Overview

The Catholic Church faces the challenge of maintaining its relevance in an increasingly secularized society. On issues ranging from sexuality and gender equality to economic policy and social welfare, the church hierarchy is frequently out-of-step with Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In Postsecular Catholicism, Michele Dillon argues that the Church's relevance is increasingly contingent on its ability to incorporate secular experiences and expectations into the articulation of the Church's teachings. Informed by the postsecular notion that religious and secular actors should recognize their mutual relevance in contemporary society, Dillon examines how secular realities and church doctrine intersect in American Catholicism. She shows that the Church's 21st-century commitment to institutional renewal has been amplified by Pope Francis's vision of public Catholicism and his accessible language and intellectual humility. Combining wide-ranging survey data with a rigorous examination of Francis's statements on economic inequality, climate change, LGBT rights, and women's ordination, the highly consequential Vatican Synod on the Family, and the US Bishops' religious freedom campaign, Postsecular Catholicism assesses the initiatives and strategies impacting the Church's relevance in the contemporary world.

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9780190693008

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Reviews

Rather than being necessarily inimical to religious commitment and discourse, Michele Dillon's deft analysis of contemporary American Catholicism demonstrates how modernity constrains, transforms and opens up new possibilities for both the Church's self-understanding and its engagement within the public sphere. Never settling for such hidebound polarities as religious or secular, tradition or modernity, and the like, Dillon offers a relentlessly nuanced and truly indispensable portrayal of the American Church. * Jerome P. Baggett, author of Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith * Postsecular Catholicism is a masterwork. Michele Dillon asks if Catholicism has the 'human, doctrinal, and institutional resources' to forge a more inclusive church and contribute to a more inclusive society. She makes us doubt it as she reviews the research by others, but when she leads us through the 2015 Synod on the Family, she shows Catholicism's potential to include, organize, and inspire despite differences. No forecast can be sure, but Dillon argues for cautious optimism and optimistic activism. * Michael Hout, Professor of Sociology, New York University *

An ambitious consideration of how religion -- and Catholicism in particular -- maintains relevance amidst 'secularization.' ... Postsecular Catholicism presents a rich theoretical engagement with extant quantitative data on Catholics (American Catholics, in particular) ... Postsecular Catholicism is an important and well-executed book that makes a strong case for seeing intrachurch and extrachurch processes not as separate but as intertwined. -- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion Academic activism can take a variety of forms. In Postsecular Catholicism, Michele Dillon articulates her vision for the future of Roman Catholicism via an intriguing dialectic between sociological theories, papal statements, and surveys of Catholic life in the United States. -- Brian Clites, Reading Religion Postsecular Catholicism is a masterwork. Michele Dillon asks if Catholicism has the 'human, doctrinal, and institutional resources' to forge a more inclusive church and contribute to a more inclusive society. She makes us doubt it as she reviews the research by others, but when she leads us through the 2015 Synod on the Family, she shows Catholicism's potential to include, organize, and inspire despite differences. No forecast can be sure, but Dillon argues for cautious optimism and optimistic activism. --Michael Hout, Professor of Sociology, New York University Rather than being necessarily inimical to religious commitment and discourse, Michele Dillon's deft analysis of contemporary American Catholicism demonstrates how modernity constrains, transforms and opens up new possibilities for both the Church's self-understanding and its engagement within the public sphere. Never settling for such hidebound polarities as religious or secular, tradition or modernity, and the like, Dillon offers a relentlessly nuanced and truly indispensable portrayal of the American Church. --Jerome P. Baggett, author of Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith Michele Dillon's Postsecular Catholicism brilliantly analyzes the ways Catholicism engages our current social world. Her writing is accessible and clear, without missing the complexities and tensions inherent in the work that Catholics are undertaking...Dillon's familiarity with both a postsecular landscape and her fluency in Catholic concerns and interests allow her to cogently illustrate the overlap between Catholicism and the broader social world as well as the tensions that are inherent to a postsecular Catholicism. This is a must-read for academics who study religion or civic engagement as well as involved Catholics and their leaders. -- Maureen K. Day, America Magazine Dillon's thesis is compelling. The analysis of Pope Francis' discourse would be of particular interest to the social theory audience. -- Sarah Louise MacMillen, Catholic Books Review

Postsecular Catholicism is a masterwork. Michele Dillon asks if Catholicism has the 'human, doctrinal, and institutional resources' to forge a more inclusive church and contribute to a more inclusive society. She makes us doubt it as she reviews the research by others, but when she leads us through the 2015 Synod on the Family, she shows Catholicism's potential to include, organize, and inspire despite differences. No forecast can be sure, but Dillon argues for cautious optimism and optimistic activism. --Michael Hout, Professor of Sociology, New York University Rather than being necessarily inimical to religious commitment and discourse, Michele Dillon's deft analysis of contemporary American Catholicism demonstrates how modernity constrains, transforms and opens up new possibilities for both the Church's self-understanding and its engagement within the public sphere. Never settling for such hidebound polarities as religious or secular, tradition or modernity, and the like, Dillon offers a relentlessly nuanced and truly indispensable portrayal of the American Church. --Jerome P. Baggett, author of Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith

Author Information

Michele Dillon is Class of 1944 Professor of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire.

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