Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Publication Source

Journal of Moral Theology

Abstract

One might begin considering the reception of Stanley Hauerwas’s work in Catholic moral theology by asking: why did both Commonweal and First Things opt to publish reviews of Hauerwas’s memoir Hannah’s Child? What is it about Hauerwas’s theological discussion of his own work that engages an educated Catholic audience of magazines putatively representing both ends of the spectrum? It is not only that both journals actively seek engagement with Protestant voices; nor is it only that Hauerwas has a degree of renown, thanks to Time magazine. It is also exactly what Peter Steinfels alludes to in his review, that Hauerwas is at once disturbing and rewarding for Catholics. Hauerwas is so strongly in support of certain “liberal” Catholic ideals (e.g., that ethics should not be about laws in the way it was perceived pre- Vatican II), so intensely in support of certain “conservative” Catholic ideals (e.g., that tradition and authority should be important aspects of Christian life), and so seemingly dismissive of natural law and state politics that Catholics cannot help but have a kind of unsettled fascination with him and his work.

Inclusive pages

148-169

ISBN/ISSN

2166-2851

Document Version

Published Version

Comments

Document is provided for download in compliance with the publisher's copyright agreement and with the author's permission. Permission documentation is on file. Browse the journal's website.

Publisher

Mount St. Mary's University

Volume

1

Issue

1

Peer Reviewed

yes

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