 CHURCH AND SOCIETY: The Laurence
J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007, by Avery Dulles, S.J. Fordham
University Press. 546 pp. $39.95.
Reviewed by PAT McCLOSKEY, O.F.M.,
editor of this publication. He has admired
the writings of Dulles for over 30 years.
ANY THEOLOGIAN who has been president
of the Catholic Theological Society
of America and the American
Theological Society (founded by Protestants),
taught theology at Woodstock
College, the Catholic University of
America and Fordham, served as
a visiting lecturer at five Catholic universities,
Yale University, four Protestant
seminaries, and been scholar-in-residence
at St. Joseph’s
Seminary (Dunwoodie, New
York) must be given our
careful attention.
Avery Dulles (b. 1918)
was baptized a Presbyterian
and became a Catholic at
age 22, studied at Harvard
Law School and served as a
lieutenant in the U.S. Naval
Reserve during World War II
(receiving the Croix de
Guerre in February 1945).
He is the son of one U.S.
secretary of state and great-grandson of
another, authored 27 books and
became a cardinal in 2001.
This volume collects 38 lectures
given between December 1988 and
November 2007. Most of these texts
were published in his book The Craft of
Theology or in America, Theological Studies or other periodicals. Although Dulles
has restored the notes omitted in some
reprints, he has not revised the original
texts.
Following a short Preface by Dulles,
Father Robert Peter Imbelli, who teaches
theology at Boston College, provides a
comprehensive Foreword, “Avery
Dulles, Vir Ecclesiasticus.” An eight-page
Index concludes the volume.
The following five lecture titles hint
at the book’s diversity of topics: University
Theology as a Service to the
Church; The Church as Communion;
Should the Church Repent?; The Population
of Hell; and Evolution, Atheism
and Religious Belief.
In the Preface, Dulles explains that
these McGinley lectures “do not have
a set theme beyond being in the general
area of Church and society. I simply
dealt with issues that seemed to be
of current interest and in need of theological
clarification.”
Later he asserts, “I try to make the
adaptations necessary to render the
wisdom of past ages applicable to the
world in which we live. The tradition
by its very nature stands
open to homogenous development,
which must be distinguished
from disruptive
change or reversal.” Dulles’s
specialty is theology of the
Church.
Although this is not a
book on politics, several
lectures touch on issues
currently debated on the
national and international
levels—for example, Catholicism
and American Culture:
The Uneasy Dialogue; Religion
and the Transformation of Politics;
Human Rights: The United Nations
and Papal Teaching; and The Death
Penalty: A Right-to-Life Issue?
As the Endnotes make clear, Cardinal
Dulles is widely read. Eminently fair
in describing viewpoints that he does
not uphold, he always presents the
“state of the question” thoroughly.
After sketching four possible positions
about how Catholicism and
American culture are related, Dulles
writes in December 1989: “None of the
four strategies, I submit, is simply
wrong. The realities of American
Catholicism and of American culture
are complex and many-faceted. American
life has aspects that we can praise
with the neoconservatives and liberals,
and other aspects that we must
deplore with the traditionalists and
radicals.” Later, “To the degree that she
adjusts to the dominant culture, the
Church has less to say.”
In December 1991, Dulles wrote:
“The Church has become too introverted.
If Catholics today are sometimes
weak in their faith, this is partly
because of their reluctance to share it.”
Regarding Catholic social teaching
and public policy, Dulles asserts: “In
the long run more good is done by
changing people’s vision and ideals
than by the adoption of good laws and
administrative decisions. If a consensus
exists in favor of a healthy society, the
implementation will almost take care of
itself.”
The final McGinley lecture (A Life in
Theology) is not in this volume but
provides a very helpful overview of its
style. That lecture can be accessed in
the April 21, 2008, issue of America (www.americamagazine.org). Suffering
from post-polio syndrome and
unable to speak for extended periods of
time, Dulles wrote this lecture but
Father Joseph O’Hare, S.J., delivered it.
Dulles ended that final lecture with
these words: “As I become increasingly
paralyzed and unable to speak, I can
identify with the many paralytics and
mute persons in the Gospels, grateful
for the loving and skillful care I receive
and for the hope of everlasting life in
Christ. If the Lord now calls me to a
period of weakness, I know well that his
power can be made perfect in infirmity:
‘Blessed be the name of the
Lord.’”
