The Public Order and the Sacred Order

Book excerpt: The Public Order and the Sacred Order evaluates a range of contemporary social and political questions in light of Catholic social teaching, philosophy, great political thinkers, and America's founding tradition. It treats a wide range of topics, including · economics · education · free speech · abortion · church-state relations · American legal trends · international politics Through discussions of these and other issues confronting contemporary American society, author Stephen M. Krason offers a scholarly social commentary, suggests means for a reconstruction of sound social and political thought, and calls for a renewal of American institutions, politics, and culture. The book is structured in three parts: Part I sets out foundational principles guided by Catholic social teaching, philosophical reasoning, Western political thought, and the American founding; Part II examines and evaluates the numerous issues in light of the principles set out in Part I; and Part III provides approaches to the issues-both general and specific policy ideas-consonant with the foundational principles set out in Part I. There is also a volume of important Catholic Church documents, Supreme Court cases, and excerpts of important writings in the history of Western and American political thought that let the reader examine directly many documents discussed in the text of the book. Along with being a strong and focused defense of traditional Catholic approaches to the questions of our time, the vast array of material covered makes this book an invaluable reference for anyone interested in contemporary politics.