A confession: Rarely do I treat a book as rudely as I did the latest from James Keenan, S.J., A History of Catholic Theological Ethics. My copy is dog-eared and marked-up and basically ruined for anyone’s use besides my own. It was pure selfishness. But at least my sin comes with an explanation: I mistreated Keenan’s work because I regard it as such an informative and clearly written exposition of the past, present and (hopefully) future of Catholic thinking on ethics and morality that I could do no other.
I ruthlessly annotated nearly every page, not just for this review but for what I am sure will be repeated future references. Indeed, my conscience tells me that my motivation mitigates my failing. You may think otherwise. But if we have both read Keenan, we will at least be able to discuss our differences—and far graver matters—with the intellectual rigor and generosity of spirit that is needed today more than ever.
Admittedly, the rather prosaic title of Keenan’s book would not seem to portend such a payoff. Don’t be misled. Keenan, a Jesuit priest and moral theologian at Boston College who is renowned both as a teacher and as a prolific writer with a global profile, demurs at the start that he is not a historian. But if you are looking for a one-volume overview of Catholic history, this is a good place to start—simply because Catholicism is, by definition, a community characterized by what its adherents believe and how they behave.
Most chronicles tend to focus on tales of popes and monarchs, schisms and saints. That is an entertaining but also a limited and rather secular point of view. Keenan’s approach is intellectual history with flesh and bones and a soul, which is what you expect when you are talking about figures like Augustine and Abelard and Alphonsus Liguori.
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David Gibson, director of Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture, is an award-winning religion journalist, author and filmmaker. He is author of The Coming Catholic Church, about the scandal of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, and The Rule of Benedict (HarperOne, 2006).
Readers can purchase A History of Catholic Theological Ethics from Amazon Australia or Booktopia.
With thanks to America, where this article originally appeared.
