Soldiers of God in a Secular World: Catholic Theology and Twentieth-Century French Politics

Soldiers of God in a Secular World is a book that explores the nouvelle théologie, a clerical movement that revitalized the Catholic Church's role in twentieth-century French political life. It reimagined the Church's relationship to public life, encouraging political activism and engaging with secular philosophy. During the Second World War, the nouveaux théologiens led the spiritual resistance against Nazism, forging a new role for the Church amid the political shifts of the century.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 352 pages
\n Publication date: 26 November 2021
\n Publisher: Harvard University Press
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A captivating exploration of the nouvelle théologie, a clerical movement that revitalized the Catholic Church's role in twentieth-century French political life, unfolds in the following paragraphs.

Secularism has been a cornerstone of French political culture since 1905, when the republic formalized the separation of church and state. At times, the barrier of secularism has seemed impenetrable, stifling religious actors wishing to take part in political life. Yet, in other instances, secularism has nurtured movements of the faithful.

Soldiers of God in a Secular World delves into one such case, that of the nouvelle théologie, or new theology. Developed in the interwar years by Jesuits and Dominicans, the nouvelle théologie reimagined the Church's relationship to public life, encouraging political activism, engaging with secular philosophy, and inspiring doctrinal changes adopted by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

Nouveaux théologiens charted a path between the old alliance of throne and altar and secularism's demand for the privatization of religion. Envisioning a Church in but not of the public sphere, Catholic thinkers drew on theological principles to intervene in political questions while claiming to remain at arms length from politics proper. Sarah Shortall argues that this "counter-politics" was central to the mission of the nouveaux théologiens: by recoding political statements in the ostensibly apolitical language of doctrine, priests were able to enter into debates over fascism and communism, democracy and human rights, colonialism and nuclear war. This approach found its highest expression during the Second World War, when the nouveaux théologiens led the spiritual resistance against Nazism. Claiming a powerful public voice, they played a crucial role in shaping French political discourse and advocating for social justice and human rights.

In conclusion, the nouvelle théologie was a transformative movement that reshaped the Catholic Church's relationship to public life in France. Through its engagement with secularism and its commitment to social justice, the nouveaux théologiens played a vital role in shaping twentieth-century French political discourse and advocating for a more inclusive and democratic society.

\n Weight: 700g\n
Dimension: 242 x 165 x 32 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780674980105\n \n