In his last interview, the late Italian Cardinal and former Archbishop of Milan, Carlo Maria Martini, said the need for deep reform in the Catholic Church was urgent and long overdue because 'the Church is 200 years behind the times'. The reference to 200 years clearly points to the watershed in European life that the French Revolution and the Enlightenment became. Vatican II was one attempt to meet the challenge of relevance to our times. But its best efforts have been on ice since the late 1970s. Now a new opportunity arrives in the pontificate of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. And the movement he has initiated is evangelical in source and comprehensive in reach. But, as many observers have pointed out, it will not be lasting if it does not lead to sustainable structural change?to reform that accompanies renewal. In Tomorrow's Church Today, five highly qualified commentators focus on what lies ahead for the Church to be reformed if it is to meet the challenges of the 21st Century: o A theologian and historian (Massimo Faggioli) who targets how ministry and leadership can be reshaped authentically for our times; o A journalist and radio host for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation?the ABC?(Geraldine Dougue), writes a candid piece on how she would advise Pope Francis on the state of the Church; o A reporter and analyst with 30 years experience of moves and machinations in the Etenrnal City (Robert Mickens); o A bishop with a lifetime of experience of ministering to the divorced and remarried and the benefit of legal and biblical scholarship to support his approach (Geoffrey Robinson); o A biblical scholar who examines much of what's taken for granted in the governance of the Church and exposes where it is left wanting (Antony Campbell); and o A bishop whose forced 'resignation' exposes the deficiencies of a system of governance devoid of basics?due process and respect for natural rights. But the Catholic Church is not its clerics, scholars and commentators. It is the baptised. Geraldine Doogue is a celebrated Australian broadcaster and commentator whose Introduction speaks for and from the experience of the mass of Catholics.

Tomorrow's Catholic offers a fascinating outline of contemporary cosmology that connects the message of Jesus and the spirituality of Pentecost to the world we live in today. A special focus is on expressing ancient truths in contemporary language.

This handbook is designed to help the co-builders of the local church to build as close to the Architects desired end as possible, to assure that the local manifestation of the church is as identical to the universal as possible, and to encourage co- builders to follow the builders guide as provided by the Architect. The author of this handbook obviously has great concern for the local church and the biblical leadership standard for same. The reader may be amazed with the amount of scriptural data presented and challenged to new and or renewed convictions for their church. The high calling for Godly leadership is humbly outlined for personal consideration. Reading with much prayer is recommended. May you be blessed and benefit as this reader/student has benefited having served under the authors leadership. A brother in Christ. Vern Ladd [former Chairman Board of Elders, Racine Bible Church, Racine, WI]

Well known for his important scholarly contributions to dogmatic theology and biblical commentary, Joseph Ratzinger has also written penetrating observations of our times. This book includes some of his keen insights about the social and political challenges confronting modern Western societies. Writing most of these chapters just before his election as pope, Ratzinger sought to remind Europeans, who at the time were crafting a new constitution, that the civilizational project we call “the West” is a cultural achievement with a history. Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome were the three foundation stones upon which Western civilization was built, he wrote. Their invaluable contributions form the basis for the Western understanding of human dignity and human rights, which spread from Europe to the United States and beyond. This book also includes, as an epilogue, a new essay by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on clerical sex abuse, which traces the moral disorder that preys upon the young to the collapse of faith both inside and outside the Church. “The witness of Christian lives nobly lived is the beginning of reconversion (or, in many cases, conversion) of the West—and that return to the truths taught by the God of the Bible is essential if the great Western civilizational project is not to crumble because of its current, postmodern incoherence. Joseph Ratzinger understood that danger long before many others. It would be well to attend to his prescription.” —George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center, from the Foreword