Haim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934) is celebrated as one of the leading figures in modern Jewish literature. Although most famous for his Hebrew poems,... Bialik was also a master of short prose. Often expressing a realism and social awareness associated with the Russia of his youth, Bialik's stories showcase his gift for lyricism, symbolism and humor, captured in engaging vignettes of life in the Ukranian countryside.

What is Catholicism? And where is the Catholic Church headed in the third millennium? These two questions provide the structure for Thomas Rausch’s... Catholicism in the Third Millennium. Here Rausch combines a faithful presentation of the tradition with a critical theological reflection and interpretation of where the Church is today and where it might be moving. Catholicism in the Third Millennium offers an appreciation of the forces and movements that have shaped, and continue to influence, the ongoing change and development of Roman Catholicism. Chief among these is the influence of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in reshaping Catholicism. This revised edition includes updated text from Rausch’s Catholicism at the Dawn of the Third Millennium, particularly the final chapter on "The Unfinished Agenda" of Vatican II. Each chapter concludes with focus questions developed by Catherine E. Clifford of St. Paul’s University, Ottawa. This experience of guided reading provides readers with a broad survey of Roman Catholic faith and practice in its contemporary context. For readers who wish to compare particular passages of this volume with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an outline is provided in an appendix, with references to the appropriate sections of the Catechism. A second appendix offers a glossary of terms used in the book, while a third appendix lists a number of basic works for further investigation of Catholic faith and life. Chapters are "The Church and the Council," "Faith and the Believing Community," "A Visible Church," "A Living Tradition," "Sacraments and Christian Initiation," "Christian Life and Discipleship," "Sin, Forgiveness, and Healing," "Sexual Morality and Social Justice," "Prayer and Spirituality," "The Fullness of Christian Hope," and "The Unfinished Agenda." Includes Appendix I: Outlook of Book, with References to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Appendix II: Glossary of Terms, and Appendix III: Basic Reference Works on Catholicism. An Index of Names, and an Index of Subjects are also included.

This lucid and accessible account explains how Roman Catholicism and its beliefs and practices came to be what they are. The authors move through... history to sum up the present characteristics of Catholic Christianity and the major challenges it faces in the third millennium. Explaining matters in a fresh and original way, they do justice to the Catholic heritage and show that Catholicism is a dynamic and living faith. Well-structured, highly informative, and clearly written, the book does not duck critical problems and the negative side of history. Rather, O'Collins and Farrugia explore the challenges which Catholics and other Christians must face, and examine the need to confront contemporary moral issues. This is an authoritative, lively, and up-to-date introduction to Catholicism for the modern reader.

The third edition of this popular work, a basic, clearly written survey of Catholic teaching and practices, is still one of the most accessible... statements of Catholic belief, now updated for the 21st century by a skilled communicator and college teacher. Emphasizing a strong historical perspective, Kohmescher presents a general overview of the essential teachings and practices of the Catholic church-its organization, beliefs, practices, and way of worship. A chapter on medical ethics has been added, and others on church and church life have been edited and/or expanded to reflect developments since 1989, when the second edition appeared. Following each chapter are discussion questions and suggestions for further reading. Clear and easy to read, this book is sure to be as popular as its predecessor among young adults, R.C.I.A. participants, and established Catholics who would like a refresher on what the Catholic church teaches.

In this magisterial volume Charles E. Curran surveys the historical development of Catholic moral theology in the United States from its 19th century... roots to the present day. He begins by tracing the development of pre-Vatican II moral theology that, with the exception of social ethics, had the limited purpose of training future confessors to know what actions are sinful and the degree of sinfulness.Curran then explores and illuminates the post-Vatican II era with chapters on the effect of the Council on the scope and substance of moral theology, the impact of Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI's encyclical condemning artificial contraception, fundamental moral theology, sexuality and marriage, bioethics, and social ethics.Curran's perspective is unique: For nearly 50 years, he has been a major influence on the development of the field and has witnessed first-hand the dramatic increase in the number and diversity of moral theologians in the academy and the Church. No one is more qualified to write this first and only comprehensive history of Catholic moral theology in the United States.

As we approach the millenium, apocolyptic expectations are rising in North America and throughout the world. Outside the symbolic aura of the millenium,... this excitation is fed by currents of unsettling social and cultural change. The "millenial myth" ingrained in American culture is continually generating new movements, which draw upon the myth and also reshape and reconstruct it. This text examines many types of apocolypticism such as economic, racialist, environmental, feminist, as well as those erupting from established churches. Many of these movements are volatile and potentially explosive. The text brings together scholars of apocolyptic and millenial groups to explore aspects of the contemporary apocolyptic fervour in all orginal contributions. Opening with a discussion of various theories of apocalypticism, the editors then analyze how millenialist movements have gained ground in largely secular societal circles. Section three discusses the links between apocalypticism and established churches, while the final part of the book looks at examples of violence and confrontation, from Waco to Solar Temple to the Aum Shinr.

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While in the early years of the century Catholics in America were for the most part distrusted outsiders with respect to the dominant culture, by the... 1960s the mainstream of American Catholicism was in many ways "the culture’s loudest and most uncritical cheerleader." Mark Massa explores the rich irony in this postwar transition, by examining key figures in American culture in the last century.

The authors examine a broad range of Catholic high schools to determine whether or not students are better educated in these schools than they are in... public schools. They find that the Catholic schools do have an independent effect on achievement, especially in reducing disparities between disadvantaged and privileged students. The Catholic school of today, they show, is informed by a vision, similar to that of John Dewey, of the school as a community committed to democratic education and the common good of all students.