A Faith That Frees: Catholic Matters for the 21st Century

by Richard G. Malloy

Malloy speaks to all Catholics who are neither ideologically 'left' nor 'right', but simply seeking to understand and live the gospel in a world of confusion, violence and excess. He brings to life a Catholicism that does justice and a faith that forgives.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book a mediocre rating for two reasons. First, I don't think it will succeed in reaching its target audience. Malloy means to speak to all Catholics, yet the anthropological language and theory (as well as an abundance of statistics) will likely either bore people or prevent them from understanding. As a sociologist, I was comfortable with the language, but I'm used to reading that sort of thing and it holds my interest. I have a hard time picturing anyone who is not a sociologist or anthropologist of religion being drawn to this book.
Second, the solutions Malloy proposes to the challenges he addresses are lackluster. Many of them don't have potential to create any real change.
Despite these flaws, Malloy does have some good points. I particularly liked his assertion that the church should frame its sexual teachings around factors that young people can relate to rather than arbitrary rules.