Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the Contemporary Humanist

Book excerpt: This book is a theological reflection of Sheen’s contribution to humanity and society. It analyzes the modern person from the Catholic doctrinal perspective, explores Fulton Sheen’s perception of the contemporary individual, and demonstrates that global economic, religious, and political crises cannot be resolved by focusing only on the mundane. It further underscores some contemporary anthropological challenges and proposes a philosophy and theology of life that can enable contemporary humans to know themselves better and make life worth living. The authors argue that advancements in science and technology have failed to prolong happiness; people are still frustrated, disillusioned, cynical, bored, and suicidal. This book enters the landscape of Sheen’s controversial pause before he was sanctified and provides a lengthy, liturgical extrapolation of Sheen’s Christian anthropology, wrestling with other thinkers and general concerns surrounding human angst in modern society.