Lexington Books Toward a Catholic Theology of Nationality

Nationality continues to be an important part of how people identify themselves and others. "Who am I?" is inseparable from the question "Who and what are we?" Historically, many nations have made use of the Bible and Christian notions to understand themselves and to justify their political ambitions. Catholic theology, however, has never elaborated on a systematic treatment of nationality. Dorian Llywelyn forges a new approach, treating the nation as a form of culture. He addresses some key questions: How are the religious and national aspects of human identity connected? What does Catholic doctrine have to say about nationality and nationalism? Is there really such a thing as a Christian nation? Is Catholicism compatible with patriotism? Llywelyn's wide-ranging book introduces the reader to contemporary approaches to nationality, nationality, national identity, nationalism and patriotism. Drawing from the insights of sociology, history, and anthropology, he investigates the many ways in which nations and Christianity have intertwined and explores what scripture and twentieth-century papal teaching have to say on the matter. He provides an original, Catholic theology of national belonging, one which is based on the implications of the Incarnation. Examining popular devotions to the Virgin Mary as national patroness and drawing from the metaphysical acumen of the medieval thinker John Duns Scotus, Llywelyn argues for the theological value of nationality and proposes that global community and cultural and national diversity are mutually necessary values. Review If the title of a book should indicate precisely what it is about, then Toward a Catholic Theology of Nationality is a perfect example. The theme is nationality, the discipline is theology, and the perspective is Roman Catholic. With a masterful weaving of these three skeins, Llywelyn offers fresh and pathbreaking insights into a much-neglected field, and his book will remain an indispensable reference for future research....Gracefully written, meticulously researched, and richly insightful.--Journal of the American Academy of Religion Every now and then a book comes out and fills a huge gap of knowledge, and Toward a Catholic Theology of Nationality is certainly one of these. 'Nationality' is a concept as slippery as a jellyfish, as Llywelyn points out, and to pin it down and relate it to the whole gamut of Christian doctrines--from Christology to ecclesiology to Mariology--is a veritable intellectual tour de force. With rare theological depth, Llywelyn convincingly shows that the question of nationality is not simply a matter of ethics and politics but must be deeply rooted in Catholic beliefs about God and redemption. Insightful, challenging, and wide-ranging, this book is a must-read in any course on Catholic social teaching and on politics.--Peter C. Phan, Georgetown University Llywelyn has essayed a daunting task: to build, where there has been none before, a coherent Catholic theology of the nation and nationality. His book is learned, nuanced, and quite original. He dialogues, closely, with the social sciences and history on the reality of a nation. He draws on post-Vatican II documents and a new focus on the church and culture and links them, very originally, to the doctrines of the Incarnation, the theology of the relation of nature to grace, and the Trinity. In the end, Llywelyn both validates an authentic sense of nation and avoids any idolatrous substitution of nation for religion. An important book not only for theologians but for those concerned with the ethics of nationhood.--John A. Coleman S.J., Casassa Professor of Social Values, Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles About the Author Dorian Llywelyn, S.J. is associate professor in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.