Lawrence S. Cunningham – författare

Both as cardinal and as Pope Benedict XVI, one of Josef Ratzinger's consistent concerns has been the foundational moral imperatives of the natural law. In 2004, then Cardinal Ratzinger requested that the University of Notre Dame study the complex issues embedded in discussions about "natural rights" and "natural law" in the context of Catholic thinking. To that end, Alasdair MacIntyre provided a substantive essay on the foundational problem of moral disagreements concerning natural law, and eight scholars were invited to respond to MacIntyre's essay, either by addressing his work directly or by amplifying his argument along other yet similar paths. The contributors to this volume are theologians, philosophers, civil and canon lawyers, and political scientists, who reflect on these issues from different disciplinary perspectives. Once the contributors' essays were completed, MacIntyre responded with a closing essay. Throughout the book, the contributors ask: Can a persuasive case for a foundational morality be made etsi Deus daretur (as if God did not exist)? And, of course, persuasive to whom? The exchanges that take place between MacIntyre and his interlocutors result, not in answers, but in rigorous attempts at clarification. Intractable Disputes about the Natural Law will interest ethicists, moral theologians, and students and scholars of moral philosophy.

This is an important collection of the historical work presented at the Tantur Ecumenical Center conference in Jerusalem held in the spring of 1997. The Tantur conference commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the center's founding with a gathering of internationally known ecumenists who represent many decades of serious engagement with Christian dialogue. Their resulting work is an inimitable assessment of the current state of ecumenical relations more than three decades after the Second Vatican Council.Ecumenism "takes the pulse" of ecumenical relationships by making realistic judgments about future prospects for greater Christian unity. This volume is a pledge for the future of religious unity and a valuable resource for all those interested in the state of ecumenism in Christianity today.

The Chapels of Notre Dame celebrates the university's unique identity as a Catholic academic community where faith is treasured and diverse traditions shared and respected. This stunning large-format collection of over two hundred full-color photographs brings to life the sixty chapels located throughout Notre Dame's beloved campus, many of which are tucked away in little-known settings waiting to be discovered by readers of this volume for the first time.At Notre Dame, chapels are found in a number of academic buildings and in every residence hall. Mass is celebrated daily in some of these halls during term, and it is not uncommon to see students and staff stopping in them for moments of quiet meditation and prayer. The Chapels of Notre Dame captures these sanctuaries, as well as the older chapels, the apsidal chapels of the Basilica, and the Congregation of Holy Cross chapels. The text, by well-known Notre Dame professor Lawrence S. Cunningham, provides a picture of the worship in these chapels along with reflections on the traditions, history, architecture, and art works that adorn them. His brief descriptions evoke a powerful sense of presence, worship, and prayer.Matt Cashore's dramatic photographs include the campus landscape, interiors and exteriors of the chapels, and people worshipping in varied seasons, lighting, and moods. His photographs offer fresh ways to view the charming sloped roof of All Souls Chapel, the large collection of relics assembled from the days of Father Sorin in the Reliquary Chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Cross Chapel in the new Stinson-Remick Engineering Hall, the striking stained-glass windows in the Moreau Seminary Chapel of the Sacred Heart, and the unique chapels in each of the residence halls.For alumni who have participated in baptisms, weddings, anniversary celebrations, prayer services, and other liturgical rites on campus, The Chapels of Notre Dame will not disappoint. Prospective students, members of the Notre Dame family, and friends and supporters who have seen the university only from a distance will get an inside view of one of the most beautiful campuses in the world and a unique contemplative side of Notre Dame.

