Announcements

Preaching Social Issues equips preachers to craft sermons that help congregations talk about topics of public concern based on strong biblical and theological foundations and prudent sermonic strategies. Informed by years of research with clergy and congregations, Schade provides practical and pastoral guidance for preachers to find their prophetic voice for their context with integrity and wisdom. Preaching Social Issues offers an assessment tool for gauging risk and capacity for preaching about social issues and suggests three approaches – Gentle, Invitational, and Robust – and includes strategies, tactics, and case studies that illustrate different approaches for preaching about contemporary topics.

Based on a national survey of 1500+ American Catholics and nearly sixty interviews with Catholic leaders (broadly construed to include cardinals, leaders of lay apostolates, USCCB staff, etc.), Catholicism at a Crossroads looks at the way everyday Catholics and their leaders are engaging with experiences of parish life and perceptions of the institutional Church, moral authority, race and racism, civic and political attitudes and engagement, sexuality and family, and then some longitudinal trends (this is the most recent survey in a series that began in the 1980s).

An article by Jeremy Senn and Jörg Stolz in sociological science gives a new explanation for "loose coupling" of stated policies and actual congregational behaviour regarding female religious leadership.