A Nation for All: How the Catholic Vision of the Common Good Can Save America from the Politics of Division

by Alexia Kelley and Chris Korzen

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470258624
• ISBN13: 9780470258620
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 145 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Much Needed Reminder Today

Not too long ago I watched the DVD Bobby about Bobby Kennedy. The special features after the film captured much of the energy of his campaign with images of crowds made up of African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and of course, Caucasians. Hope abounded. There was the sense of a powerful flow towards the "common good." After watching the DVD I was washed over with a tremendous sadness - my heart asking,"Where has this all gone?" A Nation for All has dibs and dabs of Pentecost in it - windbursts and fire flares that reminded me of the energy at the beginning of the Christian community which had gathered a most unlikely mixture of higher-ups and down and outers, straight-line walkers and beyond-the-pale untouchables, temple-devotees and religious-legaleeze- mockereezes. Yet out of this bunch, a Spirit-empowered community was stitched together into a very visible garment ["See how they love one another!"] whose threads held tight because of common purpose - one mind, one heart, - the good of all, focused on, energized and mobilized by the work of "building the Kingdom." They struggled, they hammered out their unity on the essentials truths, they affirmed and promoted diversity, they formed circles of community without the need of someone being "no. 1" or controlling, or dominating. Thus for a time, they transformed the world into a different place - a place of "life for all." This happened till the Roman Empire fell and The Holy Catholic Church took its place and lost its true purpose and mission. Much of this "institution" no longer lived with one heart, one mind, at the service of the good of ALL. Hierarchy took over. Divisions became the norm. And, although the words were used, it was no longer the Church for All - It was the Western, European Church imposed on all. A Nation for All calls us to a re-imaging of what a nation can be when it becomes once again grounded and aware of where life, life for all, is found, is protected, is promoted, with justice and peace for all. This is a book that needs to be read by many people who are not aware of how they have bought into, and sold out to, culture values that suck out the values that make us fully human and fully alive. And thus in the land of plenty, or rather the land of excess, we die of famine.

A primer on political action for Catholic Progressives

If you are a Catholic and a progressive, but have not been able to find a way to articulate how your values inform your political, A Nation for All, by Chris Korzen and Alexia Kelley is a great book for you. The book serves as a manual for US-based Catholic progressives who want to put their faith into action. The book is well written, well-structured, and more to the point, seeks to provide solutions to serious problems, without getting preachy. Full Disclosure/Bias Alert: I have met Chris Korzen before and sought his advice. The book, written by the executive director of Catholics United and the executive director of Catholics in Alliance see to provide a framework for Catholics to engage in the political process by engaging their values. Importantly, they speak to the broad range of the values in Catholic Social Teaching, not just abortion, gay marriage and stem cells. They make heavy use of the US Bishops' document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship to show the full range of the values important to American Catholics. The book is also well-structured. The first section outlines Korzen and Kelley's vision for the Common Good, and how we might return to a more civil public discourse. The second section is a primer on Catholic Social Teaching, and its breadth and depth. This section is great for anyone looking for an introduction to the history and scope of Catholic Social Teaching. After a brief discussion on the how to navigate the Church/State divide in America, A Nation For All then goes on to discuss the difficulties in being a Catholic Voter and the tough choices that have to be made. Section 5 is the most interesting in the book. It does what most books like this do not. Rather than a philippic against the ills of society, it actually seeks to provide solutions. These solutions acknowledge that we can not wave a magic wand of legislation and solve difficult problems, but show how Catholic voters several way they they and their elected representatives can take steps in the right direction. While this was the most satisfying section of the book, I found myself actually wanting more. A decent model for this is James Carville's book We're Right, They're Wrong, where he lists 10 specific government programs that resulted from progressive politics. This book would benefit from not only more values-based solutions, but more details as well. As a former academic, I would like to see more footnotes and references to source material, but I admit this might be my own bias. In summary, A Nation For All, by Chris Korzen and Alexia Kelley is the perfect book for Catholic values-based progressive looking to articulate how their values can be put into action in the political arena.