GLOBALIZATION AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT

With a wide array of authors and articles, this book assesses the meaning of globalization and the capacity of Catholic social thought to understand, reform, and guide it. Bill Ryan sj and John Coleman sj are editors and contributing authors.

Other contributors include: R. Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame; Gregory Baum, McGill University; Michael Campbell-Johnston, Caribbean; Fernando Franco, Rome; J. Bryan Hehir, Harvard University; Peter Henriot, Zambia; Joe Holland, St. Thomas University, Miami; Lisa Sowle Cahill, Boston College; James Hug, Washington DC; Farhang Rajaee, Ottawa; Arturo Sosa, Venezuela; Mary Evelyn Tucker, Bucknell University; Wendy Tyndale, World Faiths Development Dialogue, UK; and Johan Verstraeten, Belgium.

Globalization and Catholic Social Thought: Present Crisis, Future Hope is a compilation edited by Bill Ryan and John Coleman. It was published by Novalis in 2005.

Available at your library or to buy at Orbis Books.

 FAITH AND FREEDOM: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BILL RYAN SJ

Bill Ryan’s life story is a lens through which we can view the tensions and accomplishments of the past fifty turbulent years of Church history. From humble origins in the Ottawa Valley, Ryan attended Harvard and eventually went on to become the leader of the Canadian Jesuits and the General Secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Bill was an agent for both social and religious change in Canada and beyond. Through extensive travel and consultation, Ryan was able to share his insights into community and development on a global scale, exploring issues of faith, economics, social justice and globalization.

Faith and Freedom: The Life and Times of Bill Ryan sj is coauthored by Bob Chodos and Jamie Swift. It was published by Novalis in 2002.

Available to buy from Jesuit Forum for Social Faith and Justice. Please email info@jesuitforum.ca.

THE LAB, THE TEMPLE AND THE MARKET

The Lab, The Temple and the Market: Reflections at the Intersection of Science, Religion and Development meshes a discussion of development issues and processes with four different systems of religious belief: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i Faith. The authors – each a scientist as well as a person of faith – show how religious belief and personal faith can be deeply motivational and strikingly fruitful in scientific pursuits. Further, they emphasize how their faith has brought them a profound understanding of interconnectedness and compassion, and thus a wider perspective and greater sense of personal meaning to their research. Bill Ryan sj was in charge of the project and wrote the post-script “Our Way of Proceeding.” Promilla Kapur, Gregory Baum, Azizan Baharuddin, and Farzam Arbab also contributed, and the book is edited by Sharon M.P. Harper.

Published by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in 2000.

Available from your local library.

CULTURE, SPIRITUALITY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Security, sustainability, and stability often depend on a system of values that has taken centuries to develop within a specific society. Current development strategies, however, tend to ignore, often underestimate, and sometimes undermine cultural values or the cultural environment, which are essential to healthy human development. The question, then, becomes: How can human values and belief systems be properly integrated into the modern economic development paradigm?

In Culture, Spirituality, and Economic Development, Bill Ryan sj begins to tackle this question. He does so by reflecting upon a series of interviews conducted with scholars from various disciplines and all corners of the globe. The results confirm the fallacy of searching for a new development “grail.” Instead, this book prompts scholars and development professionals to look to a variety of development paradigms, each rooted in its own ethical and spiritual world view, mutually dependent, mutually respectful, and mutually enriching.

Published by International Development Research Centre in 1995.

Available from your library or from IDRC.  Aussi disponible en français.

WORLD FAITHS AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER

World Faiths and the New World Order: A Muslim-Christian-Jewish Search Begins comprises the texts of papers prepared for the Interreligious Peace Colloquium, held in Lisbon in 1977. The theme of the colloquium was “The Changing World Order: Challenge to Our Faiths,” a topic that is reflected in the essays. Writers include Robert Bellah, Isma’il Abdalla, Richard Falk, James Grant, Khurshid Ahmad and Philip Land. Available at your public library, or to buy from Alibris.

CRY OF THE POOR, CRY OF THE EARTH: WHAT HAS SPIRITUALITY GOT TO DO WITH SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ECOLOGY?

We believe, as many do now, that spirituality, social justice and ecology should be integrated into a holistic approach or vision. Thus far, we tend to relate ecology to spirituality and/or social justice to ecology more readily than we interrelate the three together.

We believe we need a new paradigm or new way of seeing or understanding the complex reality of today. We need to do this in order to overcome the narrower approach of both particular academic disciplines and subconscious ideologies.

Spirituality can give us the freedom and openness to go beyond these limits, as well as the staying power, enthusiasm and motivation for the long haul.

With this in mind, a seminar was held in Hamilton, Ontario, June 9-10 2011 to help us explore this. The document here offers summaries of the presentations, as well as edited excerpts of the conversations.

You are warmly invited to read this resource

VIDEOS

Laudato Si (A Canadian Response)
This video presents the views of nine prominent (and soon to be prominent) Canadians, including David Suzuki, Maude Barlow, Silver Don Cameron and Gregor Robertson, as they reflect on the Encyclical Laudato Si’. Twenty-three excerpts from Laudato Si’ help the viewer read the actual words of the 192-page document.
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Joanna Macy: Embracing Pain

Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. In her workshops she counsels the embracing of pain about the world as a way of deepening our connection to it.

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