John Fletcher's "Reflections on the Spirit of Religious Controversy" and John Carroll: Apologists Both
In 1808, Archbishop John Carroll organized a subscription for the New York publication of a book by an English priest, John Fletcher. Carroll claimed personally to have read the volume four times, and was convinced that as an apologetic for Roman Catholicism it was an extraordinary and valuable rejo...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2008
|
| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2008, Volume: 119, Issue: 2, Pages: 71-90 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In 1808, Archbishop John Carroll organized a subscription for the New York publication of a book by an English priest, John Fletcher. Carroll claimed personally to have read the volume four times, and was convinced that as an apologetic for Roman Catholicism it was an extraordinary and valuable rejoinder to Protestant assaults on the ancient faith. Carroll had cautiously published a small, circumspect, yet firm apologetical volume over twenty years earlier. Much, of course, had occurred in the circumstances of the church, both in England and in the United States since the 1780s. But, why did Carroll, as it were, re-enter the apologetical lists in 1808? What was it that caught his eye in Fletcher's book? In particular, was it enough in his estimation to triumph theologically and intellectually in apologetical conflict? Was there something more to an explanation of the faith than the self-satisfaction of pointing out the inaccuracies, ignorances, and incivilities of one's sectarian opponents? Might that something else be an embrace of God's grace fortifying one's faith and hope, and a consequent overflowing charity towards one's fellows? |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
|