We are blessed to have the collected
McGinley lectures.
You can order CHURCH AND SOCIETY: The Laurence
J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007 from St. Francis Bookshop.
TELL ME A STORY: The Role of Narrative
in the Faith Life of Catholics, by Robert J. Hater. Twenty-Third Publications.
119 pp. $13.95.
Reviewed by JEANNE HUNT, editorial
adviser for catechesis and evangelization at
St. Anthony Messenger Press. She is the
author of Choir Prayers,
More Choir Prayers (Oregon
Catholic Press), Holy Bells
and Wonderful Smells and
When You Are a Single Parent (St. Anthony Messenger
Press).
“WE HAVE COME to share
our story...,” goes the popular
hymn. In Robert J.
Hater’s book, Tell Me a Story,
The Role of Narrative in the
Faith Life of Catholics, we see
that the element of storytelling is essential
to faith formation and evangelization.
Father Hater gives a concise and
very practical guide to exploring the
power of narrative in our lives.
He says that his book is meant “for
anyone who wishes to appreciate how
his or her story, Jesus’ story and the
Church’s story connect.”
In the initial chapter Hater leads the
reader to reflect on the connection
between what we believe and how stories
give direction to faith. Using stories
from his life, Hater demonstrates the
spiritual skill he is proposing.
In a real sense the reader begins to
see that the New Testament is still being
written in the lives of believers. The
author encourages the “aha” moment
when a story becomes a way to understand
that “God’s love is personalized
in our story...and formulated in the
Church’s basic teaching.”
Father Hater explores three levels of
meaning in the defining moments of
our lives: a secondary meaning that
imbues ordinary events with deeper
significance, a communal meaning that
leads us into the impact of our story in
the broader realm, and the core meaning
which is the universal pattern of
God’s loving response to the beloved
and the search for ultimate meaning.
These three meanings are offered
with Hater’s personal stories of illness
and death. Yet he brings the reader to
understand that there is a commonality
in the human story that goes
beyond our personal details.
Tell Me a Story is an excellent resource
for personal spiritual growth and a
wonderful tool for small faith communities.
Father Hater offers points for
reflection and action at the
end of every chapter. These
exercises lend themselves to
group discussion.
The book concludes with
three chapters focused on
using story to explore faith,
hope and love. It is at this
point that Hater deepens
the intensity of his premise.
We see that storytelling has
a profound impact on our
understanding of how faith
gives power and meaning
to personal stories.
This is the kind of book that requires
a dialogue either in the margins or in
a journal; no two people will respond
in the same way. It is a conversation
with Spirit that is long overdue for
most of us. When we take to heart this
discipline of understanding our story as
a moment of grace and sharing that
grace with others, healing and growth
will come.
Hater’s book is a treasure for anyone
involved in ministry, families and ordinary
souls who simply want to sort out
their haphazard journey through life to
discover that the Divine Storyteller was
always in the mix of our ordinary tale,
giving it extraordinary meaning.
You can order TELL ME A STORY: The Role of Narrative
in the Faith Life of Catholics from St.
Francis Bookshop.
FOUNDING FAITH: Providence, Politics,
and the Birth of Religious Freedom
in America, by Steven Waldman.
Random House. 277 pp. $26.
Reviewed by BARBARA SONNENBERG, a
librarian retired after 30 years of service in
a large public library.
“CONGRESS SHALL make no laws respecting
an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” (The Constitution of the United
States, Amendment 1, ratified December
15, 1791).
If you feel completely
familiar with what the writers
of the Constitution and
Bill of Rights meant to convey
in the amendment
above, as well as their position
on separation of
Church and state, start this
book on page 192 where the
author lists three liberal fallacies,
three conservative
fallacies, one fallacy common
to both—and watch
your confidence fade!
Steven Waldman, cofounder, CEO
and editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com,
uses primary sources, chiefly the writings
of Washington, Jefferson, Adams,
Franklin and Madison, to show how
our revered founders’ personal religious
beliefs evolved, how their concepts of
established denominations differed
and, perhaps most tellingly, how political
exigency took precedence in their
actions.
Strikingly presented are the developments
in their positions as the years
passed and four of them became our
country’s chief executive.
