On the eve of the most important presidential election in decades, A NATION FOR ALL sounds the trumpet to the tens of millions of U.S. Catholics who have refused to buy the notion that people of faith must subscribe to the narrow agenda of the far right. By shining the light of authentic Catholic teaching on pressing contemporary concerns like war, human dignity, poverty, and the looming global climate crisis, this book shows Catholics how their own faith tradition calls them to tackle a sweeping array of issues commonly left out of the faith and politics dialog. Most important, A NATION FOR ALL demonstrates how the core Catholic and Christian belief in promoting the common good can provide Americans of all faith traditions with a much-needed solution to the downward spiral of greed, materialism, and excessive individualism.

On the eve of the most important presidential election in decades, A NATION FOR ALL sounds the trumpet to the tens of millions of U.S. Catholics who have refused to buy the notion that people of faith must subscribe to the narrow agenda of the far right. By shining the light of authentic Catholic teaching on pressing contemporary concerns like war, human dignity, poverty, and the looming global climate crisis, this book shows Catholics how their own faith tradition calls them to tackle a sweeping array of issues commonly left out of the faith and politics dialog. Most important, A NATION FOR ALL demonstrates how the core Catholic and Christian belief in promoting the common good can provide Americans of all faith traditions with a much-needed solution to the downward spiral of greed, materialism, and excessive individualism.

Foreword by Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. viiAcknowledgments xiIntroduction xiii1. The Common Good 1Origins of the Common Good 3A Catholic Vision of the Common Good 4Restoring the Common Good 9Challenges to the Common Good 9Building a Culture of the Common Good 10Rebuilding the Common Good for Our Families, Jobs, and Environment 142. The Catholic Social Tradition 19Surprising or Familiar? 20Key Themes of the Catholic Social Tradition 23The Dignity of the Human Person 24The Common Good 24Solidarity 25Subsidiarity 25The Preferential Option for the Poor 26The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers 26Rights, Responsibilities, Participation 27Universal Destination of Goods 27Stewardship of God's Creation 28Peace 28Popes and Principles 29TheWorkers' Pope: Leo XIII 29The Social Justice Pope: Pius XI 31A Pope for the Common Good: John XXIII 32Engaging the World: Vatican II 33The Human Development Pope: Paul VI 34The Life and Social Justice Pope: John Paul II 35The Pope of Love and Hope: Benedict XVI 37Living the Catholic Social Tradition 393. Church and State 43The Truth About Separation 46A Place for Faith 48The Importance of Compromise 51Church and State in the Catholic Tradition 53Political Compromise and the Culture of Life 574. Voting Catholic 65Catholics and the Religious Right 67Theology and the Politics of Division 73Voting for the Common Good 78Inform Your Conscience 79Use Prudence 79Vote for the Common Good 80Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship 815. An Agenda for the Common Good 83Poverty: The Root of All Problems 86Abortion 92The Global Climate Crisis 96Health Care 98War 100Immigration 1026. Practicing the Common Good 105Conviction or Cowardice? 109Civility or Destruction? 112Compromise or Disengagement? 115Persuasion or Coercion? 118Faith, Politics, and the Future of America 119Resources on Catholic Social Teaching and the Common Good 125Election Day Checklist 137The Authors 139Index 141