Overview

Who are American Catholics and what do they believe and practice? What is distinctive about the expression of Catholicism in America and how have Catholics influenced and been influenced by American culture and society? What different types of Catholics make up the church today? This text offers a survey of US Catholic history, emphasizing the post-Vatican II era, and goes on to explore the various roles and missions of the church in education, health care, charity and more.

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9780231108713

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Reviews

Gillis writes as an authentic insider, focusing on American Catholic identity and community and addressing an audience that specifically includes non-Catholics who are searching for what it is that distinguishes Catholics from their American culture. -- Choice This sturdy, well presented and well written portrait of Catholicism in the USA fills a serious gap in the marketplace. Centering on Catholic identity and community, Gillis performs an unenviable task well, of providing a useful introductory account of the largest religious group in the USA. -- Journal of Contemporary Religion This new series... portrays the diversity and complexity of religious life in America. -- Library Journal Gillis, the lead-off batter in the new Columbia Contemporary Religion series, has made a solid hit into left center field with this clear, engaging and reliable introduction to U.S. Catholicism...If the rest of the books in this series meet the standard set by Gillis, they will be an invaluable resource for interfaith understanding and harmony in this religious smorgasbord of a country. -- Jon Nilson, Christian Century Gillis's inviting prose and discerning insights make this a fine introduction to American Catholicism. -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

Chester Gillis is associate professor of Theology and Catholic Studies at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. He is the author of A Question of Final Belief and Pluralism: A New Paradigm for Theology.

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