The Church Confronts Modernity:
Catholic Intellectuals
and the Progressive Era
by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Columbia University Press, 2004
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“Well written, well researched, and the thesis put forth is well argued and offers a much-needed corrective to the Americanist historiography on American Catholicism. Woods has opened up an area of historical analysis that should invite further study.”
-Journal of American History
“Written with great clarity and fluency, making the complex philosophical and theological concepts approachable…. This is a very important book which will be indispensable reading for scholars interested in the history of religion.”
–Journal of American Studies
“Provocative, well-written, and deserves to be read.”
-Catholic Historical Review
“Moves briskly and gracefully through the thorny issues confronting the Church during the first two decades of the 20th century. An effective and detailed examination of Catholic intellectual life during a little-studied period.”
-Theological Studies
“This book will be a valuable resource…. Highly recommended.”
–Choice (review publication for academic libraries)
“A fine work of intellectual history.”
-Rev. Kenneth Baker, S.J., editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review
“A lucid and accessible book.”
–Books & Culture: A Christian Review
(book review publication of Christianity Today)
“Though he is writing about the Progressive Era, Thomas Woods deals with issues that are still both timely and relevant. He explores how American Catholics redefined the limits of faith and doctrine in an age of social and intellectual transformation, a time when cherished orthodoxies seemed ever more at odds with secular assumptions. The Church Confronts Modernity is thoughtful, well-written and rewarding.”
-Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies, Pennsylvania State University
“This book is long overdue….An engaging and important contribution to scholarship on the history of American Catholicism.”
-Journal of the Historical Society
“A brilliant study, The Church Confronts Modernity illumines a period of recent American history too long neglected by first-rate scholars. We all stand indebted to Professor Woods’ deep and insightful analysis of Catholic thought in what was the increasingly hostile milieu of the Progressive Era. Indispensable.”
-Donald J. D’Elia, State University of New York, New Paltz
“Woods’s analysis of Catholic trends in education, sociology, and labor are…worthwhile contributions to the literature.”
-American Historical Review
“A useful contribution to the growing field of Catholic intellectual history….Woods’ thoughtful study casts new light on the Catholic response to the culture of progressivism.”
-American Catholic Studies
Online Reviews:
SeattleCatholic.com
Homiletic & Pastoral Review
New Oxford Review (scroll down)
Paul Gottfried, The American Conservative (online at LewRockwell.com)
