Church in the Modern World

Erin Brigham is the coordinator of research at the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought and instructor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco.

Of the many notable documents coming out of Vatican II, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes remains the key accomplishment that continues to inspire and nourish the Church in its ongoing mission to engage the many challenges of the world in the last half-century. This excellent cross-disciplinary and ecumenical collection of essays from scholars from America, Britain, and Africa associated with the Joan and Ralph Lane Center at the University of San Francisco highlight both critical theory and contemporary cogent application in responding to Pope Francis’ repeated calls that the Church serve as a “field hospital” that treats the wounded, suffering, and marginalized both in the world today and likely for many more decades to come.