This magisterial Norton Anthology, edited by world-renowned scholars, offers a portable library of more than 1,000 primary texts from the world’s major religions. To help readers encounter strikingly unfamiliar texts with pleasure; accessible introductions, headnotes, annotations, pronouncing glossaries, maps, illustrations and chronologies are provided. For readers of any religion or none, The Norton Anthology of World Religions opens new worlds that, as Miles writes, invite us "to see others with a measure of openness, empathy, and good will..."Unprecedented in scope and approach, The Norton Anthology of World Religions: Christianity brings together over 150 texts from the Apostolic Era to the New Millennium. The volume features Jack Miles’s illuminating General Introduction—“How the West Learned to Compare Religions”—as well as Lawrence S. Cunningham’s “The Words and the Word Made Flesh,” a lively primer on the history and core tenets of Christianity.

A Brief History of Saints follows the rise of the cult of saints in Christianity from its origin in the age of the martyrs down to the present day.

Refers to both well-known saints, such as Joan of Arc, and lesser-known figures like the ''holy fools'' in the Orthodox tradition Ranges over subjects as diverse as the history of canonization processes, the Reformation critique of the cult of saints, and the role of saints in other religious traditions Discusses the relevance of sainthood in the postmodern era Two appendices describe patron saints and the iconography of saints in art.

The Vatican. The Inquisition. Contraception. Celibacy. Apparitions and miracles. Plots and scandals. The Catholic Church is seldom out of the news. But what do its one billion adherents really believe, and how do they put their beliefs into practice in worship, the family, and society? This down-to-earth account goes back to the early Christian creeds to uncover the roots of modern Catholic thinking. It avoids getting bogged down in theological technicalities, and throws light on aspects of the Church's institutional structure and liturgical practice that even Catholics can find baffling: why go to confession? How are people made saints? What is 'infallible' about the Pope? Topics addressed include: • scripture and tradition • sacraments and prayer • popular piety • personal and social morality • reform, mission, and interreligious dialogue Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian, prize-winning writer and university teacher, provides an overview of Catholicism today which will be indispensable for undergraduates and lay study groups.

The Vatican. The Inquisition. Contraception. Celibacy. Apparitions and miracles. Plots and scandals. The Catholic Church is seldom out of the news. But what do its one billion adherents really believe, and how do they put their beliefs into practice in worship, the family, and society? This down-to-earth account goes back to the early Christian creeds to uncover the roots of modern Catholic thinking. It avoids getting bogged down in theological technicalities, and throws light on aspects of the Church's institutional structure and liturgical practice that even Catholics can find baffling: why go to confession? How are people made saints? What is 'infallible' about the Pope? Topics addressed include: • scripture and tradition • sacraments and prayer • popular piety • personal and social morality • reform, mission, and interreligious dialogue Lawrence Cunningham, a theologian, prize-winning writer and university teacher, provides an overview of Catholicism today which will be indispensable for undergraduates and lay study groups.

Though the outlines of Thomas Merton's life are generally known to his many readers, the details of his spiritual development are less familiar. Taking up where Merton's own Seven Storey Mountain ends, this penetrating biography by Lawrence Cunningham explores Merton's monastic life and his subsequent growth into a modern-day spiritual master. Cunningham shows that Merton's prolific writings and his continuing influence can only be understood against the background of his contemplative experience as a Trappist monk. "If one does not understand Merton as a monk," writes Cunningham, "one does not understand Merton at all." Following the trajectory of Merton's life, starting from his entrance into the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, in 1941, Cunningham highlights the development of Merton's monastic life against the cultural background of the American experience and the vast upheavals in the Roman Catholic Church. This unique approach clearly reveals the paradox of Merton's life. Here was a person deeply involved in the cultural struggles of his day despite having made a conscious decision to draw away from the world in silence and solitude. With both pen and voice, Merton construed to face the most seething issues of the century, including the antiwar and civil-rights movements. Equally intriguing was Merton's dialogue with Zen Buddhism, a figurative and literal journey to the East that ended with his death in Bangkok in 1968. Adding to the interest of this balanced and reliable biography is a foreword by Father Timothy Kelly, the current abbot of the Abbey of Gethsemani, who was himself a novice under Merton.

