Loyal Dissent: Memoir of a Catholic Theologian (Moral Traditions)

By Gail Perry-Mason and Glinda Bridgforth

Book Overview

Loyal Dissent is the candid and inspiring story of a Catholic priest and theologian who, despite being stripped of his right to teach as a Catholic theologian by the Vatican, remains committed to the Catholic Church. Over a nearly fifty-year career, Charles E. Curran has distinguished himself as the most well-known and the most controversial Catholic moral theologian in the United States. On occasion, he has disagreed with official church teachings on subjects such as contraception, homosexuality, divorce, abortion, moral norms, and the role played by the hierarchical teaching office in moral matters. Throughout, however, Curran has remained a committed Catholic, a priest working for the reform of a pilgrim church. His positions, he insists, are always in accord with the best understanding of Catholic theology and always dedicated to the good of the church. In 1986, years of clashes with church authorities finally culminated in a decision by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, that Curran was neither suitable nor eligible to be a professor of Catholic theology. As a result of that Vatican condemnation, he was fired from his teaching position at Catholic University of America and, since then, no Catholic university has been willing to hire him. Yet Curran continues to defend the possibility of legitimate dissent from those teachings of the Catholic faith--not core or central to it--that are outside the realm of infallibility. In word and deed, he has worked in support of more academic freedom in Catholic higher education and for a structural change in the church that would increase the role of the Catholic community--from local churches and parishes to all the baptized people of God. In this poignant and passionate memoir, Curran recounts his remarkable story from his early years as a compliant, pre-Vatican II Catholic through decades of teaching and writing and a transformation that has brought him today to be recognized as a leader of progressive Catholicism throughout the world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767914015
• ISBN13: 9780767914017
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

The Autobiography of a Loyal, if Misunderstood, Son of the Church

Fr. Curran is one of the many theologians of the late twentieth century who foresaw the coming crises in the Church and sought creative, practical solutions. Instead of being lauded for his efforts, he was pilloried, and stripped of his permission to teach at Catholic institutions by Joseph Ratzinger (the present Pontiff-- who also savaged Fr. Kung, another 'renegade theologian' whose only crime was questioning outmoded tradition)...

Loyal Dissent book review

I learned a lot by reading about his Loyal Dissent by Charles Curran. I was impressed that Fr. Curran tried to be fair and objective both when he disagreed with the Church and, later, when he wrote this book. I believe it took great courage for him to stick to what he believed to be true, even though he thought (and eventually knew) there would be strong consequences. I am in agreement with his belief, that Catholic theologians...

A Journey of Integrity and Authenticity

Fr.Charles Curran is a loyal Catholc theologian who has challenged his Church as well as all of us to live what we believe. As he shares with the reader his journey of conflict with religious authority, he writes the story without animosity or bitterness. When he disagrees with individual Church figures, he never demeans them as persons even though they at times have treated him unjustly and punitively. His genuine Christian...

A Great Read! Don't miss this one by Charles Curran

Curran's recent book is, in my opinion, a great read, providing not only good biography -explaining his development and growth as a theologian--but also the historical perspective needed for understanding our time in the history of the church and the developments in theology that occurred before, during and after Vatican Council II. Having become an adult prior to Vatican II--I remember well Pope Pius XII, Eugenio Pacelli,...

READ THIS BOOK!!!

This is one of the most interesting books that I have read in some time. Regardless of your personal secular or religious political position, this is a very well-written book that is sure to be a page turner! Charles Curran lays his entire experience out for the public to read. Unlike many biographies and memoirs, Curran's work is not dry and inapproachable. Rather, his writing is laden with humor, satire and human-interest...