Theology and Religious Studies (Peer-reviewed publications)

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 110

The Irish chaplaincy in Britain
(The Furrow, 2015) Duffy, Eugene
Irish priests name their truths
(The Furrow, 2015) Duffy, Eugene
Review of 'Reading Philo: A Handbook to Philo of Alexandria' edited by Torrey Seland (Pre-published version)
(Sage, 2016) Burroughs, Jonathan
Review of 'Jesus after Modernity: A 21st-Century Critique of Our Modern Concept of Truth and the Truth of the Gospel' by James P. Danaher (Pre-published version)
(Sage, 2015) Burroughs, Jonathan
Review of 'Chasing Mystery: A Catholic Biblical Theology' by Carey Walsh (Pre-published version)
(Sage, 2015) Burroughs, Jonathan
Homilies for January
(The Furrow, 1988) Connolly, Patrick
A review of "The Limits of the Papacy: Authority and Autonomy in the Church" by Patrick Grantfield
(The Furrow, 1988) Connolly, Patrick
This book has a provocative title, but its substance is an exploration of the delicate relationship between Roman power and local autonomy in the Church. The author situates his study against the background of the last decade which has seen decisive Roman intervention in the life of the local Church. Action has been taken against noted theologians, and against priests and religious involved in politics. Hunthausen affair showed that some bishops too were not above suspicion. have been differing reactions to this exercise of Roman authority.
A review of "Becoming a Woman" by Valerie Vance Dillon; "Becoming a Man" by William J. Bausch
(The Furrow, 1990) Connolly, Patrick
The Christian view of sexuality is a wholesome one, yet many people perceive it to be negative and oppressive. How often we hear people speak on radio or television about their being 'liberated' from the strict Catholic upbringing of their youth. These people are not all cranks. A past emphasis on sin and failure in sexual matters left many good Chris tians with a fear of their own sexuality. This fear generated scruples and unnecessary worries. All of this is not just a past phenomenon: the negative way in which way some Church teaching is presented can still cause some conscientious Christians unnecessary anxiety. Many Church people still give the impression of not being at ease when discussing sex uality. The scars of past preaching and teaching are still with us, but now the task is to convince an increasingly sceptical audience that the Christian notion of sexuality is both positive and life-enriching, not just a list of negative rules and regulations. So any resources which can help us are very welcome. The two books reviewed provide basic informa tion, guidance and attitudes on sex for teenagers. Both authors talk of young people about their sexuality in terms that are credible, down to-earth and faithful to the best of Catholic teaching.
A review of "Inside My Father's House" by George A. Kelly
(The Furrow, 1991) Connolly, Patrick
Mgr George Kelly is a well-known figure in the American Church. He is outspoken and controversial, holding strongly conservative views which he expresses with energy and enthusiasm. This book is a memoir of the years of his life since his ordination in 1942 for the archdiocese of New York. It is a story of priestly experience, discussing the major issues the Church faced, in the context of his personal experience.
A review of "Why You Can Disagree... and Remain a Faithful Catholic" by Philip S. Kaufman
(The Furrow, 1991) Connolly, Patrick
The basic thesis of this book is that Catholics have a right to know not only official Church teaching but also 'other information in the Church'. In his foreword, Richard A. McCormack, the distinguished moral theologian now teaching at Notre Dame, calls the author Kaufman courageous and thoughtful in his presentation of several burning issues and the dissent that has arisen about them. Kaufman's tone is provocative and sometimes vitriolic in his disagreement with current Church teachings. This tone is set by a 1986 poll printed opposite the title page, showing widespread disagreement (among American Catholics) with official teaching on several moral issues. In many ways Kaufman's book is a popularization of the scholarly opinions of theologians who have questioned various aspects of Church teaching. The author wants these views to be available to ordinary Catholics.
Lay and ordained ministry
(The Furrow, 2004) Connolly, Patrick
In the centuries immediately before Vatican II, the ordained priesthood was understood to be the exclusive locus of ministry in the Catholic Church. Since the Council, things have changed dra matically, and in some parts of the world there has developed a paid 'professional' lay ministry. This is most obvious in parishes in the United States and in German-speaking countries, and that development is clearly connected to the fact that these are well resourced Churches with a shortage of priests. That said, the phenomenon of catechists in the developing world demonstrates that lay ministry has a universal importance. While the flowering of lay ministries in various and diverse forms has clearly enriched ecclesial life across the Catholic world, this has not been without tension and sometimes conflict, and part of the reason has been a lack of theological clarity and consensus about the nature of min istry itself and about the relationship between lay and ordained ministries.
'Our children, our church': significant problems
(The Furrow, 2006) Connolly, Patrick
When published last December, the document Our Children, Our Church (hereafter OCOC) received a broad welcome. In recent months, however, it has come in for more detailed scrutiny as its practical implications have become apparent. This paper is best understood as an attempt to further the discussion by putting some of the problematic aspects of OCOC under the spotlight in order to seek a level of clarity that is in the best interests not only of Church personnel to whom the guidelines apply but also of those whom the guidelines seek to protect. It therefore does not seek to be comprehensive nor will it be evaluating what might be considered more praiseworthy aspects of the guidelines
Priest and Bishop: implications of the abuse crisis
(The Furrow, 2006) Connolly, Patrick
The fall-out from the clergy abuse crisis continues to reverberate, and nobody can even foresee all its long-term implications for the Church. What seems clear is that the crisis shows little sign of abating. One side effect of the present crisis could be a significant change in the way ordinary clergy relate to the hierarchy. There are already signs from other English-speaking countries, especially the United States, of growing concern and indeed some times suspicion on the part of what was historically called the 'lower clergy' about whether, in reaction to the present crisis, the episcopal leadership have their interests and their parishioners' interests primarily at heart, rather than the traditional preoccupa tion with institutional (and indeed perhaps occasional episcopal) self-protection which led to the crisis in the first place. This has not gone unnoticed by some bishops, as evidenced by the address of the president of the American bishops' conference at their meeting in November 2005. Just as the scandals have seriously damaged trust between priest and people, the danger now is that the bond of trust between priest and bishop will become likewise undermined.
