Vatican II baby boomers, trad millennials, zealous converts, Christmas and Easter Catholics — these are some of the humorous stereotypes theologian Charles Camosy uses to describe the viewpoints that divide today’s Church.
Despite our differences, Camosy insists that unity and healing can be found in the fullness of the Gospel and an authentic understanding of the Catholic faith. One Church is a hopeful and practical field guide for our divided age — showing what it takes to listen, love, and truly understand those whose views differ from our own, and how all of us remain united in the Body of Christ.
Throughout Church history, Catholics have wrestled with differences in expressing the faith — Peter and Paul, Jerome and Augustine, Franciscans and Dominicans, “Rad Trads” and Vatican II Catholics. But in today’s social-media-driven climate of polarization, unity-in-diversity is harder than ever to achieve.
Drawing from his experience as founder and director of The Catholic Conversation Project, Camosy offers five principles of dialogue to help rebuild unity within the Body of Christ:
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Maintain a humble attitude
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Avoid binary thinking and dismissive name-calling
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Affirm and build on common ground
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Make Christ the center of everything
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Lead with what you are for, not what you are against
About the Author
Charles C. Camosy is a professor at the Creighton University School of Medicine and the Msgr. Curran Fellow in Moral Theology at St. Joseph Seminary in New York. A columnist for Religion News Service, Angelus, and The Pillar, he has written eight books, including Too Expensive to Treat?, Peter Singer and Christian Ethics, and Beyond the Abortion Wars. His work For Love of Animals was featured in The New York Times.
Camosy is the founding editor of The Magenta Project series and founding director of The Catholic Conversation Project. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame, where he also earned his doctorate.
His writing has appeared in The American Journal of Bioethics, The Washington Post, Commonweal, America Magazine, Crux, The Tablet, and National Catholic Reporter. He serves as a moral theology consultant for Busted Halo and advises the faith outreach office of the Humane Society of the United States, the pro-life commission of the Archdiocese of New York, and Holy Name Medical Center.
He received the Robert Byrne Award from the Fordham Respect Life Club and the 2018 St. Jerome Award for Scholarly Excellence from the Catholic Library Association. Camosy and his family live in West Orange, New Jersey.
