Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought Published

Hooray! It's finally here! The full title is Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy. Some of my homies worked on the two volume set, my man big Mike and my bro-in-law, Merlin, who edited all 1192 pages and did the piece on eschatology which I was able to read before the publishing date.

Miller Time, guys.

Here's the press release Dr. Coulter sent me:

Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought Published

Scarecrow Press, a division of Rowman and Littlefield, has published the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science and Social Policy. The co-editors of this work, which took 6 years to complete, are Dr. Michael Coulter (Grove City College), Stephen M. Krason (Franciscan University of Steubenville), Richard S. Myers (Ave Maria School of Law), and Joseph A. Varacalli (Nassau Community College-S.U.N.Y.). The Encyclopedia, which is nearly 1200 pages, is published in 2 volumes and is available from the publisher’s website, http://www.scarecrowpress.com/.

With over 800 topics from nearly 300 contributors and over 1.2 million words, the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science and Social Policy is a comprehensive introduction to Catholic social thought. It combines theoretical work on important topics and scholarly disciplines (e.g., economics, moral theology, natural law, philosophy, psychology); social science perspectives on a variety of topics (e.g., alcoholism and drug abuse, forgiveness and mercy, globalization); and treatment of practical policy implications that flow from applying the Catholic religious, moral, and intellectual tradition to contemporary issues (e.g., abortion, assisted suicide, immigration policy, school choice, torture).

“Our aim in producing this work was to produce a clear, accurate and comprehensive reference work on Catholic social teaching,” said Coulter. “We wanted to produce a single source for understanding the church documents that contain social teaching, the key figures from the early church to the present who have shaped that teaching, and significant issues ranging from abortion to war related to that social teaching.”

The book reflects a broad range of Catholic thought that is international in scope, but with an emphasis on the American situation. Its interdisciplinary approach offers insights from a variety of perspectives: theological, philosophical, historical, economical, sociological, political science, psychological, social services, and law. The work will appeal to individuals who want a clear and accurate introduction to Catholic social thought and a Catholic-informed social science and social policy.

Some of the prominent contributors include Cardinal George Pell (Sydney, Australia), Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi (Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace), Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio (Brooklyn, New York), Bishop J. Michael Miller (Congregation for Catholic Education), Father C. John McCloskey (Faith and Reason Institute), Mary Ann Glendon (Harvard Law School), James Hitchcock (St. Louis University), William E. May (John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage & Family), Father Francis Canavan SJ (Fordham), Father Joseph Koterski SJ (Fordham), Charles Rice (Notre Dame Law School), Ronald Rychlak (University of Mississippi School of Law), and Paul Vitz (Institute for the Psychological Sciences).

“This would be an excellent reference work for college, high school and even community libraries and those interested in the intersection of religion and social science would enjoy the work,” said Coulter.