"Most of the ... chapters originate in whole or in part in articles first published in ... newspapers and journals. All have been modified or expanded to some degree"--Acknowledgements.

The Church in the world. Waiting in hope -- A church and its critics -- Catholicism in an age of liberalism -- Taking faith seriously -- Sectarianism and culture -- Popes and other mortals. The death of a prophet and the life of a saint -- Where to now for the pilgrim church? -- Gentle man who will rule by the book -- Street fighter for God -- Three nineteenth-century liberals -- Faith and reason. Philosophy in the life of the Church -- Religion, philosophy and faith -- Who's afraid of evolution? -- The Church cannot do without intellectuals -- Europe and the future of Christian humanism -- Ethics, the Church and society. More ethics, less emotion -- Sexuality, ethics and politics -- Scandal in the American Church -- Attending to the faithful in matters of chastity -- Future trends in Christian ethics in Europe -- Beauty, art and education. Art and vocation -- On religious architecture -- Religious art and religious education -- On Catholic schools -- Learning and the mind of God.