Catholicism Revisited: On Re-imagining God

'Catholicism Revisited' is an attempt to render Roman Catholicism more credible. The book rests on the author's conviction that a fuller and more correct understanding of Catholicism as a religion can emerge only from a radical reappraisal of the salvific role of Jesus' humanity, and of his human faith, hope and love, in line with the basic and central doctrines of the Incarnation and the Trinity. Being a Catholic means sharing in an ordinary but truly mystical way in the spirit of Jesus' human faith, hope and love, and to the maintenance of this insight and the faith-vision of reality it entails all else must yield precedence - the conventional notion of God, the necessary system of Catholic beliefs which support the faith-vision, and the Church itself. In the course of the book many fundamental issues are raised and discussed, not least the metaphorical nature of theology, the connection between faith and beliefs, the meaning and use of Catholic doctrines, the actual experience of being human. It is in the light of these issues that the author sees an urgent need to re-imagine the God of Catholicism. A born Catholic, Robert Butterworth was educated by the Jesuits and spent forty years in the Society of Jesus. He read classics at Oxford and completed his doctorate in early Christian theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. During more than twenty years as Head of Department he taught theology at Heythrop College in the University of London and at Roehampton University. On retirement from academia and from the Society he married and now lives near London. He has published autobiographical reflections on his experiences in 'The Detour' (Gracewing, 2005).