Synopses & Reviews
Christians are by their nature a people out of place. Their true home is with God; in civic life, they are alien citizens in but not of the world.” In
American Babylon, eminent theologian Richard John Neuhaus examines the particular truth of that ambiguity for Catholics in America today.
Neuhaus addresses the essential quandaries of Catholic lifeassessing how Catholics can keep their heads above water in the sea of immorality that confronts them in the world, how they can be patriotic even though their true country is not in this world, and how they might reconcile their duties as citizens with their commitment to God. Deeply learned, frequently combative, and always eloquent, American Babylon is Neuhauss magnum opusand will be essential reading for all Christians.
Review
New York Times Book Review American Babylon displays Neuhaus in all his virtues elegantly argued and written, fair-minded and with a formidable range of reference making the important point that politics without an anchor in a public morality can quickly slip away in dark directions.”
National Review
In word and deed alike, Neuhaus provided as much spiritual energy for existing goals of change as any figure of his era. But its a testament to his own capaciousness that we will be able to turn to him for guidance and inspiration even in eras vastly different from his own.”
The Weekly Standard
A final, uniquely Christian reflection on making ones way in America.... American Babylon remains an important book at a critical moment in history.”
The American Spectator
[A] short, dense meditation on what it means to live our awkward duality of citizenship, as both Christians and Americans, with integrity.... American Babylon can be read as a kind of valedictory or summation of many of the intellectual arguments that have preoccupied Father Neuhaus in his previous writings.”
Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity
This book, written with all the characteristic wit and insight of Neuhaus at his best, is an extended reflection on, and examination of, what it means to be a Christian in America.... We who miss [Neuhaus] can find him again, with all his engaging wit, erudition, and commitment to justice and Christian truth, in the pages of this, his final book.”
Synopsis
Christians are a people out of place. Their true home is with God, though in mortal life, they are alien citizens. No one has explored this dilemma more poignantly than eminent theologian Richard Neuhaus in his final work, American Babylon. Assessing how Catholics can contend with the decadence, consumerism, and impiety of American society, American Babylon is essential reading for all Christians.
Synopsis
The paradox of being Catholic in America, explored with grace and economy by one of the countrys most influentialand controversialtheologians
About the Author
Richard John Neuhaus, one of the foremost authorities on religion in the contemporary world and president of the Institute on Religion and Public Life, is the editor-in-chief of First Things. He was named one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” by Time Magazine. His many books include Freedom for Ministry, Death on a Friday Afternoon, and As I Lay Dying. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and lives in Manhattan.