Beyond the Blue Glass: Catholic Essays on Faith and Culture, 2 vols

The first of two volumes of dazzling essays on faith and culture by one of the most gifted and erudite Catholic thinkers today. The range and depth of these essays is remarkable, covering many of the most significant themes and theologians of the twentieth century: liturgy, literature, the Anglican "Radical Orthodoxy" movement, Scheeben, Newman and, of course, St Thomas. What is particularly impressive about this collection is the way in which Nichols presents us with a panoramic sweep in which clarity, detail and sobriety are not sacrificed to scope and virtuosity. No one interested in the major issues of modern theology will want to miss this book. Essays include: St Thomas in His Time Thomism and the Nouvelle Théologie Balthasar and Rahner: "Anonymous Christianity" in Question Cardinal Ratzinger on Theology, Liturgy and Faith A Tale of Two Documents: Sacrosanctum Concilium and Mediator Dei Liturgy as Consummate Philosophy: A Reading of Pickstock's After Writing