Common Good, Uncommon Questions: A Primer in Moral Theology

In a world that promotes moral relativity, the Church's voice remains clear and prophetic.Common Good, Uncommon Questions explores a variety of moral issues. Its collection of Scripture passages, current Church teaching, and contemporary reflections presents a thought-provoking path that leads the reader to consider everything from abortion to the Omega Point.

Written primarily for use in classrooms and study groups, Common Good, Uncommon Question encourages readers to delve into significant issues, to challenge insights and preconceptions, and to ask what contributions Church teaching and tradition must make to debates on moral issues.

The sources that comprise this work, gathered from newspapers, journals, magazines, and books, illustrate the challenges facing the morally upright by urging readers to delve into significant issues while learning and taking seriously what the Church has to say about life in the modern world. Through stories, poems, articles, and even hymn texts, readers may consider the stance of the Church as moral teacher and put this guidance into contemporary context. The topics studied in this work include grace and the human response, conscience, evil, faith, feminism, homelessness, homosexuality, life together, peace and justice, preparing for death, reproduction issues, resolving social inequity, responsible sexuality, reverence for the earth, right to life, self esteem, witness, substance abuse, and many others.

The common good is enhanced by questions both common and uncommon. As the title suggests, Common Good, Uncommon Questions encourages discussion on moral issues. Its examples of righteousness and models of temptation begin the discussion which will not conclude until Christ returns in glory.

Timothy Backous, OSB, teaches theology at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He received his STD in moral theology in Rome and is a contributing author to Exploring the Catechism, published by Liturgical Press.

William C.Graham is a priest of the Diocese of Duluth. He is a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, author of several books, and editor of More Urgent Than Usual: The Final Homilies of Mark Hollenhorst, published by Liturgical Press. He holds a PhD from Fordham University and is a theology professor at Caldwell College in New Jersey.

William C. Graham, is pastor of Saint Michael’s Parish in Duluth, Minnesota, where he also served as pastor from 1982–90. He was a scholar-in-residence at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical & Cultural Research in 2013–14, where he also served as visiting professor at Saint John’s University. For ten years Father Graham was professor of historical theology and the founding director of the Braegelman Program in Catholic Studies at the College of St. Scholastica. 

Timothy Backous, OSB, teaches theology at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He received his STD in moral theology in Rome and is a contributing author to Exploring the Catechism, published by Liturgical Press.