When authority is reduced to the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,’ we also reduce the figures within these debates to mere political caricatures of one another, trapped in a cat fight from which there is no escape.
As is the case with religion, progressive intellectuals tend to look on charisma with suspicion, relegating it to the realm of authoritarian and manipulative politics.
The essays gathered here seek to critically assess the content and form of Catholic Social Teaching and envision what a catholic political theological engagement might look like beyond an emboldening by magisterial teachings, instead seeking movements, mystics, and people on the margins to exemplify what “catholic” could contribute to larger conversations on political theology.
A collection of essays from the workshop on Religion and Public Life at Villanova University.