Finding the Voice of the Church

Reviews / Votes

"As the church finds itself in what O'Brien describes as a 'profound crisis', (xi) the author sets about with humor and exaggeration, but serious intent, to describe a way in which the church can begin, not to change or even to reform, but to begin a process of listening so that it can understand the value of the voices of the concerned from all parts of society, within and outside the Catholic Church." -American Catholic Studies

"Finding the Voice of the Church seems to offer something for most everyone. . . . George Dennis O'Brien has listened to and sounded a wide variety of voices to establish a solid foundation and to suggest a voice for the church in the world today." -CatholicBooksReview.org

"George Dennis O'Brien thinks the Church has lost its voice. . . . [He] has something to say about how the church should speak to its members and the world at large (and about what the church should say), and he is ready to tell Rome and the rest of us how to recover our voice. And after reading Finding the Voice of the Church, I think the Vatican, the U.S. bishops, the clergy, and the folks in the pews could do a lot worse than pulling up a chair and giving O'Brien-and one another-a good hard listen." -U.S. Catholic

"In this very important work, O'Brien employs all the his ample philosophical acumen to bring us through a consideration of who speaks for the church and how such a one must speak in order to be heard . . . . This book is an important contribution to the many volumes claiming to examine the problems in the Catholic Church today. However, this work emerges above the others in its fascinating consideration of the religious persona and its ability to transform the reader's suppositions about the very nature of faith and teaching." -Catholic Library World

"It is a soul-searching exploration, a challenge to the status quo, a thinking-out-loud, an invitation to reassess. . . . But those who are open to the stimulation of looking at the Church in an unconventional way will be impressed with the wit and wisdom of a grandfather who loves the Church and knows it can do better." -St. Anthony Messenger

"In response to the divide between papal teaching and the opinions of both the Catholic left and the Catholic right, O'Brien opens an inquiry into what the voice of Christian faith is and to what extend, and by what means, the church is capable of being the medium for the Gospels. He looks at the papal voice and official teaching, from the Roman Magisterium to the local pulpit. He also proposes ways in which the church can re-envision the structure and tone of its teaching to be a more authentic voice of the faithful." -Conscience

"O'Brien here offers his opinions on the state of the Catholic Church. O'Brien calls for the church to take on a voice that is more listening and therapeutic than didactic and moral." -Choice

"This is a contemporary and passionate revisioning of authority in the Roman Catholic Church from the perspective of a committed layman. O'Brien articulates two viewpoints, or 'voices,' that seemingly encapsulate the debate in modern Catholicism regarding faith and ecclesiology. . . . Somewhat philosophical, the text, complete with eight pages of endnotes, is easily understood and devoid of much theological jargon. Recommended for all libraries interested in theological titles." -Library Journal

"To be both a defender of the faith and an advocate of church reform is not easy. King Henry VIII failed spectacularly in that mission, but in his new book George Dennis O'Brien succeeds wonderfully. . . . Employing a masterly command of philosophy, theology, literature, drama, and art, O'Brien proposes another theological approach. . . . [This] book will help committed believers understand the solid ground on which they stand without flattening that ground or pretending to map it completely. . . . I find O'Brien's book to be original, astute, and praiseworthy." -Commonweal

"A philosopher by training and a cradle Catholic, O'Brien has a deep commitment to his religious tradition and strong opinions about how it is being handed on. Reading this in the preface, I was buoyed by the hope that Finding the Voice of the Church would be a book nurtured by a mature faith sufficiently critical to cut deep and sufficiently grace-filled to offer healing-minus academic jargon. I think the author succeeds. . . . Finding the Voice of the Church is not theology-lite; neither are its rewards. For careful readers, it can nourish hope, strengthen faith and maybe complicate the intent of Matt 23:9." -America