Until the close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the stance of the Roman Catholic Church toward the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of the twentieth century was largely antagonistic. Naturally opposed to secularization, skeptical of capitalist markets indifferent to questions of justice, confused and appalled by new forms of high and low culture, and resistant to the social and economic freedom of women—in all of these ways the Catholic Church set itself up as a thoroughly anti-modern institution. Yet, in and through the period from World War I to Vatican II, the Church did engage with, react to, and even accommodate various aspects of modernity. In All Good Books Are Catholic Books, Una M. Cadegan shows how the Church’s official position on literary culture developed over this crucial period.The Catholic Church in the United States maintained an Index of Prohibited Books and the National Legion of Decency (founded in 1933) lobbied Hollywood to edit or ban movies, pulp magazines, and comic books that were morally suspect. These regulations posed an obstacle for the self-understanding of Catholic American readers, writers, and scholars. But as Cadegan finds, Catholics developed a rationale by which they could both respect the laws of the Church as it sought to protect the integrity of doctrine and also engage the culture of artistic and commercial freedom in which they operated as Americans. Catholic literary figures including Flannery O’Connor and Thomas Merton are important to Cadegan’s argument, particularly as their careers and the reception of their work demonstrate shifts in the relationship between Catholicism and literary culture. Cadegan trains her attention on American critics, editors, and university professors and administrators who mediated the relationship among the Church, parishioners, and the culture at large.

Some differences between Catholicism and Protestantism can be tricky to grasp, but one of them just requires the ability to count: Catholic bibles have seventy-three books, whereas Protestant bibles have sixty-sis - plus an appendix with the strange title Apocrypha. What's the story here? Protestants claim that the medieval Catholic Church added six extra books that had never been considered part of the Old Testament, either by Jews or early Christians. Catholics say that the Protestant Reformers removed those books, long considered part of Sacred Scripture, because they didn't like what they contained. In Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger, Gary Michuta presents a revised and expanded version of his authoritative work on this key issue. Combing the historical record from pre-Christian times to the Patristic era to the Reformation and its aftermath, he traces the canon controversy through the writings and actions of its major players.

Scripture & the Mystery of the Mother of God will introduce you more deeply to Mary, the Mother of God, as your mother. Nine well-known Catholics, including Scott and Kimberly Hahn, Jeff Cavins, Tim Gray, and Leon Suprenant—open the pages of God’s family album (the Bible) to provide compelling explanations of Mary’s role in salvation history and in our daily lives as Christians. The result is a moving tribute and convincing testimony that demolishes common misconceptions about Catholic teaching on Mary. Includes material from Scott Hahn on the Luminous Mysteries and the biblical basis of the Marian Dogmas. You’ll learn why the Catholic Church teaches that Mary was immaculately conceived, remained always a virgin, and was assumed body and soul into heaven. You’ll understand how Mary is the fulfillment of the Old Testament images. Most of all, you’ll discover what it means to be a child of Mary in the Church. This book is one of four books in the Catholic for a Reason Series. Authors: Scott Hahn, Curtis A. Martin, Curtis J. Mitch, Tim Gray, Edward P. Sri, Leon J. Suprenant, Kimberly Hahn, Sean Innerst, and Jeff Cavins. Foreword by Bishop James S. Sullivan. About the Catholic for a Reason Series: This benchmark series brings together the expert knowledge and personal insight of today’s top Catholic apologists on topics at the heart of the Catholic faith. Whether you’re a non-Catholic who wants to learn about the Church’s teaching, or a Catholic who wants to become a more articulate defender of the faith, the Catholic for a Reason series is for you.