Laying The Foundation A Handbook Of Catholic Apologetics And Fundamental Theology

Laying the Foundation: A Handbook of Catholic Apologetics and Fundamental Theology is a classic text by the late Fr. Joseph Clifford Fenton, a highly respected author, professor, and theologian of the twentieth century. “This book appeared in 1942 under the rather unimposing title We Stand with Christ: an Essay in Catholic Apologetics. It should have become a classic. It is, I believe, the greatest work of apologetics produced in a time of superstar apologists such as F. J. Sheed, Ronald Knox, and Fulton Sheen. It represents the high point of apologetics as well as a gold standard for subsequent works of fundamental theology.”—from the foreword by Scott Hahn, Franciscan University of Steubenville.

The Resurrection of Jesus is at the very root of Christian faith; without belief in Jesus Christianity dies. In this thought-provoking work, Matthew Levering defends the credibility of the claim that Jesus rose from the dead. Drawing on the work of N. T. Wright, Levering shows that the historical evidence vindicates this assumption, and reveals that the Gospels were backed by eyewitnesses who were living and telling their stories even during the time of the writing of the Gospels. The author also emphasises the importance of evaluating the Old Testament to validate Jesus' Resurrection. By highlighting the desire—both in the ancient world and now—to make the Resurrection more comprehensible by spiritualizing it, Levering argues that the fact that the disciples themselves did not do this provides a further clue to reliability. Finally, the author addresses the question of why Jesus does not continue to show himself in his glorified flesh after his resurrection, which is often seen as a strong case for scepticism. However, he shows that Jesus' entire mission is predicated upon helping us to avoid cleaving to the present world over God. He is leading us to where he is—the kingdom of God, the beginning of the new creation at the Father's right hand. By developing these arguments for the historical reality of Jesus' Resurrection, this ground-breaking study expertly draws together historical and theological reasons for believing that Jesus' Resurrection happened.

Praise for the German edition: "A master listener, a master arguer, a master of ecumenical sensitivity, [Fries] is concerned to hand on an existential and reflected experience of the faith, and to make it comprehensible to other men and women as an answer to their questions about the meaning and direction of life . . . thus Fundamental Theology is not just a textbook, but also a book of faith." --Herder Korrespondenz Fundamental theology--with its traditional divisions of faith, revelation, and Church--studies the basic anthropological, philosophical, biblical, and historical foundations of theology. It is the place where theology's religious, intellectual, and cultural presuppositions are mapped out and where individuals can gain an understanding of what is at stake as Catholic theology moves toward its future. Unfortunately, however, theology is seldom taught today in this carefully structured way. Many students and readers of theology have little access to the philosophy and theology of the modern neoscholastic revival that made possible the achievements of the Second Vatican Council and its current reforms. Addressing this need, renowned theologian Heinrich Fries offers what is both a traditionally structured treatment of the basic issues of fundamental theology as they have been modified by Vatican II, and a study of the major ethical, religious, and cultural issues of the late twentieth century. In discussing the many influences at work in Catholic theology, Fries provides the background needed for understanding a bewildering variety of developments and movements, such as neothomism; transcendental thomism; Church reform under Vatican II and liturgical reform; liberation and political theology, and their sibling movements of feminist, womanist, and mujerista theology; inculturation and Christianity's shift from a Eurocentric to a World Church; ecumenism and interreligious dialogue; the tensions between traditionalists and progressives; and, finally, Catholicism's rapproachment with modernity and the challenges of postmodernism. Fries is uniquely qualified to write a fundamental theology. He personally contributed to the great achievements of the Second Vatican Council and since that time has played a leading role in the contemporary development of the theology of revelation and ecumenism. Fundamental Theology was originally published in German in 1985. Now available for the first time in English, it will be an important reference for all theological students and an interesting historical study on Catholic theology for general readers. Born in Germany in 1911, Heinrich Fries was professor at Tubingen and Munich. He resides in Germany and continues to work as a writer and speaker.

This book is an updated investigation of the central themes of fundamental theology: revelation, hermeneutics, faith and its formulations, and the role of authoritative teaching in the Church. In a clear and balanced manner, Gerald O'Collins sums up the best of Roman Catholic teaching since Vatican II. Students and others who are reflecting on the nature of their Christian belief will find this book invaluable. The unique quality of this work, however, is its foundation in human experience. Before he probes the theological issues, O'Collins lays down a groundwork for understanding experience. It is not an attempt to turn fundamental theology into a subjective science, but it is a recognition that the reality of God always intersects with self-conscious human beings. While it does not touch all of the themes of fundamental theology, the book does provide in-depth treatment of revelation, tradition, and inspiration.

