The Book Band

Publisher: Seraphim Editions
Genre: religion; essays; history; social justice
Format: trade paperback; 246 pages
Price: $19.95

These critical but hopeful probes shine a necessary light on the "Ice Age" of the Roman Catholic Church. Written for an interfaith audience, they attempt to move the Church to greater humility and a deeper solidarity both with believers and with others engaged in "the repair of the world".

What people are saying about this book:
"What happens when a deeply committed Catholic man, loyal to Church and Jesus Christ, and alive to the present, addresses fearlessly and deeply those issues that trouble him and should trouble us as well? Ted Schmidt is that man. Journeys to the Heart of Catholicism is a collection of his essays which dare to question. They prod and disturb, sometimes ruffle feathers and confront, but always bring insight." - Rosemary Crumlin, OAM, former head of Australia's National Pastoral Institute, and co-author of Aboriginal Art and Spirituality

"This is a work at once analytical, balanced, conscience-charged and honest. Schmidt writes with passion but not polemic - a rare achievement for writers opposed to present wars in Iraq and injustices here and elsewhere. While Journeys to the Heart of Catholicism is directed, as the title suggests, to Catholics, there is much within it that should appeal to a larger readership. He raises matters of common concern, such as the just exercise of authority and the rightful roles of women in church and society." - Dr. Margaret Woodward, writer and educator, Melbourne, Australia

Section Headings:
   Kingdom Politics
      Christianity in the Jaws of Capitalism
      The Flag or the Cross
      Religion and Politics
      The Cry of the Earth
      Kingdom and Communion Catholics
   Witnesses
      Rock-Solid and Steadfast
      Gentle and Tenacious
   Probes Of The Papacy
      John Paul II: Global Witness and Church Reactionary
      Benedict XVI: Joseph Ratzinger, an Appraisal
   Whither The Priesthood?
      Celibacy: Hardly a New Testament Value
      Celibacy: A Historical Failure with Too High a Price
      The Young Fogeys' Escape from Freedom
   The Church And War
      A Lie Continues
      The Effects of the War Myth
      The Discouraging Silence of the Churches
   Prophets And Passion
      An Inspirational Economist
      Two Maryknoll Prophets
      Contemporary Stations of the Cross
      A Challenge to Bishops
      A Grace-Filled Journey down the Kingdom Road
   Christmas
      The Christmas Poems
      The Infancy Narratives: The Lost City of Liberation
      Christmas 1986
      Christmas 1998
      Christmas 2000
      Christmas 2001
      Christmas 2002
      Christmas 2003
      Christmas in Fallujah, Amnesia in America 2004
      Christmas 2005
   "Let Justice Roll Like Living Water"
      Another Amos
      Shattering the Monolith: Israel, Apartheid and Christians