The Catholic Church in America is in a state of crisis. But what does the crisis really involve? Where did it come from? And how might the Church turn crisis into opportunity? Bestselling author and theologian George Weigel argues that the path to genuine Catholic reform does not lie in accommodating the truth to the spirit of the age, but in a renewed commitment to living the …

This encyclical letter of Pope John Paul II was written to address the theological and philosophical issues concerning moral theology. At the time, the pope was very concerned about some non-Catholic views that had found their way into Catholic schools and seminaries. The document is divided into the following sections: Introduction Jesus Christ, the true Light that enlightens everyone …

Joseph Ratzinger, 58 years old, German, renowned theologian, Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the former Holy Office), which is the most important Vatican curial office, charged with the preservation and promotion of Catholic orthodoxy. Vittorio Messori, 44 years of age, a writer and journalist whose books of religious essays are world-wide best …

Dale Ahlquist Dale Ahlquist, the President of the American Chesterton Society, and author of G. K. Chesterton -The Apostle of Common Sense , presents a book of wonderful insights on how to "look at the whole world through the eyes of Chesterton". Since, as he says, "Chesterton wrote about everything", there is an ocean of his material to benefit from GKC's insights on a kaleidoscope of many …

The nature of the Church and the authority of the Pope explained Recent scandals have led many to claim that the Catholic Church is inherently flawed and that to save it, the Pope and bishops must yield decision-making authority to the laity. With clarity and verve, Ronald Knox here shows that by the very terms of its commission from Christ, the Catholic Church cannot become a democracy. …

The Cube and the Cathedral by George Weigel Why do Europeans and Americans see the world so differently?  Why do Europeans and Americans have such different understandings of democracy? One of America's foremost public intellectuals argues that Europe's abandonment of its spiritual and cultural roots raises urgent questions about democracy's future around the world - including the United …

David Carlin The Roots of the crisis that's rocked the pulpits and emptied the pews Many Catholics blame Vatican II for the decline of the Church in America these past 30 years: traditionalists say it caused too many changes, liberals say too few. In this groundbreaking book, sociologist David Carlin shows that although Vatican II was the flashpoint for change in the Church, the roots of …

  Building the Free Society Edited by George Weigel and Robert Royal Through the insightful and thought-provoking commentaries of ten distinguished Catholic writers, Building the Free Society critically examines a century of Catholic reflection and argument on human freedom, the just society, and the international order. Adopting the best from A Century of Catholic Social Thought , …

Sixty years ago , the UN declared the family the “natural and fundamental” unit of society. Today no one knows what “family” means. In response to this unprecedented confusion, The Natural Family: A Manifesto defines the family based on universal human experience. Insisting, without apology, on the reality of the “natural family,” the manifesto issues a …

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger with Peter Seewald Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, well-known Vatican prelate and head of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, gives a full-length interview to a secular journalist on a host of controversial and difficult issues facing Catholicism and Christianity at the end of the millennium. Similar to his best-selling book interview in 1985, The Ratzinger …

Catholics must learn how to vote—not just as citizens, but as Catholics too. They need to judge each candidate individually based on where he stands on key moral issues. They need to exclude from their consideration any candidate who is wrong on any of these issues. And that’s where the Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics comes in. The voter’s guide helps you cast your …

Male And Female He Made Them by Mary Jo Anderson and Robin Bernhoft, M.D. Hurtling down a blind alley Our society today is undergoing tremendous assaults on marriage and the family. Sadly, many people do not realize the extent to which their enemies are succeeding. If this attack continues unchecked, the consequences will be disastrous. The battle currently being waged focuses particularly on …

Would a major American newspaper accept a full-page ad viciously denigrating African Americans, Jews, or another minority?  Of course not. But when the target is the Catholic Church, the rules change.   Anti-Catholicism has been an integral part of American culture from the time the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod. Even in today's supposedly tolerant climate, vicious stereotypes, …

In The Clash of Orthodoxies: Law, Religion, and Morality in Crisis , Robert George tackles the issues at the heart of the contemporary conflict of worldviews. Challenging liberalism's claim to represent the triumph of reason, George argues that on controversial issues like abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, same-sex unions, civil rights and liberties, and the place of religion …

Peter Kreeft Juxtaposing "ecumenism" and "jihad", two words that many would consider strange and at odds with each other, Peter Kreeft argues that we need to change our current categories and alignments. We need to realize that we are at war and that the sides have changed radically: many of our former enemies (e.g. Muslims) are now our friends, and some of our former friends (e.g. humanists) …

In Defense of Marriage - The Foundation of Civilization Matthew Arnold Tim Staples This booklet provides basic arguments against same-sex "marriages" and an overview of the Catholic Church's teaching on the matter. This is a great book to pass out at church or to give to friends that don't understand the issues involved in the debate.

A strange title veils what is probably Hilaire Belloc's most important book. For here this great Catholic historian analyzes for us-in sort of a culminating statement-what is the position of the Catholic Church in the world today, particularly as seen vis-a-vis her enemies. It is the Church's enemies, he maintains, and the nature of their attacks upon her, that reveal what exactly is her place …

Peter Kreeft There are few writers or thinkers in the twentieth century who have more lucidly grasped the meaning of modern times--the failed promise of the enlightenment--than the great C. S. Lewis. Here Peter Kreeft, one of the foremost students of Lewis' thought, distills Lewis' reflections on the collapse of western civilization and the way to renew it. Kreeft shows that Lewis, and …

G. K. Chesterton Chesterton gives his remarkably perceptive analysis on social and moral issues more relevant today than even in his own time. In his light and humorous style, yet deadly serious and philosophical, he comments on feminism and true womanhood, errors in edication, the importance of the child and other issues, using incisive arguments against the trendsetters' assaults against the …