The characters spring to life in the
settings most formative during the Revolutionary
period—their home states—and then mature while they gathered in
Congress for the writing of the Constitution
and the Bill of Rights. While
all believed in God as creator, and most
believed God interacted in human
affairs, many rejected faith in Jesus
Christ as their personal savior.
Jefferson rejected doctrinal disputes
and created his own bible by assembling
pages of Jesus’ teachings but excising
miracles such as physical healings,
the virgin birth and the Resurrection.
Championing such freedom for others,
he wrote: “The legitimate powers of
government extend to such acts only as
they are injurious to others. But it does
me no injury for my neighbor to say
there are 20 gods, or no god. It neither
picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
These words would haunt him during
the presidential campaign of 1800.
Washington and Franklin lived by a
set of maxims embodying morality, honesty
and noninterference with others.
Adams added to these what Waldman
characterizes as “universal
truths that transcended religion.”
Madison made few
overt statements about his
faith but generally accepted
organized religions and their
clergy, perhaps as an outgrowth
of attending Princeton
University, then an
evangelical Christian school.
While all agreed that religion
was essential to the
creation of a democracy, the
method and amount of
government encouragement for it was
highly debatable. The Constitution
makes no mention of God, Jesus Christ
or even a creator. What had happened
to the mind-set of our leaders since the
Declaration of Independence, the Articles
of Confederation, epistles from the
Continental Congress and the wording
of most state constitutions?
Waldman says it was the rationalist
view that, to ensure the flourishing of
all religions, minority religions must
be protected. The national government
would not interfere. Individual states
would retain the power to establish
official denominations, levy taxes to
support them, even mandate religious
practices, curtail voting rights or property
ownership, etc.
How were religious minorities
to be protected?
Madison’s plan was to give
Congress the power to veto
state laws. This motion was
defeated by a vote of seven
states to three, the Southern
states fearing loss of their
slaves. Eighty years and a
Civil War later, passage of
the Fourteenth Amendment
overtly gave citizenship
to the slaves but left
religious rights in a gray area still being
contested in the courts.
Founding Faith is a highly readable,
well-researched and balanced account
of the political machinations and the
philosophical and religious principles
that had to be melded into a form
acceptable by the majority.
A Bibliography of four pages, augmented
by 47 pages of Notes, attests to
the depth of research and the heroic
discipline it must have entailed to limit
this work to 277 pages!
You can order FOUNDING FAITH: Providence, Politics,
and the Birth of Religious Freedom
in America from St.
Francis Bookshop.
BLACK AS NIGHT: A Fairy Tale
Retold, by Regina Doman. Revised
Edition. Chesterton Press. 289 pp.
$18.
Reviewed by JEAN HEIMANN, freelance
writer, retired educator, psychologist and
oblate with the Community of St. John. She
lives in Wichita, Kansas.
IN THIS SECOND NOVEL of the Fairy
Tale series, the sequel to The Shadow of
the Bear, Regina Doman presents a compelling
and intriguing mystery, which
mesmerizes the reader from the very
first page. Doman loosely patterns this
story after Snow White, which is rich in
Christian symbolism and analogies.
In Black as Night, circumstances are
such that the youthful, dark-haired,
fair-skinned beauty Blanche Brier finds
herself on her own for the summer in
New York City. Her boyfriend, Arthur
Denniston (nicknamed Bear), is in Europe,
contemplating his future, and
her family is away on vacation.
Intelligent, intuitive and sensitive
by nature, Blanche becomes increasingly
aware that she has
become the focus of evil
forces, but cannot understand
why. Who would
want to harm this gentle,
tenderhearted woman?
So many strange situations,
which seem to defy
logic, occur in her life this
summer. Thus, Blanche begins
to wonder if she is losing
her mind. She senses
someone is stalking her and
knows that she must escape
from a jealous rival for her own protection.
Even when she attempts to
flee from her frightening foe, seeking
sanctuary in the walls of a Franciscan
friary, she remains unsafe.
Throughout this fast-paced novel,
Doman cleverly and skillfully transitions
from one chapter to the next. While we see Blanche in hiding at the
Franciscan friary as the victim of yet
another crime in one chapter, we are
swiftly taken to the next chapter, in
which Bear is doggedly attempting to
unravel the mystery that has driven
Blanche into hiding.
By divulging small clues through the
thoughts, words and actions of her
characters, Doman expertly draws her
readers into the story and seduces them
by the suspense and intrigue of this
well-written mystery.
