As It Was in the Beginning The Coming Democratization of the Catholic Church

by McClory, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780824524197
• ISBN10: 0824524195
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-10-01
• Publisher: Crossroad

Summary

Many assume the Catholic Church has always functioned with a top-down leadership model. But in this well-researched book, Robert McClory reveals that there have been long periods where lay people were consulted and had strong, leading voices. McClory also explains that a decentralized Chruch is around the corner and is inevitable. The books helps readers read the signs of the times to identify what is to come for the world's longest running corporation.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	p. viii
Introduction: The Great Temptation	p. 1
A Tinge of Queasiness	p. 6
Unexpected Mutiny	p. 9
The Last Hurrah?	p. 12
The Past
The Community Jesus Founded	p. 18
A System Not of Purity but of Compassion	p. 20
A Community That Makes Decisions	p. 25
A Church of Many Voices	p. 31
A Man for All Seasons	p. 36
A Different Time and Place	p. 37
An Overwhelming Vote of the People	p. 41
A Rising Up of the Faithful	p. 48
A Council Rejected by the Bishops	p. 50
The Rebellion of the Laity	p. 52
The People Prevail	p. 55
Control from Above, Participation from Below	p. 58
Gregory I: A Non-Monarchical Vision	p. 60
Gregory VII: Reform through Control	p. 62
The Origins of a Democratic Church	p. 67
Conciliarism: Resistance to Papal Supremacy	p. 72
The Appeal of Conciliarism	p. 73
Confusion and Havoc	p. 79
A Revised History	p. 83
The American Experiment in Democracy	p. 86
Seizing the Opportunity	p. 87
The Experiment Disintegrated	p. 91
The Experiment Revived	p. 95
The Present
The Emergence of the Laity	p. 100
A Gradual Awakening	p. 101
Co-equals in Christ	p. 104
Progress and Backlash	p. 107
A Different Kind of Laity	p. 112
Learning to Live with Democracy	p. 115
Democracy as Demon	p. 117
The Rehabilitation of an Idea	p. 120
Democracy as Partner	p. 123
A Huge Step Forward	p. 128
The Church as a Democracy	p. 132
A "Listening" Magisterium	p. 134
A "Listening" Papacy	p. 138
Developing an Informed Conscience	p. 141
A Convergence of Crises	p. 145
The Perfect Storm	p. 146
Rethinking the Faith	p. 150
Women on the Verge	p. 154
The Collapse of a Feudal System	p. 158
Reform from Above	p. 162
An Immense Task "I Cannot Carry Out by Myself"	p. 163
A New Way of Being Church	p. 166
Their Eyes Were Now Open	p. 170
Pressure from Below	p. 176
CTA -A Call for Consultation	p. 178
VOTF -Rooting Out the Pathology	p. 181
A Universe of Reformers	p. 185
Women Priests - Action in a Transitional Time	p. 189
Is Anybody Listening?	p. 191
The Future
The Vision Presses On to Fulfillment	p. 196
Moving from Consultative to Deliberative	p. 198
Reworking Papal Primacy	p. 202
Taking the Mission Seriously	p. 205
The End of Celibate and Male Exclusivity	p. 207
It Will Surely Come!	p. 209
Notes	p. 212
Index	p. 220
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