Francis of Assisi is counted among the most important personalities of history. The life and ideals of this humble, semiliterate medieval friar have had a shaping influence on the Christian church that has spilled over into Western culture at large. This biography by Lawrence Cunningham looks anew at Francis's life and legacy, seeking to counter efforts to romanticize him yet without diminishing his deep piety or abiding significance.Pursuing a realistic view of the saint, Cunningham argues against common stereotypes that sentimentalize Francis as a "blesser of animals," as a "church rebel," or as a precursor of the "spirituality" movement. According to Cunningham, really seeing Francis requires the lens of theology rather than the lens of quaint spirituality so often used. Francis was a devotedly orthodox Catholic whose life must be understood as a response to reforming elements abroad in the church of his day. Francis's originality derived from his success in articulating the "ideal gospel life": his message and actions were a kind of "acting out" of the scriptures.Imbued with peerless scholarship, this book is also charmingly written. Cunningham is a master storyteller as well as a brilliant biographer -- qualities that his Francis of Assisi fully displays. It will at once inform and delight anyone interested in the fascinating life of Francis or his impact on church history.

A Brief History of Saints follows the rise of the cult of saints in Christianity from its origin in the age of the martyrs down to the present day. Refers to both well-known saints, such as Joan of Arc, and lesser-known figures like the 'holy fools' in the Orthodox traditionRanges over subjects as diverse as the history of canonization processes, the Reformation critique of the cult of saints, and the role of saints in other religious traditionsDiscusses the relevance of sainthood in the postmodern eraTwo appendices describe patron saints and the iconography of saints in art.

A charming and powerful example of how a great mass of material can be presented in an interesting and accurate manner. . . An excellent book for personal reading but. . . the perfect text for religion courses, C.C.D. programs, and adult education. - Spirituality Today[A] unique, people-oriented approach to the history of the Roman Catholic church. . . An ambitious, enlightening study not strictly for Catholics and suitable both for teaching and individual research. - BooklistA Catholic would welcome [it] as a gift. - Andrew M. Greeley, American BooksellerA work important both for itself and for the method it uses. . . Cunningham manages to convey a sweep of Catholic history and tradition that is remarkable. . . [it] may well become a classic in its own right. - Best SellersAn attractive text for an introductory course on Catholicism for college undergraduates, something many of us have been looking for in vain in recent years. -Cross CurrentsIn a novel and engaging way, it presents a rather comprehensive picture of the many-faceted Roman Catholic tradition. Emphasis is on the spiritual rather than on the political or doctrinal. . . A list of 'Readings and Trajectories' at the end of each chapter. . . enhances the value of the book. - The Living LightA good book, written out of classroom experience, waiting to be taken back into the classroom. - New Catholic World

El Vaticano, la Inquisición, la anticoncepción, el celibato, las apariciones y milagros, tramas y escándalos: la Iglesia católica suele ocupar un lugar en los noticiarios. Pero, ¿en qué creen realmente los mil millones de católicos del mundo entero y cómo ponen en práctica sus creencias en el culto o en el seno de la familia y la sociedad?Esta amena e ilustrativa introducción al catolicismo pretende ser un retrato realista, que parte del primitivo credo cristiano para llegar hasta las raíces del pensamiento católico moderno. No se exponen en esta obra tecnicismos teológicos, sino que se intenta explicar de forma clara y concisa tanto la estructura institucional de la Iglesia como sus prácticas litúrgicas –prácticas que, hasta los mismos católicos, encuentran a veces desconcertantes– y la religiosidad católica.¿Cuál es el papel de las escrituras en el catolicismo? ¿Para qué sirven los sacramentos y la oración? ¿Cuál es la misión de la Iglesia? ¿Qué dicta la moral social y personal en el catolicismo? ¿Por qué el católico debe confesarse? ¿Qué hace santa a una persona? ¿Es "infalible" el Papa?Todas estas preguntas, y muchas otras, encuentran su respuesta en esta guía introductoria, carente de toda intención doctrinal interesada.