Maureen Fiedler

A run through the history of doctrinal development within the Roman Catholic Church. Various historians, theologians, researchers by quoting Papal, Conciliar and Patristic statements illustrate how various teachings of the Church have evolved through time. The particular doctrines and areas covered are: infallibility, primacy of conscience, Scriptural interpretation, ecumenism, the Jewish people, slavery, democracy in the Church, theological dissent, women in the Church, married clergy, sexual intimacy and pleasure, contraception, divorce and remarriage, Copernican theory and Galileo, evolution, war and peace and usury. What these various chapters make clear is the strong influence of culture upon the various doctrinal stances of the Church and the resulting contradictions between the varying doctrinal positions taken by the Catholic Church throughout its history.… (mais)

The subtitle tells it all: A Guide to Forgotten Papal Statements and How they Have Changed Through the Centuries.
A very academic but interesting volume reviewing various "issues" that seem to have been interpreted and enforced differently over the two centuries of Roman Catholicism. The topics cover the range from evolution to the slavery, from Galileo to usury, and include the current buzz topics of contraception, women's ordination and divorce.
Each topic presents first the scriptural references cited over the years, and progresses with quotes from the early fathers, to Papal pronouncements over the years, to conciliar declarations (if available) and ends with an essay from a noted scholar of today.
Some topics are more interesting than others, but all are well researched, intelligently and objectively presented. A book worth reading for those wanting to know how the Catholic Church got to certain "beliefs" and what might happen in the future.… (mais)