Ground yourself in the fundamentals of theology with the work of Christian history’s most influential minds. Richard Viladesau and Mark Massa have collected key readings in classical theology, believing “the classics are often more intelligible and more interesting than their expositors” and “are often more relevant to life than the most recent academic fashions.” Among the gathered voices are Augustine, Aquinas, Anselm, Pascal, Karl Rahner, Karl Barth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope John Paul II, and many more. Veladesau and Massa also employ the poetic voices of John Donne, George Herbert, Emily Dickinson, and others to help express challenging metaphysical issues. Foundations of Theological Study covers the major themes of an introductory course in theology. Viladesau and Massa consider conventional religious experiences, as well as more unconventional ones, such as Thomas Merton’s. Utilizing the classics of the Western tradition and a wide variety of modern approaches, they...

Sheed & Ward, in partnership with Commonweal magazine, presents the second of two volumes in the groundbreaking series, American Catholics in the Public Square, a project funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Essays by scholars, journalists, lawyers, business and labor leaders, church administrators and lobbyists, novelists, activists, policy makers and politicians address the most critical issues facing the Catholic Church in the United States. Volume 2, American Catholics, American Culture: Tradition and Resistance, is introduced by Peter Steinfels and Robert Royal. Part One, "Against the Grain," explores the philosophical and practical differences between Catholicism and American culture on issues in sexuality, marriage, abortion, stem cell research, women's rights, and physician-assisted suicide. The essays attempt to mediate the divide between Catholicism's communal and personalist view of the human person and the American preference for autonomy and pluralism. Part Two, "Popular…