Garry Wills is a historian and the author of the New York Times bestsellers What Jesus Meant, Papal Sin, Why I Am a Catholic, and Why Priests?, among others. A frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books and other publications, Wills is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a professor emeritus at Northwestern University. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.
Praise for The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis **A
USA Today "New and Noteworthy" Pick** "A lively exercise in church
history--history intended to orient us in the here and now. It is
addressed not only to Catholics but to the entire church as the
People of God, ' . . . and to anyone else--practicing another
religion or emphatically not--who is curious to learn how one of
our foremost historians and public intellectuals understands his
faith."
-- The Chicago Tribune "The church, Wills argues, may act like it
never changes. But in the pages of this book, he shows us that it
can. . . .Wills's historical chops are on vivid display in his new
title: he can zip from the church's distortion of the stories of
early martyrs to contemporary battles over the use of Latin in
liturgy. . . . He writes for a wide audience of skeptics, doubters,
and questioners."
-- The Guardian "We are two years into a new papal era...[Francis]
is unsettling the church--in order to set it aright. Garry Wills's
new book is a valuable compass for this new terrain." -- The
Washington Post "Wills thinks deeply, and then goes public with his
thoughts. Not a mission for the faint of heart, especially when it
comes to the Roman Catholic Church. Wills is both a lifelong member
of the church, and one of its fiercest critics. His current
preoccupation is with Pope Francis. . . . Wills has high hopes for
the new pope's ability to shine a light into the dark corners of
the church, but he's under no illusion that it will be easy. . . .
This book is not so much about Pope Francis as an informed look at
the Catholic Church and the challenges he faces. Whether you are
religious or not, it's a subject worth paying attention to."
-- The Seattle Times
"Wills ranges widely through the Catholic past. . . [his book]
provides a comprehensive. . . and eye-opening account of a pivotal
period in recent American social history."
--The Los Angeles Review of Books "Wills turns his sword on certain
beliefs, some of which have been reformed, but whose influence
lingers in the dark corners of chanceries. . . . Wills speaks not
from left field, but from inside the church, a regular Massgoer
with a devotion to the rosary."
--National Catholic Reporter "Wills discusses the reforms that
Francis, the world's first Jesuit pope and the first from the
Americas, has implemented but also places them in a larger context
of a church that has undergone far more change over the past 2,000
years than many might realize."
-- The Austin American Statesman
"Beautifully conceived and wrought essays that systematically
address the wrongheadedness of the Catholic Church over
centuries--and the space therein for Francis' long-needed reforms.
A pope determined to admit change and renounce 'infallibility'--is
this possible? Pulitzer Prize-winning intellectual and leading
Catholic scholar Wills is guided by his close scholarly readings of
the Gospels, as well as by modern commentators, examining how the
church can right itself--as it has repeatedly over the ages in the
face of bad decisions . . . A welcome, thoughtful menu for the new
pope on how to proceed with reform."
-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Is it possible, or even
prudent, for an institution that has survived for 2,000 years to
change? The Catholic Church, according to Wills, has changed
substantially over the course of its existence and must continue to
do so . . . [Wills] presents fascinating historical snapshots of
the church throughout its history and illustrates the shifts it has
navigated, from adopting and then dismissing universal Latin for
its liturgical language to rejecting its embedded anti-Semitism at
the Second Vatican Council . . . well researched, [Wills] offer[s]
valuable insights into the contemporary political landscape."
--Publishers Weekly Praise for Garry Wills: "Garry Wills is not
only one of the country's most distinguished intellectuals but also
one of its most provocative."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Wills brings to bear the skills that have justly brought him
renown as America's greatest public intellectual: encyclopedic
erudition, concise prose and a polyglot's gift for languages."
--The Chicago Tribune
"Garry Wills is simultaneously one of this country's leading public
intellectuals and American Catholicism's most formidable lay
scholar."
--Los Angeles Times Praise for Why Priests? A NEW YORK TIMES
BESTSELLER "Wills draws on his expertise in classical languages and
his wide reading in ecclesiastical history to argue that the
Catholic/Orthodox priesthood has been one long mistake."
--The Washington Post "How. . .did priests become dominant and then
essential in Catholic Christianity? And why, Wills asks, in this
provocative [and] historically rich . . . book, does the Vatican
continue to sustain such falsehoods? . . . [C]rucially informative
and enlightening."
--The New Republic "Pulitzer Prize winner Wills, a venerable voice
on church history, thought and practice, provides a stunning
critique of the Roman Catholic priesthood."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred) "Using his linguistic skills and his
impressive command of both secondary literature and patristic
sources, Wills raises doubts aplenty about 'the Melchizedek myth, '
and the priestly claims for Jesus in the 'idiosyncratic' Epistle to
the Hebrews ... His final chapter is a model of elegant simplicity,
a contrast (intended or not) to the flummery often associated with
his own church ... 'There is one God, and Jesus is one of his
prophets, ' Wills concludes, 'and I am one of his millions of
followers.' For those millions, scattered across time and space,
that's an affirmation worthy of celebration."
--The New York Times Book Review "Do we really need Catholic
Priests? Wills, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Why I Am a
Catholic, dares to pose this controversial question[.] . . . One
cannot help but be impressed with this brilliant work written by a
scholar whose love for the Church compels him to make it
better."
