The Difference God Makes: A Catholic Vision of Faith, Communion, and Culture - Hardcover

George OMI, Francis Cardinal

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0824525825 ISBN 13: 9780824525828

Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2009

Synopsis

Penned by the leading intellectual in the American Catholic hierarchy, this debut brings together some of the most influential writings on the Catholic vision not just the Church itself but of the relation and unity of all people. Weaving together intellectual insight and personal wisdom, this investigation offers a luminous Catholic vision of communion, illustrating the Church’s relation to numerous religions as well as the secular world. Drawing from both the author’s observations of Catholicism in cultures around the globe and countless theologians’ perspectives including Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Thomas Aquinas, and Francis of Assisi this analysis demonstrates how to recognize the self-giving, liberating God who provides freedom from the competitive, oppressive gods of secular modernity. This overview also recalls an assortment of fascinating stories, from a poignant moment with a non-Christian in Zambia to the humbling dedication of volunteers who came to observe Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico City. Confronting controversial issues head-on, this volume will inspire Christians everywhere while also offering non-Christians a renewed understanding of what a Christian lifestyle means for political and personal life today.

About this title

About the Author

Francis Cardinal George, OMI, is the president of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. He has served as vicar general of the Oblates; Bishop of Yakima, Washington; and archbishop of Chicago. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in 1998. He lives in Chicago.

From Publishers Weekly

As archbishop of Chicago, George is pastor of one of the largest Catholic communities in the United States, and as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops he presides over a powerful collection of churchmen. George is also one of the most thoughtful men in the American hierarchy, and somehow he found time to gather his ideas in a collection of essays on the role of the Catholic faith in the modern world. The essays generally reflect George's traditional approach and his style—for good and ill. He ranges widely and is always challenging; his writing can be as scholarly as it is spiritual. The work is organized like a catechism, which makes it easy to dip into. George invokes the late Pope John Paul II as his model. Yet this book has more in common with an earlier work on faith in the modern world, Introduction to Christianity, also by a well-known cardinal—Joseph Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI. (Oct.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0824525825
• ISBN 13: 9780824525828
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368