Fundamental theology is traditionally viewed as the starting point for the various disciplines within Catholic theology; it is the place where solid foundations are established for the further research and engagement with the vast terrain of historical, systematic, philosophical, and sacramental/liturgical theology. In Foundational Theology, a landmark new study, Neil Ormerod and Christiaan Jacobs-Vandegeer seek to ground foundational theology in the normative drive toward meaning, truth, goodness, and beauty, appropriated by the theologian through religious, moral, intellectual, and psychic conversions. In doing so, the work maps out the implications of those fundamental orientations to the specific questions and topics of the Catholic theological tradition: God, Trinity, revelation, and an array of doctrinal points of investigation. The authors in this work provide a comprehensive approach to theological foundations for theologians while employing a new, groundbreaking approach to the discipline through the application of the insights of Bernard Lonergan, one of the foremost Catholic theologians of the modern era.

This book identifies the distinguishing features of fundamental theology, as distinct from philosophical theology, natural theology, apologetics, and other similar disciplines. Addressing the potential for confusion about basic Christian claims and beliefs, Gerald O'Collins sets out to relaunch fundamental theology as a discipline by presenting a coherent vision of basic theological questions and positions that lay the ground for work in specific areas of systematic theology. Rethinking Fundamental Theology examines central theological questions: about God, human experience and, specifically, religious experience; the divine revelation coming through the history of Israel and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; human faith that responds to revelation; the nature of tradition that transmits the record and reality of revelation; the structure of biblical inspiration and truth, as well as basic issues concerned with the formation of the canon; the founding of the Church with some leadership structures; the relationship between Christ's revelation and the faith of those who follow other religions. O'Collins concludes with some reflections on theological method. Written with the scholarship and accessibility for which O'Collins is known and valued, this book will relaunch fundamental theology as a distinct and necessary discipline in faculties and departments of theology and religious studies around the world.

Given the popes' recent statements of their desires to implement the New Evangelization, it is imperative that Catholic theologians and other intellectually engaged laypersons retrieve the vital discipline of apologetics. For, the New Evangelization places particular emphasis on ""reproposing the Gospel to those who have experienced a crisis of faith . . . due to secularization."" One salient method of Catholic apologetics used to be characterized by three demonstrations, each of which assumes the conclusions established in the previous step(s). Some might think that this classical method of apologetics has been abandoned in the postconciliar Church, but Siniscalchi's book updates it. Unlike the classical apologetics of the preconciliar era, Siniscalchi engages contemporary scholarship in a variety of academic disciplines, such as philosophy, history, biblical studies, sociology, and theology, to develop the steps that are necessary for showing the reasonableness of faith. ""This is an accessible, well-researched, and fairly-argued case for apologetics as a necessary component of Catholic and, indeed, of all Christian theology. It deserves a very wide readership."" --Gerald O'Collins, SJ, Professor Emeritus, Gregorian University ""Siniscalchi does not only write about apologetics; he actually does apologetics, and does it at a high level. The combination of an erudite and accurate plea for the theological importance of apologetics, and charitable arguments for the truth of the Catholic faith, makes this book uniquely important. As he makes clear, theologians are responsible for ensuring that their research does not solely serve an ivory tower."" --Matthew Levering, Perry Family Foundation Professor of Theology, Mundelein Seminary ""Siniscalchi's book has many virtues. One that is especially noteworthy has to do with the cultures of philosophy and Catholic systematic theology. In the past fifty years these cultures have split apart. . . . This book helps bring those cultures more in line with one another and is definitely a step in the right direction."" --Alfred J. Freddoso, Oesterle Professor of Thomistic Studies, University of Notre Dame ""According to Vatican II, the chief remedy for modern unbelief is 'to be sought in the proper presentation of the Church's teaching' and 'the witness of a living and mature faith' (Gaudium et Spes, 21). In this rich and wise new book, Glenn Siniscalchi offers Christians a complete course in how to acquire both. It is an honor to recommend a work of apologetics that is so well informed by history and theology."" --Stephen Bullivant, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics, St. Mary's University, UK Glenn B. Siniscalchi (PhD, Duquesne) is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at Notre Dame College, South Euclid, Ohio.