After the Quiet Revolution, the Catholic church lost its stronghold in Quebec. Despite this decline, or perhaps because of it, contemporary Catholic thought in Quebec exhibits a bold creativity. In Truth and Relevance, Gregory Baum introduces, contextualizes, and interprets Catholic theological writing in Quebec since the 1960s, and presents this body of work for an anglophone readership.

Baum shows how Catholic theologians, inspired by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), uncovered the social meaning in the Christian message, allowing them to address many problems and concerns of contemporary society. With reliance on the Gospel, they supported Quebec's new self-understanding, embraced its nationalism under certain conditions, fostered social solidarity, criticized the unregulated market system, demanded gender equality, and called for respect of new religious and cultural pluralism. Leaving behind the Catholicism of Quebec's past, these theologians embraced the humanistic values of modern society, recognizing their affinity with the Gospel, while at the same time revealing the destructive potential of modernity, its individualism, utilitarianism, relativism, and its link to empire and capitalism.

Weaving together theological and sociological reflections, Truth and Relevance is a fascinating account of modernity, secularism, and the evolution of the Catholic church in Quebec.

Gregory Baum a enseigné la théologie pendant près de trente ans au St. Michael's College de l'Université de Toronto, ainsi qu'à l'Université McGill de Montréal. De 1962 à 1965, il fût expert au concile Vatican II. Auteur de plusieurs livres sur la foi, l'œcuménisme et le développement du magistère romain, il demeure un observateur avisé des enjeux théologiques contemporains. Il est membre du Centre Justice et Foi et collabore encore à diverses revues spécialisées.

Gregory Baum's profile page