When it isn't distorted or misrepresented, Catholic social teaching is notoriously perplexing to pundits and politicos on both sides of the aisle. How can the Catholic Church be against abortion and assisted suicide while yet advocating for immigration reform and aid to the poor? How can it stand against the abuse of the environment and for the free market, against the death penalty and for the family?
This one-of-a-kind Word on Fire Classics collection strives to highlight the Church's social teaching's. That doctrine bursts forth from the prophets of the Old Testament and the New Testament, into the works of the Church Fathers, and down through the Church's encyclicals and saints' writings. All of these distinct aspects of the Church's history are included in the Catholic Social Teaching Collection.
But its goal isn't merely to show the ethical and historical scope of Catholic social teaching; it's also to show the metaphysical heart of it all—God. It is indeed difficult to make sense of the Church's diverse viewpoints when God is absent. But, like the medallions in a rose window, when God is at the heart of everything, everything falls into place. If God exists, each individual is a person with rights, freedom, and dignity. If God exists, no one is disposable and everyone is deserving of respect.
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