, e.g. gender roles, abortion, homosexuality, and contraception. His basic thesis is that Catholicism's ``natural law'' view, which Aquinas developed and which has now become the standard litmus test for Catholic morality, is the crux that defines widely variant sexual practices as sinful (natural law forbids all sexual relations not aimed toward procreation). Fox also provides intriguing behind-the-scenes explorations of contemporary Catholic politicking, such as the inner workings of Vatican II, describing how the Church was lovingly but firmly introduced to the modern era. He tells this story engagingly and expresses clear progressive opinions while retaining a nonjudgmental tone. The book is weakest, on the other hand, when Fox attempts to summarize 2,000 years of complex historical and religious changes in perfunctory digest form. Readers conversant in Catholic history may feel that Fox has sacrificed depth in favor of breadth. His insightful discussion of postVatican II Catholicism, however, more than makes up for his sweeping generalizations about the more distant past. His focus on dissenters within the Church is an especially perceptive chronicle of a growing cadre of critical Catholic thinkers who have formed unofficial but vocal groups such as Catholics for a Free Choice. Although he fails to provide definitive historical analysis of the many sex-related issues he addresses, Fox offers sensitive insights into contemporary Roman Catholic morality.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-8076-1396-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Braziller
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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