In this readable and timely work, Thomas Groome explores the basis of Catholic education, from the historical Jesus to figures like Augustine and Aquinas, Angela Merici, Elizabeth Seton, and Mary Ward. Groome shows how these foremothers and fathers of Catholic education ground and shape the spirituality of Catholic educators today. It is these foundations that ensure that Catholic schools today deliver the education they promise to students–not only to Catholics, but to those of many religious traditions.

“How do we really know that God cares when Black people are still getting killed? How long do we have to wait for the justice of God? I get it, that Christ is Black, but that doesn’t seem to be helping us right now.”

These questions from her son prompted theologian Kelly Brown Douglas to undertake this soul-searching reflection. The killing of George Floyd and the ongoing litany of Black victims raised questions about the persistence of white supremacy in this nation, leading her to reflect on how a “white way of knowing” has come to dominate American identity and even to shape the consciousness of Christians.

In exploring the message of Confederate monuments and the “Make America Great Again” slogan, she examines the failures of even “good white Christians” and struggles with the hope that “Black Lives Matter,” before reaching deep into her own experience and the faith of Black folks to find her way back to Resurrection Hope.

Traditional Western theology, according to O’Murchu, has been rooted in an understanding of sinful humanity in a flawed creation. Over the centuries this paradigm has engendered co-dependent relationships among the people of God. Even worse has been an imperial image of God, which, after Constantine, which affirmed imperial models of human authority, whether in the church or society.

Here O’Murchu shows how it is in the power of that Spirit of evolution that Jesus incarnates afresh God’s embodied presence in our midst, and encourages us on the way to becoming creative participants in God’s unfolding mission. 

Readers who are familiar with O’Murchu’s work will find much to ponder, and those seeking a new understanding of faith, church, and world, an evocative voice.

Diarmuid O’Murchu is the author of many pioneering books that include Evolutionary Faith, Ancestral Grace, Inclusivity, Beyond Original Sin, and When the Disciple Comes of Age (all Orbis). He lives in Ireland and speaks throughout the world.

For most of this nation’s history, religious socialists made their case to a population that was, for the most part, hospitable to religion and resistant to socialism. Today, those trends are moving in opposite directions. A majority of young people and persons of color in the U.S. express support for socialism. At the same time, even as religious affiliation has dropped, most Americans still say religion is important to them.

 Religious Socialism provides an introduction to how those powerful forces come together in the form of religious socialism, the intersection between a devotion to God and a system that promotes social justice in the world. Many of its champions would embrace the words of Eugene Debs, who ran for president several times on the Socialist ticket: “Socialism is Christianity in action.” Most of the figures in this book are Christian, including contemporary figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Cornel West, but others profiled are Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim socialists.

 Fran Quigley is a former journalist, now teaching as professor at Indiana University McKinney School of Law, where he directs the Health and Human Rights Clinic. He is an active member of the Religion and Socialism Working Group of the Democratic Socialists of America, where he contributes to and helps edit their blog and podcast.

“Offers a vibrant spirituality based on a rereading of Christian tradition through a lens of love for the Earth and all its creatures. It is a joy to read!”—James Corkery, SJ, Gregorian University, Rome

Renowned theologian Donal Dorr explores the interplay between an ecological spirituality and our traditional Christian faith at this critical juncture in the twenty-first century. Rather than seeing ecological spirituality as an adjunct to Christian doctrine, Dorr views it as central to our understanding of Christianity today, and integral to understanding our relationship with the natural world.

In building this creed, Dorr lays out a compelling vision for how we should live at both a spiritual and practical level in terms of our Christian faith and our attendant role as stewards of the Earth.

Donal Dorr is an Irish theologian and missionary priest who has served as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and as a resource person for the Irish Missionary Union. He is the author of ten books, including the Orbis titles Option for the Poor and for the Earth and Mission in Today’s World.

Arson and vandalism at houses of worship. Bullying at schools and harassment at the grocery store. Political scapegoating and institutionalized discrimination. Muslims in the United States–and beyond–have faced Islamophobia in a range of forms. This ground-breaking book argues that Christians should be at the forefront of efforts to end the prejudice, discrimination, and violence, that Muslims face.

Writing for Christians of all denominations, Jordan Denari Duffner offers an introduction to Islamophobia, discusses the unfortunate ways that Christians have contributed to it, and offers practical steps for standing in solidarity with Muslims. Viewing Islamophobia as both a social justice and a religious freedom issue, Duffner makes the case that Christian faith calls us to combat religious discrimination even when it is not directed toward our own faith community. She weaves together insights from Catholic social teaching, examples from Protestant leaders, and expertise from Muslim scholars and activists, resulting in a compelling book that will be of interest to academic and lay audiences alike.

Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination

Jordan Denari Duffner is a doctoral student in theology and religious studies at Georgetown University and an associate and former research fellow at the Bridge Initiative, a research project of Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. A 2013 Fulbright scholar, she is author of Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic (Liturgical Press) and many articles in print and online media, including The Washington Post, America, and Commonweal.

“When leaders live up to their solemn responsibilities and commitments, they can be the difference between light and darkness, hope and despair, life and death for the people whom they have the privilege of serving and protecting. In the final analysis, true leadership is forged in the vicarious crucible of crisis.”

Through an examination of Pope Francis’s words and actions during the coronavirus pandemic, Fr. Orobator finds a model of leadership for a suffering world.

Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, SJ, is president of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar. He is author of Religion and Faith in Africa: Confessions of an Animist and Theology Brewed in an African Pot; editor of The Church We Want: African Catholics Look to Vatican III; and co-editor (with Linda Hogan) of Feminist Catholic Theological Ethics: Conversations in the World Church (all Orbis). He lives in Nairobi, Kenya.