The humor interspersed in this tale
and the tender, caring relationship
between Bear and Blanche complement
the drama and suspense and also bring
the story to life. These characters are
very realistic, likable adolescents caught
up in challenging circumstances that
bring out the best in them. They are
excellent role models.
What makes this novel unique is its
strong Catholicity—not only are the
characters Catholic in name, but they
are also Catholic in their actions and
decisions. They make moral choices
based on the Church’s teachings. We
are not only taken into their Catholic
homes, schools and churches, but also
made acutely aware of how they perceive
their faith, what motivates them
to pray and to act the way they do.
Doman exposes their inner doubts
and fears about their present lives and
their future and how they resolve them
by seeking the will of God, acting
according to God’s desires.
Although this book is marketed for
young adults, I highly recommend it
not only for adolescents, but also for
adults. This is a fascinating book that
will captivate anyone.
You can order BLACK AS NIGHT: A Fairy Tale
Retold from St. Francis Bookshop.
THE MANGA BIBLE: From Genesis
to Revelation, by Siku. Doubleday/
Galilee. 224 pp. $12.95, U.S./ $14.95,
Canada.
Reviewed by JOHN R. BARKER, O.F.M., of
the Franciscan Province of St. John the
Baptist in Cincinnati. Brother John has
master’s degrees in theology and Scripture
from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
He recently began doctoral studies in
Scripture at Boston College.
IN EVERY AGE, the great stories of the
Bible are told and retold using the art
forms of the popular culture. From
medieval stained-glass windows and
morality plays to contemporary
movies and Broadway
musicals, the epic
drama of salvation history
has come alive for each new
generation. The living Word
of God, ancient yet always
new, continually seeks fresh
forms of expression so that
it can touch the minds and
hearts of people in every
place and time.
The Manga Bible: From
Genesis to Revelation is a new
expression of the ancient faith. Manga
(pronounced “maw-nn-gah”) is the
Japanese word for print cartoons, but
has come to refer to a particular style of
drawing which many people will
immediately recognize from its expressive
and sometimes exaggerated style.
An art form that began in Japan after
WWII, manga (along with its animated
cousin, anime) has become very popular
around the world, lending its style
to popular art, comic books and graphic
novels.
The Manga Bible uses this popular
art form to tell the story of God’s dealings
with the human family, from
Adam and Eve to Jesus, the apostles
and the early Church. And it does so
quite successfully.
The highly expressive style of drawing,
with its exaggerated facial features
and powerful body gestures, allows
readers to experience the very real
drama and emotional impact of biblical
stories that easily become too familiar.
The dialogue and the narrative
commentary help make sometimes
very confusing stories understandable
and relevant.
All of this brings the biblical stories
alive in a way that allows them to
inspire minds and touch hearts the way
they were meant to do.
None of this means that The Manga
Bible is intended to be a substitute for
the traditional Bible; it isn’t. In fact,
throughout the book, helpful little
boxes let readers know where in the
Bible they can find the original stories
(“Want to know more? Judges 13:2—
16:31”).
Much of the Bible, such as the Book
of Proverbs, most of the prophets and
many of the New Testament
letters, is not represented at
all. Other books, such as
Job, Ruth and some of Paul’s
letters, are included, but
very briefly. The life of Jesus
is told in a way that includes
much, but by no
means all, of the Gospels.
All of this is understandable,
given the size and
complexity of the Bible, and
the fact that much of it isn’t
capable of being captured
in story form.
While the dialogue and narration
are usually drawn directly from the
Bible, they are sometimes imaginatively
developed in order to simplify the story
or enhance the impact. This is always
done, however, in a way that is faithful
to the spirit and intent of the Bible.
The Manga Bible is ideal for young
and not-so-young adults who appreciate
the manga art form and who would
like to experience the stories of the
Bible in a fresh way. Religious educators
may find it helpful for getting young
people to grapple with the deeper theological
issues involved.
Parents and other adults should be
aware that this is not a children’s book,
despite its comic-book appearance.
Adult themes found in the Bible, such
as rape and sexual immorality, are occasionally
presented here frankly (although
not graphically), and the
illustrations actually enhance the violent
aspects of some of the stories.
More information about The Manga
Bible can be found at www.themangabible.com.
You can order THE MANGA BIBLE: From Genesis
to Revelation from St. Francis Bookshop.
| 
