Freedom Under God

by Fulton J. Sheen, Michael D. Greaney (Foreword)

In 1940, on the eve of the United States entry into World War II, the late Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) published FREEDOM UNDER GOD. This new, annotated "Just Third Way Edition" of a neglected classic includes an in-depth foreword, as well as a bibliography and index not included in the original. While FREEDOM UNDER GOD addresses the loss of true freedom throughout the world, Sheen's special concern was freedom of religion. This is under increasing attack today. Individual life as well as marriage and the family are also in grave danger as the State continues to expand its power to fill the vacuum left by the growing powerlessness of ordinary people. Speaking to people of all faiths and philosophies, albeit from a "Catholic" perspective, then-Monsignor Sheen traced the rise of totalitarian State power in the first half of the 20th century to the fact that fewer and fewer people in America and throughout the world owned capital - what Sheen called "creative wealth." As Sheen argued, only widespread private property in capital has the capacity to restore the foundation of true freedom. The world needs the wisdom of Fulton Sheen now more than ever. The republication of FREEDOM UNDER GOD helps introduce the work of this pivotal thinker to a new generation of readers and students.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Fulton John Sheen was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in Illinois, in 1919, Sheen quickly became a renowned theologian, earning the Cardinal Mercier Prize for International Philosophy in 1923. He went on to teach theology and philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and served as a parish priest before he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York in 1951. He held this position until 1966 when he was made bishop of the Diocese of Rochester in New York. He resigned as bishop of Rochester in 1969 as his 75th birthday approached and was made archbishop of the titular see of Newport, Wales.
For 20 years as "Father Sheen", later monsignor, he hosted the night-time radio program The Catholic Hour on NBC (1930–1950) before he moved to television and presented Life Is Worth Living (1952–1957). Sheen's final presenting role was on the syndicated The Fulton Sheen Program (1961–1968) with a format that was very similar to that of the earlier Life Is Worth Living show. For that work, Sheen twice won an Emmy Award for Most Outstanding Television Personality, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Starting in 2009, his shows were being re-broadcast on the EWTN and the Trinity Broadcasting Network's Church Channel cable networks. His contribution to televised preaching resulted in Sheen often being called one of the first televangelists.
The cause for his canonization was officially opened in 2002. In June 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints stating that he lived a life of "heroic virtues," a major step towards beatification, and he is now referred to as venerable. On July 5, 2019, Pope Francis approved a reputed miracle that occurred through the intercession of Sheen, clearing the way for his beatification. Sheen was scheduled to be beatified in Peoria on December 21, 2019, but his beatification was postponed after Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester expressed concern that Sheen's handling of a 1963 sexual misconduct case against a priest might be cited unfavorably in a forthcoming report from the New York Attorney General. The Diocese of Peoria countered that Sheen's handling of the case had already been "thoroughly examined" and "exonerated" and that Sheen had "never put children in harm's way".

Reviews

[Anthony Smitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read! It’s quite fascinating how insightful Fulton Sheen is. His descriptions of what Communism under Stalin hoped to accomplish here in the USA are very on par, as the mindset is certainly much further along now than it was when this was written.