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American Babylon is Richard John Neuhaus' last completed work prior to his death on January 8, 2009. A Catholic theologian, author, and priest, he converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism in 1990. Comparing the Jews in Babylonian exile to Americans today living in a world that is not their final destination, he examines the current quandaries of Catholic life. How can Catholics live in an alien world, taking their orders from Christ, Scripture, and tradition and still be American patriots? Jacketed hardcover.
Format: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 288
Vendor: Running Press Book Publishers
Publication Date: 2009
| Dimensions: 8.30 X 5.50 (inches)
ISBN: 0465013678
ISBN-13: 9780465013678
Availability: In Stock
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Christians are by their nature a people out of place. Their true home is with God; in civic life, they are alien citizens “in but not of the world.” In American Babylon, eminent theologian Richard John Neuhaus examines the particular truth of that ambiguity for Catholics in America today. Neuhaus addresses the essential quandaries of Catholic life—assessing how Catholics can keep their heads above water in the sea of immorality that confronts them in the world, how they can be patriotic even though their true country is not in this world, and how they might reconcile their duties as citizens with their commitment to God. Deeply learned, frequently combative, and always eloquent, American Babylon is Neuhaus’s magnum opus—and will be essential reading for all Christians.
Richard John Neuhaus, one of the foremost authorities on religion in the contemporary world and president of the Institute on Religion and Public Life, is the editor-in-chief of First Things. He was named one of the “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” by Time Magazine. His many books include Freedom for Ministry, Death on a Friday Afternoon, and As I Lay Dying. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and lives in Manhattan.
Neuhaus, who died in early 2009, moved along the theological continuum during his life from liberal Protestant to conservative Catholic. Along the way, the Catholic priest who was editor-in-chief of the journal First Things never shied from controversy and continually offered provocative theological insights on the nature of American religion and politics. In some ways, his last book picks up where his early book, The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America, left off. In this sometimes repetitious but always challenging look at American Christianity, Neuhaus argues that Christians live in exile in a foreign land, for they always live with the hope of returning to the Kingdom of God. Neuhaus maps out the territory in which Christians find themselves, shaped by the liberal irony—and its shortcomings—of the late philosopher Richard Rorty as well as by the many shallow spiritualities of the self proffered by New Age religions. The final pages of this book poignantly afford a glimpse of Neuhaus’s own embrace of hope as he made his final journey toward the New Jerusalem. (Mar.)Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
New York Times Book Review
"American Babylon displays Neuhaus in all his virtues – elegantly argued and written, fair-minded and with a formidable range of reference – making the important point that politics without an anchor in a public morality can quickly slip away in dark directions." National Review
"In word and deed alike, Neuhaus provided as much ’spiritual energy for existing goals of change’ as any figure of his era. But it’s a testament to his own capaciousness that we will be able to turn to him for guidance and inspiration even in eras vastly different from his own."
The Weekly Standard
"A final, uniquely Christian reflection on making one’s way in America…. American Babylon remains an important book at a critical moment in history."
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