Nation for All: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division
On the eve of the most important presidential election in decades, A NATION FOR ALL sounds the trumpet to the tens of millions of U.S. Catholics who have refused to buy the notion that people of faith must subscribe to the narrow agenda of the far right. By shining the light of authentic Catholic teaching on pressing contemporary concerns like war, human dignity, poverty, and the looming global climate crisis, this book shows Catholics how their own faith tradition calls them to tackle a...
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A Nation for allAmerican democracy is a bold experiment that works because we embrace the multitude of ideas and perspectives our diverse population brings to the political table. We have found ways to work together to realize our shared national goals—no matter what our politics, ethnicity, race, or religion.In A Nation for All, Chris Korzen and Alexia Kelley explain how America's democracy is threatened by an insidious force from within our political landscape—a force the authors call the "politics of division." The politics of division reflects the narrow agenda of culture warriors and the far right that encourages Americans to focus on their differences and distracts them from the things that really matter. Using this tactic—which is more appropriate for the playground than the public square—proponents of the politics of division have been able to seize power and enhance the bottom line for the few and powerful. The vital issues of war, poverty, the housing crisis, climate change, lack of health care, and decline of the middle class have for too long been largely ignored. This book shines the light of authentic Catholic teaching on these pressing concerns and reveals how that teaching can guide us to tackle a sweeping array of issues commonly left out of the faith and politics dialogue.Most important, A Nation for All demonstrates how the essential Catholic and Christian belief in promoting the common good can provide Americans of all faith traditions with a much-needed solution to the downward spiral of greed, materialism, and excessive individualism. Publishers Weekly At the dawn of the 21st century, Americans are more divided than ever across political, economic, social, racial and religious lines. In this unoriginal call to action, Korzen and Kelley bemoan this division, urging American society to return to its unified roots by focusing on the common good. According to the authors, a politics of division encourages everybody to look out for themselves and not for each other. They trace the roots of poverty, war, climate crisis, abortion and inadequate health care to such division and point to a rich Catholic social tradition as a way of recovering an emphasis on the common good. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches that human dignity and human rights-such as the rights to food, housing, work and education, among others-provide the foundation for the common good. The authors provide a short survey of Catholic social teaching (though they mysteriously leave out John Courtney Murray, the most famous Catholic proponent of the common good) and explain key themes of that social teaching, including solidarity and the preferential option for the poor. (May)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Foreword Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. Casey, Senator Robert P., Jr.AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1 The Common Good 1Origins of the Common Good 3A Catholic Vision of the Common Good 4Restoring the Common Good 9Challenges to the Common Good 9Building a Culture of the Common Good 10Rebuilding the Common Good for Our Families, Jobs, and Environment 142 The Catholic Social Tradition 19Surprising or Familiar? 20Key Themes of the Catholic Social Tradition 23The Dignity of the Human Person 24The Common Good 24Solidarity 25Subsidiarity 25The Preferential Option for the Poor 26The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers 26Rights, Responsibilities, Participation 27Universal Destination of Goods 27Stewardship of God's Creation 28Peace 28Popes and Principles 29The Workers' Pope: Leo XIII 29The Social Justice Pope: Pius XI 31A Pope for the Common Good: John XXIII 32Engaging the World: Vatican II 33The Human Development Pope: Paul VI 34The Life and Social Justice Pope: John Paul II 35The Pope of Love and Hope: Benedict XVI 37Living the Catholic Social Tradition 393 Church and State 43The Truth About Separation 46A Place for Faith 48The Importance of Compromise 51Church and State in the Catholic Tradition 53Political Compromise and the Culture of Life 574 Voting Catholic 65Catholics and the Religious Right 67Theology and the Politics of Division 73Voting for the Common Good 78Inform Your Conscience 79Use Prudence 79Vote for the Common Good 80Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship 815 An Agenda for the Common Good 83Poverty: TheRoot of All Problems 86Abortion 92The Global Climate Crisis 96Health Care 98War 100Immigration 1026 Practicing the Common Good 105Conviction or Cowardice? 109Civility or Destruction? 112Compromise or Disengagement? 115Persuasion or Coercion? 118Faith, Politics, and the Future of America 119Resources on Catholic Social Teaching and the Common Good 125Election Day Checklist 137The Authors 139Index 141
\ Publishers WeeklyAt the dawn of the 21st century, Americans are more divided than ever across political, economic, social, racial and religious lines. In this unoriginal call to action, Korzen and Kelley bemoan this division, urging American society to return to its unified roots by focusing on the common good. According to the authors, a politics of division encourages everybody to look out for themselves and not for each other. They trace the roots of poverty, war, climate crisis, abortion and inadequate health care to such division and point to a rich Catholic social tradition as a way of recovering an emphasis on the common good. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches that human dignity and human rights-such as the rights to food, housing, work and education, among others-provide the foundation for the common good. The authors provide a short survey of Catholic social teaching (though they mysteriously leave out John Courtney Murray, the most famous Catholic proponent of the common good) and explain key themes of that social teaching, including solidarity and the preferential option for the poor. (May)\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \
