Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church: Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus
Drawing on his own experience in responding to abuse, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson in this explosive work methodically offers a critique of the church's use and misuse of power, from the pope proclaiming infallibly down to the preacher claiming a divine authority for every word spoken from the pulpit.\ Going back to the Bible and, above all, to the teaching of Jesus, he presents an approach to sexual morality that is profound, compassionate, and people-centered. He stresses the priority of the...
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Drawing on his own experience in responding to abuse, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson in this explosive work methodically offers a critique of the church's use and misuse of power, from the pope proclaiming infallibly down to the preacher claiming a divine authority for every word spoken from the pulpit.Going back to the Bible and, above all, to the teaching of Jesus, he presents an approach to sexual morality that is profound, compassionate, and people-centered. He stresses the priority of the hierarchy of holiness over the hierarchy of power.He offers nothing less than a vision for a church of the third millennium-a church that wants to see in its members the responsibility appropriate to adults rather than the obedience appropriate to children and wants to help all people to grow to become all they are capable of being. You will love or hate this book but not be able to remain neutral.
Foreword 1Introduction 7The More Immediate Causes of Abuse 9The Wider Focus of this Book 19A Personal History 20Healthy People in a Healthy Relationship with a Healthy God 25A Healthy God 26Healthy People 30A Healthy Relationship 40Meditation 45The Two Books of God 49The Bible 50The World Around and Within Us 57Meditation 61Spiritual Discernment 65Tradition 65The Tool of Discernment 73Meditation 75An Eternal Plan, a Sharing of Life and the Reign of God 77God's Eternal Plan 77A Sharing of Life 78The Reign of God 79The Church 80Meditation 84'Like His Brothers and Sisters in Every Respect' 87The Knowledge of Jesus 88'Notification on the Works of Fr. Jon Sobrino S.J.' 93Meditation 96In Service of God's People 99The Bible 99What Has Been Handed On to Us 105The Present Situation 116Learning From the World Around Us 129Meditation 132The Authority of 'the Church' 137A Peter-Figure 139The Middle Level 144The Faith of the Whole Church 145Meditation 149Free and Responsible 153The Bible 153Religious Liberty 158Conscience 158Assisting Conscience 164Meditation 172A Turbulence and a Whirlpool 175The Bible 177What Has Been Handed on to Us 193Meditation 195The Return to an Original Sexual Ethic 201Origins of Current Catholic Teaching 201An Ethic Based on Persons 204The Major Questions 210Meditation 214A Dark Grace, a Severe Mercy 217Spiritual Harm and Spiritual Healing 217Forgiveness 220A New Assignment to Ministry? 225Meditation 231The Prison of the Past 235The Freedom to be Wrong 235Truths Essential to Identity 237One Authority Changing Another 241Particular Issues 250The Certainty of Faith 258Meditation 260A Government in which All Participate 265Three Levels of Government 265The First Level: The Peter-Figure 268The Second Level: The Bishops 271The Third Level: The Mind of the Whole Church 282Meditation 287A Change of Heart and Mind 289Accountability and Professionalism 290The Laity: Citizens or Civilians? 293Renewing the Theological Conversation 296Putting Our Own House in Order 297A Church in the World 300Conclusion 302Meditation 304
