Christian marriage offers the daring proposition that, inspired by faith, two people might unconditionally bind themselves together for life without destroying each other in the process This revised and updated edition offers a set of honest and penetrating reflections on the challenges of living faithful Christian marriage today.

Chapter 1: Alerts couples to today's cultural forces that shape their understanding and practice of married life.
Chapter 2: Our deepest religious convictions provide a basis for a spirituality of marriage.
Chapter 3: It is important to see our...

As the church marks the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, too few Catholics have an adequate grasp of what the council contributed to the life of the church. The problem is understandable. The Second Vatican Council produced, by far, more document pages than any other council. Consequently, any attempt to master its core teachings can be daunting. There is a danger of missing the forest for the trees. With this in mind, Keys to the Council identifies twenty key conciliar passages, central texts that help us appreciate the vision of the council fathers. Each...

Catholic ecclesiology stands at the threshold of a new moment in the reception of the Second Vatican Council. The election of Pope Francis--coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the council--has inspired a fresh consideration of its teaching in such diverse areas as ecumenism, inculturation, missiology, and ministry. The chapters in this volume have their origin in a special symposium that called together over forty of the leading Catholic scholars from throughout North America in order to discuss the future of theological reflection on the church. The nine essays in this volume guided...