"Paradoxes of Catholicism" by Robert Hugh Benson delves into the complex and thought-provoking aspects of the Catholic faith, exploring the apparent contradictions and mysteries that lie at its core. Through a series of essays and reflections, Benson grapples with theological concepts, historical controversies, and philosophical dilemmas, offering insights that challenge and inspire readers to delve deeper into their own understanding of Catholicism. In this work, Benson explores paradoxes such as the simultaneous presence of suffering and salvation, the tension between free will and divine providence, and the mystery of the Eucharist, where bread and wine are believed to become the body and blood of Christ. He also addresses the paradoxical nature of Catholic teachings on topics such as humility and authority, love and judgment, and faith and reason.

Reproduction of the original: Paradoxes of Catholicism by Robert Hugh Benson

Through an ethnographic study of a Charismatic movement in Cameroon and Paris, the book explores the dialectics between a ~Pentecostalizationa (TM) and a ~Africanizationa (TM) within contemporary African Catholicism. It appears that both processes pursue, although for different purposes, the missionary policy of dismantling local cultures.

This is a collection of sermons. The first one begins: "The mysteries of the Church, a materialistic scientist once announced to an astonished world, are child's play compared with the mysteries of nature. He was completely wrong, of course, yet there was every excuse for his mistake. For, as he himself tells us in effect, he found everywhere in that created nature which he knew so well, anomaly piled on anomaly and paradox on paradox, and he knew no more of theology than its simpler and more explicit statements." The sermons cover the following paradoxes: Peace and War Wealth and Poverty Sanctity and Sin Joy and Sorrow Love of God and Love of Man Faith and Reason Authority and Liberty Corporateness and Individualism Meekness and Violence The Seven Words Life and Death

Religion and social action is both empowering and limiting for women. This study shows the Guadalupanas' awareness of themselves as agents for change and their difficulties in understanding and maintaining their limited gendered roles within church and community.

For nine years, Stephen Colbert’s persona “Colbert”—a Republican superhero and parody of conservative political pundits—informed audiences on current events, politics, social issues, and religion while lampooning conservative political policy, biblical literalism, and religious hypocrisy. To devout, vocal, and authoritative lay Catholics, religion is central to both the actor and his most famous character. Yet many viewers wonder, “Is Colbert a practicing Catholic in real life or is this part of his act?” America’s Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself) examines the ways in which Colbert challenges perceptions of Catholicism and Catholic mores through his faith and comedy. Religion and the foibles of religious institutions have served as rich fodder for scores of comedians over the years. What set “Colbert” apart on his Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, was that his critical observations were made more powerful and harder to ignore because he approached religious material not from the predictable stance of the irreverent secular comedian but from his position as one of the faithful. He is a Catholic celebrity who can bridge critical outsider and participating insider, neither fully reverent nor fully irreverent. Providing a digital media ethnography and rhetorical analysis of Stephen Colbert and his character from 2005 to 2014, author Stephanie N. Brehm examines the intersection between lived religion and mass media, moving from an exploration of how Catholicism shapes Colbert’s life and world towards a conversation about how “Colbert” shapes Catholicism. Brehm provides historical context by discovering how “Colbert” compares to other Catholic figures, such Don Novello, George Carlin, Louis C.K., and Jim Gaffigan, who have each presented their views of Catholicism to Americans through radio, film, and television. The last chapter provides a current glimpse of Colbert on The Late Show, where he continues to be voice for Catholicism on late night, now to an even broader audience. America’s Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself) also explores how Colbert carved space for Americans who currently define their religious lives through absence, ambivalence, and alternatives. Brehm reflects on the complexity of contemporary American Catholicism as it is lived today in the often-ignored form of Catholic multiplicity: thinking Catholics, cultural Catholics, cafeteria Catholics, and lukewarm Catholics, or what others have called Colbert Catholicism, an emphasis on the joy of religion in concert with the suffering. By examining the humor in religion, Brehm allows us to see clearly the religious elements in the work and life of comedian Stephen Colbert.

A text for normal schools and teachers' colleges

Essays by scholars, journalists, lawyers, business and labor leaders, church administrators and lobbyists, novelists, activists, policymakers and politicians address the most critical issues facing the Catholic Church in the United States.

Inviting in tone and organization but rigorous in its scholarship, The Paradox of Democracy in Latin America focuses on the problems, successes, and multiple forms of democracy in Latin America. The opening chapters provide readers with a theoretical and conceptual lens through which to examine the ten case studies, which focus on Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. What becomes clear throughout is that there is a paradox at the heart of Latin America's democracies. Despite decades of struggle to replace authoritarian dictatorships with electoral democracies, solid economic growth (leading up to the global credit crisis), and increased efforts by the state to extend the benefits of peace and prosperity to the poor, democracy—as a political system—is experiencing declining support, and support for authoritarianism is on the rise. The Paradox of Democracy in Latin America demonstrates the deep divisions between rulers and ruled in Latin America that undermine democratic processes, institutions, and norms.