--Publishers Weekly
Praise for "The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope
Francis"
**A "USA Today " New and Noteworthy Pick**
A lively exercise in church history history intended to orient us
in the here and now. It is addressed not only to Catholics but to
the entire church as the People of God, . . . and to anyone else
practicing another religion or emphatically not who is curious to
learn how one of our foremost historians and public intellectuals
understands his faith."
" The Chicago Tribune"
The church, Wills argues, may act like it never changes. But in the
pages of this book, he shows us that it can. . . .Wills s
historical chops are on vivid display in his new title: he can zip
from the church s distortion of the stories of early martyrs to
contemporary battles over the use of Latin in liturgy. . . . He
writes for a wide audience of skeptics, doubters, and
questioners.
" The Guardian"
We are two years into a new papal era [Francis] is unsettling the
church in order to set it aright. Garry Wills s new book is a
valuable compass for this new terrain. " The Washington Post"
Wills thinks deeply, and then goes public with his thoughts. Not a
mission for the faint of heart, especially when it comes to the
Roman Catholic Church. Wills is both a lifelong member of the
church, and one of its fiercest critics. His current preoccupation
is with Pope Francis. . . . Wills has high hopes for the new pope s
ability to shine a light into the dark corners of the church, but
he s under no illusion that it will be easy. . . . This book is not
so much about Pope Francis as an informed look at the Catholic
Church and the challenges he faces. Whether you are religious or
not, it s a subject worth paying attention to.
"-- The Seattle Times
"
"Wills ranges widely through the Catholic past. . . [his book]
provides a comprehensive. . . and eye-opening account of a pivotal
period in recent American social history."
--"The Los Angeles Review of Books"
Wills turns his sword on certain beliefs, some of which have been
reformed, but whose influence lingers in the dark corners of
chanceries. . . . Wills speaks not from left field, but from inside
the church, a regular Massgoer with a devotion to the rosary.
--"National Catholic Reporter"
Wills discusses the reforms that Francis, the world s first Jesuit
pope and the first from the Americas, has implemented but also
places them in a larger context of a church that has undergone far
more change over the past 2,000 years than many might realize.
" The Austin American Statesman"
Beautifully conceived and wrought essays that systematically
address the wrongheadedness of the Catholic Church over centuries
and the space therein for Francis' long-needed reforms. A pope
determined to admit change and renounce infallibility is this
possible? Pulitzer Prize-winning intellectual and leading Catholic
scholar Wills is guided by his close scholarly readings of the
Gospels, as well as by modern commentators, examining how the
church can right itself as it has repeatedly over the ages in the
face of bad decisions . . . A welcome, thoughtful menu for the new
pope on how to proceed with reform.
" Kirkus Reviews "(starred review) Is it possible, or even prudent,
for an institution that has survived for 2,000 years to change? The
Catholic Church, according to Wills, has changed substantially over
the course of its existence and must continue to do so . . .
[Wills] presents fascinating historical snapshots of the church
throughout its history and illustrates the shifts it has navigated,
from adopting and then dismissing universal Latin for its
liturgical language to rejecting its embedded anti-Semitism at the
Second Vatican Council . . . well researched, [Wills] offer[s]
valuable insights into the contemporary political landscape.
" Publishers Weekly"
Praise for Garry Wills: Garry Wills is not only one of the country
s most distinguished intellectuals but also one of its most
provocative.
" The New York Times BookReview"
Wills brings to bear the skills that have justly brought him renown
as America s greatest public intellectual: encyclopedic erudition,
concise prose and a polyglot s gift for languages.
" The Chicago Tribune"
Garry Wills is simultaneously one of this country s leading public
intellectuals and American Catholicism s most formidable lay
scholar.
" Los Angeles Times"
Praise for "Why Priests?" A "NEW YORK TIMES "BESTSELLER
Wills draws on his expertise in classical languages and his wide
reading in ecclesiastical history to argue that the
Catholic/Orthodox priesthood has been one long mistake.
"The Washington Post"
How. . .did priests become dominant and then essential in Catholic
Christianity? And why, Wills asks, in this provocative [and]
historically rich . . . book, does the Vatican continue to sustain
such falsehoods? . . . [C]rucially informative and
enlightening.
"The New Republic"
Pulitzer Prize winner Wills, a venerable voice on church history,
thought and practice, provides a stunning critique of the Roman
Catholic priesthood.
"Kirkus Reviews"(starred)
Using his linguistic skills and his impressive command of both
secondary literature and patristic sources, Wills raises doubts
aplenty about the Melchizedek myth, and the priestly claims for
Jesus in the idiosyncratic Epistle to the Hebrews His final chapter
is a model of elegant simplicity, a contrast (intended or not) to
the flummery often associated with his own church There is one God,
and Jesus is one of his prophets, Wills concludes, and I am one of
his millions of followers. For those millions, scattered across
time and space, that s an affirmation worthy of celebration.
"The New York Times Book Review"
Do we really need Catholic Priests? Wills, Pulitzer Prize winner
and author of"Why I Am a Catholic, "dares to pose this
controversial question[.] . . . One cannot help but be impressed
with this brilliant work written by a scholar whose love for the
Church compels him to make it better.
"Publishers Weekly" "From the Hardcover edition.""
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