A History of Catholic Moral Theology in the Twentieth Century: From Confessing Sins to Liberating Consciences by James F. Keenan (review)

Early in his book, James F. Keenan sketches out the nature of moral theology. "Moral theology did not begin at Trent. It began when the Church gathered and asked how, as a people of God, they were going to live morally upright lives, as a response to their baptism in Christ. . . . Again moral theology is the constant, it is the overarching concept about the Church's search for the moral response to Christ" (8). Apart from capturing the heart of the discipline, these words sketch out well the purpose of this text, a purpose elegantly and insightfully achieved, to guide the reader through the development of the discipline and capture the distinctive strengths and tensions that have characterized the life of the modern Catholic community.

This volume avoids the dry characteristics of so much "historical writing." It invites the reader into an elaborate dance as themes separate and reconnect, all within a reflection on the life of the faith community. Keenan certainly captures the theoretical and methodological dimensions of change and growth but keeps them rooted within a pastoral reflection on their implications for the lives of ordinary Catholics. That link between the theoretical and the practical represents one of the strengths of this volume. This alone makes it of great use to the scholar and student alike; Keenan exemplifies what he proposes as good theological reflection.

In the process, the reader finds an invitation into the major shifts in ecclesial life in the last century. Keenan elaborates the increasing role of the Vatican in promulgating moral teaching rather than adjudicating conflicts. He sketches two new and promising realities: the increasingly lay nature of moral theologians and the global quality of the community of scholars. With respect to the last point, his chapter on "solidarity" represents a tour de force, introducing North American audiences to emerging voices from around the world, emphasizing the wide array of methodologies and perspectives that bedevil any "homogenization." The roots of contemporary moral theology in Europe and North America clearly emerge, but so too the global voices that will shape its future.

Conceptually, the development narrated explodes outward. One begins with a very narrow discipline early in the century, the manualist tradition. From there, Keenan artfully analyzes the expansion and enrichment of moral theology. Chapters 3 and 4, detailing the work of Lottin, Tillmann, and Gilleman, deserve special attention. In attending to historicity, discipleship, and charity one finds the roots of rapid and dramatic growth, grounded in attention to the theological and pastoral nature of the discipline, especially the development of conscience among a mature Catholic laity. The story of the accidental entry of Tillmann into moral theology (silenced by the Vatican for his work in Scripture) points to the value of the interdisciplinary nature of this work but also highlights the text's use of anecdotes to humanize the development.

The book proceeds methodically through the century, through accounts of major figures (Haring and Fuchs, for example), or the rise of methodological challenges, as in the wake of the promulgation of Humanae vitae. One encounters the great debates (the objectivity of moral norms, the meaning of intrinsic evil, the "proportionate reasoning" debate, the meaning of natural law, the possibility of an autonomous ethic or the need for an ethic of faith), always set within a heuristic structure of a search for objectivity and clarity, avoiding relativism or legalism. The chapter notes alone give one reason to buy the book; they serve as a bibliography for modern Catholic ethics. The index represents an important resource, though its thoroughness could prove daunting to one unfamiliar with the discipline.

Happily, one finds balance and clarity in the exposition of opposing schools, something often lacking in many presentations. Keenan, firmly part of the "revisionist" wing, approaches the "neo-manualist" tradition (Ford, Rhonheimer, Pope John Paul...