The Church in the Modern World: Fifty Years after Gaudium et Spes commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Featuring scholars from the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought, this book offers a future-orientated analysis by highlighting contemporary social issues through the lens of Gaudium et Spes. In part I, authors examine the historical, political, and social significance of the document. Part II presents interdisciplinary perspectives on current social issues in light of Gaudium et Spes and contemporary Catholic social thought. The book covers such topics as immigration, women in the Church, environmental ethics, human rights, economic justice, the Church in Africa, and liberation theology.

Contributions by: Erin Brigham, John Coleman, Michael Duffy, Carol Graham, James Hanvey, Peter Henriot, Kristin Heyer, Lois Lorentzen, Thomas Massaro, SJ, Keally McBride, Todd Sayre, Frank Turner