Racial Justice and the Catholic Church

Here, a leading black Catholic moral theologian addresses the thorny issue of racial justice past and present. Massingale writes from an abiding conviction that the Catholic faith and the black experience make essential contributions in the continuing struggle against racial injustice that is the work of all people.

• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. What Is Racism?
  • An Explanation of Terms
  • Prelude and Context: The Election of an African American President
  • The Browning of America and Racial Resistance
  • Racism and Culture
  • To What End? The Justification of White Privilege
  • Conclusion
• 2. An Analysis of Catholic Social Teaching on Racism
  • Prologue: A Context for This Discussion
  • Discrimination and the Christian Conscience (1958)
  • The National Race Crisis (1968)
  • Brothers and Sisters to Us (1979)
  • Analysis of Recent Statements by Individual Bishops
  • Critical Observations concerning Catholic Social Teaching on Racism
  • A Concluding Black Catholic Reflection: "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"
• 3. Toward a More Adequate Catholic Engagement
  • The Challenge of Racial Reconciliation
  • Other Resources in the Faith Tradition
  • Compassion and Intentional Cross-Racial Solidarity
  • Church Practices That Facilitate Racial Solidarity
  • Concluding Reflection: A Confession of Faith
• 4. "A Dream Deferred" Meditations on African American Understandings of Justice and Hope
  • The Fundamental Principle or Norm: Universal Inclusion
  • The Unstated Vision: The "Welcome Table" and the "Beloved Community"
  • Theoretical Implications of This Vision
  • The Importance of Hope in the Pursuit of Justice
• 5. The Vocation of the Black Catholic Theologian and the Struggle of the Black Catholic Community Speaking Truth to--and from--Two Traditions
  • The Vocation of the Black Scholar
  • The Vocation of the Catholic Theologian
  • The Vocation of the Black Catholic Theologian
  • The Challenges of the Black Catholic Theological Vocation
  • The Struggles of Being a Black Catholic Theologian
  • The Joys of Being a Black Catholic Theologian
  • The Significance of the Black Catholic Theological Vocation
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Resources for Further Reflection and Understanding
• Index