Catholic Social Teaching

How can you live out the Gospel's message of social justice in the modern world? Both the Old and New Testaments are rich with tales of justice and injustice, and yet religion is often portrayed as a private affair of the heart. This series gets to the heart of social engagement and the Christian tradition. The Gospels call all Christians to work for justice, even in times of conflict. Under the guidance of celebrated moral theologian Fr. Tom Massaro, you will come to understand the dialogue between religion and society. As you do so, you will gain a deep understanding of the history and application of Catholic social teaching. Discover new developments in Catholic social teaching, which elucidate the movement from a "charity alone" orientation to a "charity plus justice" approach. You will also explore the sources of Catholic social teaching: Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. The documents of Catholic social teaching promote strong stances on family, human labor, poverty, government, the environment, and war. You'll explore a three-step model that will help you to connect abstract principles of social teaching to the world's concrete realities. Catholic social teaching connects faith to the topics that affect us the most in our daily lives. Deeply rooted in thousands of years of tradition and Scripture, Catholic social teaching serves to teach us more about the world we live in, how to help the people around us, and how to better ourselves as Catholics.