One Church: How to Rekindle Trust, Negotiate Difference, and Reclaim Catholic Unity - Paperback

by Charles C. Camosy (Author)

Vatican II baby boomers, trad millennials, zealous converts, Christmas and Easter Catholics--these are some of the humorous stereotypes theologian Charles Camosy uses to explain the points of view that divide today's Church.

He says that in spite of our differences, unity and healing can be found through the fullness of the Gospel and an authentic understanding of the Catholic faith. In One Church, Camosy offers a hopeful and practical field guide for the here and now by sharing what it takes to listen and love those whose views are different than ours and to understand how we are united in the Body of Christ, the Church.

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church there have always been fundamental differences about how the faith should be expressed--for example, between Peter and Paul, Jerome and Augustine, Franciscans and Dominicans, left and right, "Rad Trads" and Vatican II Catholics.

In today's climate of polarization, getting to unity-in-diversity has never been more difficult. Where Sts. Jerome and Augustine shared their differences by letter, social media is the place where division is most noticeable--and vitriolic--today.

Camosy, founder and director of The Catholic Conversation Project, offers five principles of dialogue to build on our unity as the Body of Christ:

• maintain a humble attitude;
• avoid binary thinking and dismissive name-calling;
• affirm and build on common ground;
• make Christ the center of everything; and
• lead with what you are for, not what you are against.

Author Biography

Charles C. Camosy is a professor at the Creighton University School of Medicine and the Msgr. Curran Fellow in Moral Theology at St. Joseph Seminary in New York. He is a columnist for Religion News Service, the Angelus, and the Pillar.

Camosy is the author of eight books, including the award-winning Too Expensive to Treat?, Peter Singer and Christian Ethics, and Beyond the Abortion Wars. Camosy's book, For Love of Animals, was featured in the New York Times. He is the founding editor of The Magenta Project series and founding director of the Catholic Conversation Project.

Camosy earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame, where he also received his doctorate.

His writing has been featured in publications including the American Journal of Bioethics, the Journal of the Catholic Health Association, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, Church Life Journal, Commonweal, America magazine, Crux, the Tablet, and the National Catholic Reporter. Camosy serves as a moral theology consultant for Busted Halo. He is an advisor the faith outreach office of the Humane Society of the United States, the pro-life commission of the Archdiocese of New York, and Holy Name Medical Center. He received the Robert Bryne award from the Fordham Respect Life Club and the 2018 St. Jerome Award for scholarly excellence from the Catholic Library Association.

Camosy and his family live in West Orange, New Jersey.

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