Catholic Moral Theology in the United States

Charles E. Curran, a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Rochester, New York, is Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values at Southern Methodist University. He was the first recipient of the John Courtney Murray Award for Theology and has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the American Theological Society. In 2003, Curran received the Presidential Award of the College Theology Society for a lifetime of scholarly achievements in moral theology, and in 2005, Call to Action presented him with its leadership award. He is the author of Loyal Dissent: Memoir of a Catholic Theologian, The Moral Theology of Pope John Paul II and Catholic Social Teaching, 1891-Present, all published by Georgetown University Press.

This book and Curran's work generously deserve the attention of all those Catholics who believe that history matters, and that the church finds its mission in that essential framework given its best expression in Vatican II's 'Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.' As many have turned away from the promise of the council, Curran has done as much as any American Catholic to keep hope alive. National Catholic Reporter Curran covers a tremendous amount of ground in these chapters, over complex and controversial territory ... He is to be given high marks for the way he summarizes carefully and fairly the theological arguments with which he has disagreed ... I am grateful for Curran's scholarly work in this book. As a 'participant observer,' Charles Curran has chronicled history fairly and clearly-no small accomplishment for someone whose own voice has been such an important part of the story. America The book is a wonderful gift to the church that could come only from one so deeply involved in the very development of the field as both a careful observer of events but also as one of the most significant moral theologians of our time. Conscience This volume deserves serious consideration for any student of theology because it is threaded through with thought-provoking comments ... Ultimately the great merit of this significant and fascinating book is to draw attention to the fact that moral theology is part of a living tradition and in the process open ups a rich vein of wisdom and insight that can help us address many of our most pressing problems today. Doctrine & Life The thematic chapters provide a literature review that is striking both for its compendious range and for its commitment to fairness ... Curran's text provides a much-needed framework for analyzing the past and tracing the trajectories of U.S. Catholic ethical reflection. This account of the discipline's development will serve as a standard resource for both theological education and historical research. Theological Studies The sheer breadth of this historical survey of Catholic moral theology in the United States would be daunting to any theologian except Curran, whose synthetic mind and critical grasp of the discipline make possible a succinct analysis of key figures as well as newer scholars. Religious Studies Review The book is to be commended for the thorough way in which it covers, or at least mentions, almost every significant writer in Catholic moral theology during this period... [This] book would serve well in introductory undergraduate and graduate courses on Catholic moral theology and the history of American Catholicism. Church History This volume needs to be in every university and college library. Nothing compares to the breadth and depth of this historical study of United States moral theology. Any who teach in the discipline of theology need to read the book, even if their specialty is not moral theology. Horizons Published in the well-known Moral Traditions series, this is an excellent book on the recent history of Catholic moral theology in the United States... This is a highly readable account, written by an expert, and is suitable for undergraduates and the general reader. Theological Book Review

• Preface 1. The Nineteenth Century 2. The Twentieth Century before Vatican II 3. Twentieth-Century Social Ethics before Vatican II 4. The Setting of Moral Theology after Vatican II 5. The Aftermath of Humanae vitae 6. The Aftermath of Vatican II and Other Developments 7. Fundamental Moral Theology 8. Sexuality and Marriage 9. Bioethics 10. Social Ethics Conclusions: Looking Backward and Forward Bibliography About the Author Index