Leaving Christendom for Good argues that the solution to some of the most troubling tensions in the life of the Catholic Church since Vatican II can be found in the council's document Gaudium et spes. This text's view of the church's mission and social relationships as dialogical has the capacity to liberate. Part One studies the contemporary place of religion--with particular reference to Charles Taylor's groundbreaking work, A Secular Age--and examines Gaudium et spes's dialogical view of the church-world relationship. Part Two explores what true dialogue entails and how it is best...