A Church That Can and Cannot Change

John T. Noonan

Description

Using concrete examples, John T. Noonan, Jr., demonstrates that the moral teaching of the Catholic Church has changed and continues to change without abandoning its foundational commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Specifically, Noonan looks at the profound changes that have occurred over the centuries in Catholic moral teaching on freedom of conscience, lending for a profit, and slavery. He also offers a close examination of the change now in progress concerning divorce.

In these changes Noonan perceives the Catholic Church to be a vigorous, living organism answering new questions with new answers, and enlarging the capacity of believers to learn through experience and empathy what love demands. He contends that the impetus to change comes from a variety of sources, including prayer, meditation on Scripture, new theological insights and analyses, the evolution of human institutions, and the examples and instruction given by persons of good will.

Noonan also states that the Church cannot change its commitment to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Given this absolute, how can the moral teaching of the Church change? Noonan finds this question unanswerable when asked in the abstract. But in the context of the specific facts and events he discusses in this book, an answer becomes clear. As our capacity to grasp the Gospel grows, so too, our understanding and compassion, which give life to the Gospel commandments of love, grow.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Theology
• Philosophie et théologie
• Jesús de Nazaret
• Religious text
• Jesus
• Ecclesiology
• Catholic
• Christianity
• History
• Jésus-Christ
• Gospel

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 30 août 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268200909
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 16 Mo

Extrait

A Church That Can and Cannot Change

                    

For over three-thousand years, in much of the world, slavery existed. It was a way of life, accepted as beyond change. It was not condemned by any major religion. Robinson Crusoe, a slaveowner and slavetrader, was a national hero. Théodore Géricault’s “African Slave Trade” exhibits a new sensibility. Focused on the weakest point in the slave system, the making of slaves by violence, Géricault addresses humanity. Art courtesy of École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts.

Can

             Cannot      

The Development of Catholic Moral Teaching

    .

      ,   .

A John W. Kluge Center Book Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

University of Notre Dame Press Notre Dame, Indiana

Copyright฀©฀฀by฀ University฀ of฀ Notre฀ Dame฀ Notre฀ Dame,฀ Indiana฀ w ww.undpress.nd.edu All฀Rights฀ Reserved

Published฀in

the฀United฀States฀of฀America

This฀ebook฀has฀been฀made฀possible฀in฀part฀by฀a฀major฀grant฀from฀the฀National฀ Endowment฀for฀the฀Humanities:฀Exploring฀the฀human฀endeavor.฀Any฀views, findings,฀conclusions,฀or฀recommendations฀expressed฀in฀this฀book฀do฀not฀ necessarily฀represent฀those฀of฀the฀National฀Endowment฀for฀the฀Humanities.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Noonan, John Thomas,– A church that can and cannot change : the development of Catholic moral teaching / John T. Noonan, Jr. p. cm. — (Erasmus Institute books) “A John W. Kluge Center book.” Includes bibliographical references ( p. ) and index. ----(cloth : alk. paper)  ----(pa. : alk. paper) . Catholic Church—History.. Slavery and the church—Catholic Church. . Usury—Religious aspects—Catholic Church.. Divorce—Religious aspects—Catholic Church. I. Title. II. Series. .  '.—dc  ∞This book is printed on acid-free paper.

To Erasmians, Everywhere

And this I pray: That your love abound more and more In knowledge and in insight of every kind So that you test what is vital. (Paul to the Philippians:–.)

two









Preface



xiii





T h r e e U n a v o i d a b l e I s s u e s

one

Father Newman Startles





Concubines,Castrati,Concordats—Is There Teaching There?

three

eight

Morals without Experience and Empathy Are like Sundaes without Ice Cream or Sauce

seven

four

T h e U n k n o w n S i n

five

six

God’s Slaveowners

God’s Slaves

The Pope’s Slaves







Human Slaves as God’s Slaves



A Girl Named Zita and Other Commodities





