In recent years, people interested in Christian social thought have begun to express reservations about the welfare state. Concerns have come from the left (for example, Frank Field and Maurice Glasman), from those supportive of a market economy, and from those whose political or economic philosophy cannot easily be categorized. Furthermore, interesting questions have been...
As the world focuses on Ukraine’s offensive against Russia, as well as Israel’s struggle with Hamas and Hezbollah, the temptation is to believe that other crises have meanwhile eased. However, many additional people around the world also suffer from devastating conflicts. In Sudan, ongoing war between the army and paramilitary forces has shattered the country,...
The Old English poem Beowulf, dating from the late seventh or early eighth century, offers a textual encounter with the dynamic culture of early medieval England. Highlighting the theology of the early English church, the poem reveals a deep reverence of God as Creator and an acute awareness of God’s ongoing governance of creation through the...
The Book of Mormon is considered to be scripture by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, the use of The Book of Mormon in actual missionary work is contrasted with its dramatic representation in The Book of Mormon musical, attracting audiences in a form of encounter. There is however a more important...
Virginia Woolf famously called George Eliot's Middlemarch (1871-1872) "one of the few English novels written for grownup people." One of the aspects of the novel that makes it "grownup" is the constant negotiation with conflict and community it presents. The characters consistently grapple with feelings of otherness as they strive to communicate and grow. This...
A Month in the Country (1980) by J. L. Carr is a short novel that describes the re-emergence of a shell-shocked World War I veteran through his engagement with a small community. The focus of Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti is for us to extend out from self and family to a suffering world. He urges us to...
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Apophthegmata Patrum, c. fifth century CE) are perhaps the most widely read patristic texts throughout history. They have been constantly translated and retranslated into almost all modern languages, deployed in spiritual direction, and featured in literature and art. Scholars seek to locate and understand the historical context in Egypt, Palestine,...
Georgetown University (USA), Blackfriars Hall and Campion Hall (Oxford) are convening a conference in the Aula at Blackfriars on 16 December 1pm-6pm, which will reflect on the recent Synod on Synodality and its deeper lessons for the Church and the world. There will be 2 panel discussions: 1. The Experience of the Synod on Synodality...
These online panel discussions will take place at 4pm on a Wednesday once a month, but the topics are decided according to world events and are announced at the previous month’s event. Recordings are available on YouTube via the Global Georgetown channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GlobalGeorgetown/videos. To get an invitation contact John McCabe: jm3479@georgetown.edu. This discussion is part...
Reading the Quran can be quite disorienting for anyone who wishes to explore the holy book of Islam independently. It contains repetitions, a diversity of literary genres, and numerous and often complex allusions. This is because the text must be understood in dialogue both with the literary traditions that preceded it, notably the Bible and...