
Sense of the Faithful
How American Catholics Live Their Faith
Jerome P. Baggett(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 16. June 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-0-19-982608-7 (ISBN)
Description
The image of the "cafeteria Catholic"--one who blithely picks and chooses those doctrines that suit him--is a staple of American culture. But are American Catholics really so nonchalant about how they integrate the ancient devotional practices of Catholicism with the everyday struggles of the modern world?
For Sense of the Faithful, Jerome Baggett conducted 300 intensive interviews with members of six parishes to explore all aspects of this question. The book is an act of listening that allows ordinary Catholics to speak for themselves about how they understand their faith and how they draw upon it to find purpose in their lives.
Many American Catholics, Baggett shows, do indeed have an uneasy relationship with the official teachings of the Church and struggle to live faithfully amidst the challenges of the modern world. But Baggett finds that it is a genuine struggle, one that reveals a dynamic and self-aware relationship to the Church's teachings. Moving beyond the simplistic categories of national surveys and the politically motivated pronouncements of pundits, Sense of the Faithful ultimately paints a more complex -- and more accurate -- portrait of what it is like to be Catholic in America today.
''Jerome Baggett is now required reading for all of us seeking to understand the contemporary situation of the Catholic community in the United States...Go out and buy this book.'' --American Catholic Studies
''Important and insightful...Sense of the Faithful is an innovative and probing work. Consider this a must read for those following the 'messiness' of post-Vatican II 'lived' Catholicism, and for scholars probing the complexities of America's ever-zany free market religious economy.'' --Sociology of Religion
''A marvelous example of how participant-observer sociology can shed light on the life of the church beneath the public face of the Catholic Church. What makes this book so enlightening is not so much the comparative statistics, interesting as they are, as the inclusion of personal stories that put some flesh on the bones of the bare data. When Baggett lets us eavesdrop on real conversations, the complexity of how we Catholics construct our faith identities is quite apparent and quite fascinating.'' --America
For Sense of the Faithful, Jerome Baggett conducted 300 intensive interviews with members of six parishes to explore all aspects of this question. The book is an act of listening that allows ordinary Catholics to speak for themselves about how they understand their faith and how they draw upon it to find purpose in their lives.
Many American Catholics, Baggett shows, do indeed have an uneasy relationship with the official teachings of the Church and struggle to live faithfully amidst the challenges of the modern world. But Baggett finds that it is a genuine struggle, one that reveals a dynamic and self-aware relationship to the Church's teachings. Moving beyond the simplistic categories of national surveys and the politically motivated pronouncements of pundits, Sense of the Faithful ultimately paints a more complex -- and more accurate -- portrait of what it is like to be Catholic in America today.
''Jerome Baggett is now required reading for all of us seeking to understand the contemporary situation of the Catholic community in the United States...Go out and buy this book.'' --American Catholic Studies
''Important and insightful...Sense of the Faithful is an innovative and probing work. Consider this a must read for those following the 'messiness' of post-Vatican II 'lived' Catholicism, and for scholars probing the complexities of America's ever-zany free market religious economy.'' --Sociology of Religion
''A marvelous example of how participant-observer sociology can shed light on the life of the church beneath the public face of the Catholic Church. What makes this book so enlightening is not so much the comparative statistics, interesting as they are, as the inclusion of personal stories that put some flesh on the bones of the bare data. When Baggett lets us eavesdrop on real conversations, the complexity of how we Catholics construct our faith identities is quite apparent and quite fascinating.'' --America
Reviews / Votes
Jerome Baggett is now required reading for all of us seeking to understand the contemporary situation of the Catholic community in the United States...Go out and buy this book. * American Catholic Studies *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
462 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-982608-7 (9780199826087)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2008
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€15.49
Available for download

E-Book
12/2008
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€12.99
Available for download

Book
12/2008
Oxford University Press Inc
€65.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Professor of Religion and Society at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley.
Author
Associate Professor of Religion and SocietyAssociate Professor of Religion and Society, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley
Content
Part I: Getting Situated: The View from Afar ; Chapter One: Context: Past Changes and the Present Conversation ; Chapter Two: Framework: A "Cultured" Look at American Catholicism ; Part II: Leaning Closer: Examining the Brushstrokes ; Chapter Three: Self: Rooting and Uprooting ; Chapter Four: Institution: Dilemmas of Authenticity and Authority ; Chapter Five: Community: Narratives for Belonging ; Chapter Six: Civil Society: Private and Public Good ; Part III: Stepping Back: Thinking about the Big Picture ; Chapter Seven: Paradox: Tradition in a Posttraditional Society ; Appendices ; Notes ; Index