Many Faces, One Church: Cultural Diversity and the American Catholic Experience (Catholic Studies)
The present volume stands out as a necessary and long-overdue corrective to the usual (and monochrome) version of U.S. Catholic history. The contributors clearly demonstrate the current diversity within American Catholicism, as well as its dynamic creativity. They point to diversity as the historical constant of the American Church, in spite of all past (and present) attempts at suppressing other Catholic voices. The future of U.S. Catholicism is being shaped by immigrants and communities conveniently forgotten by the proponents of the monochrome version of U.S. Catholic history. This volume is a necessary contribution to the adequate and realistic study of American Catholicism. (Orlando O. Espin, Ph.D., professor, Department of Theology and Religious Studies at University of San Diego and director of the Center for the Study of L)The faces of Catholic theologians in the United States have changed, but more importantly so have topics for theological reflection. This thoughtful and careful volume of essays contributes substantively to a reevaluation of the ‘immigrant paradigm’ of Church; to a grasp of the several and ambiguous ways in which ethnic, racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity have and continue to shape our self-understanding as Church; to a deeper appreciation of the Tradition and of the Gospel’s challenge to all cultural practices and projects. (M. Shawn Copeland, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Boston College)A unique and refreshing addition to the field of American Catholic studies. The essays do a nice job of introducing readers unfamiliar with the historical and cultural experiences and theological perspectives of Latino/a, Asian and Pacific, Black, and Caribbean Catholics to these communities. They also offer challenging theological and historical assessments about the reception of diverse Catholics in the U.S. Church that are good starting points for discussion and further thought and action. It is a very good selection for undergraduate and graduate seminars in U.S. Catholic studies that wish to engage seriously the meaning of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity in the church and bring theology and history into dialogue. (American Catholic Studies)This is an excellent survey, a real "learning festival," of the diverse ethnic communities that increasingly constitute the reality of US Catholicism, their respective history, problems, and particular contributions to the universal church. I would recommend it very highly to all pastoral leaders and theologians looking for enlightenment about the new context of pastoral practice and theological reflection. (Anselm K. Min, professor of religion at Claremont Graduate University and author of The Solidarity of Others in a Divided World: A Postmodern T)