A review of "Governance Structures of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy: Becoming One" by Mary Lyons
(The Furrow, 2007) Connolly, Patrick
The history of religious life in the Catholic Church is one of ups and downs, starts and finishes. The ecclesiastical climate of the time of a reli gious congregation's foundation often marks its organisational structure, and for that reason not many religious congregations last more than two centuries without some sort of renewal. For instance, many female con gregations had to be set up within the restrictive Church rules in effect at the time of their foundation, even though a foundress initially may have had something quite different in mind. This book, based on original archival material, is an erudite yet interesting study of the evolution of the governance structures of a particular female religious institute, the Sisters of Mercy, from their origins in early nineteenth-century Ireland to the situation today
Religion and the primary schools
(The Furrow, 2014) Connolly, Patrick
In the current debates about religion and schooling in the Republic of Ireland, the primary sector has become the lightning rod of discontent with the current system, as we saw during the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector and the subsequent Report of the Forum's Advisory Group published in April 2012. The recommendations in this Report have become a sort of bible for some policy makers involved in this area, though even in wider educational circles and at school level the actual detail of these recommendations still remain largely unknown and undiscussed.
Homilies for January
(The Furrow, 1982) Duffy, Eugene
A review of "The Meaning and the Mission of Religious Life in the Local Church"
(The Furrow, 1983) Duffy, Eugene
This is a collection of papers, reports and reflections from the General Assembly of Canadian Religious, held in May 1980. The theme of the Assembly was: 'The Meaning and Mission of Religious Life in the Local Church'. The Assembly followed a pattern now familiar to many religious and diocesan priests. It began with an evaluation of 'Our Blessed History' (pp. 21-60), followed by an admission of 'Our Sin History' (pp 61-82), with one final session dedicated to 'Our Hopes for the Future' (pp. 83-103). If you haven't the energy to read through the selected reports of the forty or more workshops then you will find a neat summary of their deliberations on pages 107-115. Here you will find the remark, 'We found more weariness and fatigue in continuing to count our blessings on Saturday afternoon'! The final section of the book contains the various addresses and homilies given at the conclusion of the Assembly, as well as two addresses given by Pope John Paul II to the sisters and male religious in Brazil.
A review of "To Change the World. Christology and Cultural Criticism" by Rosemary Radford Ruether
(The Furrow, 1984) Duffy, Eugene
This is a collection of five essays which were originally read at the Free University of Amsterdam in 1980. The opening essay, 'Jesus and the R?volu tionaries: Political Theology and Biblical Hermeneutics', provides the premises for the arguments in the subsequent lectures. The key to her whole approach occurs in a statement on page 14: T would suggest that Jesus' vision of the kingdom was essentially this-worldly, social and political, and not eschatological ... his sayings suggest that his view of the kingdom remains primarily in the prophetic tradition, a vision of a this-worldly era of peace and justice.' This one-sided understanding of the kingdom inevitably flaws her remaining chapters which discuss Latin American Liberation Theology. Jewish Christian Relations, Feminism and Ecology. She continues to over emphasize the human potential for establishing the conditions of the kingdom of God.
A review of "On Being Catholics" by Charles Connolly
(The Furrow, 1984) Duffy, Eugene
This book proposes three 'right reasons' for becoming or remaining a Catholic. The reasons are the Catholic teaching on the Eucharist, the primacy and infallibility of the pope and the Assumption of Mary. The opening chapter by Michael Adams is so arrogantly and defensively written that it will scare away the most curious enquirers. One sample will suffice to illustrate the point: 'But the Catholic Church teaches dogmatically that Jesus of Nazareth /sthe metaphysical Son of God and is made present in the Eucharist (where he is liable to be mistreated by neglect and even abuse in churches of all kinds from adobe to marble, with spires piercing the clouds, like Cologne's, to churches underground in the modern catacombs)' (p. 15). Charles Connolly gives a very rigid scholastic presentation of eucharistie doctrine but makes only one statement about the social implications of participating in the sacra ment: 'We ought to be at peace with and sincerely love our neighbour' (p. 46). He then rushes off to discuss the obligation of confessing mortal sin before receiving holy communion. The remaining two essays on the papacy and the Assumption are a slight improvement on those just mentioned.
A review of "Jesus the Liberator: A Historical-Theological Reading of Jesus of Nazareth" by Jon Sobrino, Paul Burns and Francis McDonagh
(The Furrow, 1995) Duffy, Eugene
In the first part of this book Sobrino establishes the importance of the setting in which Christology is done. He draws attention to the historical situation of poverty, suffering, dispossession and oppression in Latin America and argues, convincingly, that these realities provide important settings for the rediscovery of elements in the sources of revelation which have remained buried for too long. One comes to know Christ better from the standpoint of the poor and knowing them better one will seek out the poor wherever they are. This helps to underscore the point that knowing Christ is, in the last resort, following Christ. Having established the importance of the historical situation in which Christology is done today, he inevitably has to begin his own work by attending to the historical Jesus before he draws any conclusions about the Christ of faith. There he finds that 'in the world of poverty the poor and Jesus of Nazareth converge and point to each other'.

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