Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in a Divided America

It's hard -- and getting harder -- to discern the proper relationship between our Catholic Faith and American political life. Democrat, Republican, third party, or independent -- how do we make sense of it all? Citizens Yet Strangers resets the framework of how we engage with politics as Catholics. As author Kenneth Craycraft argues in this book, American Catholics have been more influenced by classical liberal political theory (of both the "conservative" and "liberal" variety) than by historic Catholic moral theology. While some incidental policy positions of the Democratic and Republican parties converge with Catholic moral teaching, for most Catholics, their respective positions are directed by their party affiliation, not by Catholic moral doctrine. Craycraft explains how Catholic theology transcends partisan politics, and he challenges Catholics to move away from the individualist liberal impulses of American political identity, whether on the left or the right. Avoiding the common clichés that prevent us from examining the role our faith should play in our public actions, this book dives deeper into the very way we orient our moral and political lives.

About the Author :
Kenneth Craycraft is a licensed attorney and the James J. Gardner Family Chair of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary & School of Theology, the seminary for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He holds a PhD in theology from Boston College and a JD from Duke University School of Law.

Review :
"From our nation's founding days, Catholics have struggled with the challenge of being 'at home' in America. Ken Craycraft seeks to recover an ancient but familiar language for contemporary Catholics who continue - or who should begin - to struggle with how to speak and act as faithful Catholics in a deeply divided nation. Refashioning our rich patrimony for a host of modern challenges, Craycraft's profound but accessible book will ably prepare not only Catholics, but a nation in desperate need of a new path forward from out of the ashes of a failed and false liberalism." -- Patrick Deneen, University of Notre Dame "Ken Craycraft helps Catholics to break free from the distorting lies of liberalism and break into the perennial and elevating truths of the genuinely Catholic vision of right order. The Church simply knows the only way to lead all souls, all families, and yes, even all nations to the good and happy life. This is an essential guide to that end." -- C. C. Pecknold, The Catholic University of America "Dr. Craycraft has done something very useful here. He has recovered the language of Catholic moral discourse that is more than merely political. With profound research, but briefly and lucidly, he explains the pillars of Catholic social doctrine and how to incorporate them into ordinary life. Citizens Yet Strangers is both informative and instructive; at the same time it is refreshing and practical. This book can do a lot of good for a lot of people." - Scott Hahn, Franciscan University of Steubenville and Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology "Drawing on the wisdom of the Social Encyclicals, Craycraft helps us (Protestants included) see how Christians can negotiate this complex, dangerous America. This is a book that has been long in Craycraft's heart. We are fortunate to now have it for our study." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University "Kenneth Craycraft's latest book is a tour de force that is a must read for any Catholic who is interested in how the Church is to negotiate its relationship with modern American culture and the politics that flow from it. His central insight is that modern American Catholics have imbibed the fundamental moral values of modern secularity and therefore are hamstrung in their debates over moral issues like abortion since the argument always take place within the ground rules established by this same liberal, secular order. The specific difference of a uniquely Christian worldview, and Catholic social teaching grounded in it, are deemed 'too religious' for public discourse and are therefore left behind. As such, modern American Catholics have become in their essence little different from liberal Protestants and are quickly becoming just as socially irrelevant. This book is devastatingly prophetic and has a jeweler's eye for what is truly at stake." -- Larry Chapp, author of Confession of a Catholic Worker: Our Moment of Christian Witness "This is an incisive and insightful book that goes well beyond the typical 'rally the troops' political attempts that would leave us with just one more partisan tribe to stand against the others from a position of enmity. Instead, Craycraft diagnoses how Catholics in America have, by and large, unwittingly accepted the belief that subjective individual rights stand above all else. He calls for a renewal of the theological, spiritual, and political imagination toward a truly common good, which is both 'common' and 'good.' He shows how this requires a thoroughgoing formation of disciples who see and act differently, offering a healing rather than a contentious vision for a divided nation." -- Leonard J. DeLorenzo, University of Notre Dame "Whether we like it or not, American Catholics are initiated in the values of modern liberalism and too often schooled by our preferred political party rather than the wisdom of the Church. Citizens Yet Strangers offers a vigorous -- and much needed -- inoculation against this de-formation with the clarifying truths of Catholic Social Doctrine. Masterfully articulated by a long-time teacher, this thin volume would be the perfect spine for a course on the Church's social teachings. In the best of all worlds, it would be read by every Catholic in America. Highly recommended!" -- Erika Bachiochi, Ethics and Public Policy Center