This work examines aspects of a religious education program published by Paulist Press in the 1960s and 1970s, the Come to the Father series. This is the only study of this major catechetical series. The author examines the interpretation of the Bible in a confessional setting, and explores the history of the modern catechetical renewal in Canada and beyond. The author also critiques the way in which the Come to the Father series exploits the reader's experience in its interpretation of the Bible.

The authority-oriented pastoral/catechetical planning method, which characterizes the African mission transmission, has been problematic as it subtly neglects in its pedagogy the culture and daily life of the subject. Hence, the people operate a Christian/cultural double standard. This book proffers an alternative as the author makes the concept of the relationship hermeneutics model to a creative writing that aims towards an empirical application in the theology of inculturation, which is a subject-oriented and dialogical method that draws its strength from the incarnation prototype.

John W. Nevin's transcendental hermeneutics is perhaps one of the most penetrating and sophisticated theological systems to emerge from American soil. Though more than a century has passed since he spoke, Nevin's polemic against materialism, religious skepticism, individualism, and sectarianism still retains its creative force and insight.

The fact that people read and understand texts in different ways is surely one of the main sources of Christian division, and one of the reasons Christians remain divided today. What is the role of culture in shaping our ways and means of interpretation? A certain diversity in interpretations is to be expected and celebrated. But can there be agreed criteria for setting the limits to diversity? Could there be guidelines for interpreting texts and symbols ecumenically, in a way that bridges some of our confessional and cultural differences? Questions such as these have formed the basis of the work of the World Council of Church's Faith and Order commission in the area of ecumenical hermeneutics. This book brings together the text of Faith and Order's study process (A Treasure in Earthen Vessels) as well as several essays contributed along the way by participants from different confessional and regional backgrounds These essays speak to the complexity and depth of 'the hermeneutical problem' in the ecumenical task, offering insights, raising still further questions, and laying the ground for further work.

Ratzinger, one of the key persons responsible for the compilation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, offers new insights on the catechetical character and Biblical foundation of the worldwide bestselling Catechism that has had such a positive response from ordinary Catholics across the globe. But he acknowledges that the response of many theologians and "professional religionists" has been negative toward the Catechism. He says that if theologians don't want to be "shut out" of this worldwide development of sensus fidei and lose touch with the common Catholic, they will have to engage the Catechism positively. The main purpose of this book is to offer an invitation to this changed approach to the Catechism. He wants people to see, as he shows here, how the Catechism is an excellent teaching tool that responds to man's deepest questions about the meaning of life, how to live a good life, and how to attain happiness in this life and in eternal life. He shows how the Catechism affirms that man's happiness is love, and that the essence of true love has been manifested in the Person of Jesus Christ. Learn more about Pope Benedict! Visit the

Paul Ricoeur is one of the most influential philosophers alive today. This book draws primarily on his hermeneutic insights to address the fundamental question of how reference, truth, and meaning are related in the discourse of theology. Fodor defends the view that theological truth claims cannot be sustained without some appeal to the referential, or in Rocoeur's terminology "refigurative," potential intrinsic to our linguistic practices. By bringing the philosophical work of Ricoeur into mutually critical conversation with theology, particularly that of Hans Frei, the book underscores the importance of reference in assessing theological claims.

This pastoral book presents a new way to catechize adults using the relationship between ordinary life and Christian faith; it combines both theoretical considerations and practical strategies. For both professional and volunteer catechists.