Fantastic Interview with Archbishop Chaput's on his Book "Render Unto Caesar, about faith and politics."

Pro Ecclesia had a link and some good commentary about Archbishop Chaput's new book Render Unto Caesar, about faith and politics at InsideCatholic Review of Archbishop Chaput's Book and Different in Kind, Not Merely Degree (he tackles here how issues like State Execution and the If Iraq qas right or Worng is different than the issu of abortion

ALso PLEASE read this fantastic Hugh Hewitt interview with the Archbishop on his book that was done today!!

I know I have a lot of verbage in my posts and always going READ THIS. However I hope all people that come across this little post whether Catholic, Protestant, or non believer read this.

Here are just a few parts:

HH: You know, I think it’s going to discomfort not just liberals, but a lot of conservatives as well. I don’t think you could pigeonhole this as a conservative or liberal book, and I’ve been through it in quite detail. I hope that’s what your assessment is.

CC: Well, you know, people sometimes pigeonhole me as a conservative, and I hope what I am is a Catholic. And I preach the Gospel honestly without compromise, and that cuts to the right and to the left, because the Truth is supposed to set all of us free from our parties and from our prejudices or whatever. So I think people who want to follow the Gospel will offend people on all sides of the political spectrum. ........................

HH: Now you also write, “No one in mainstream American politics wants a theocracy. No one in mainstream public life wants to force uniquely Catholic doctrines into federal law.” I think we should underscore that. That is to me the common opinion of Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormon, all sorts of people who are in politics from a position of faith. But no one I know, I have never actually met anyone who wants a theocracy, but yet that is attributed to people of faith in the public square all the time.

CC: Well, I think people deliberately misrepresent where we stand in order to scare other people about us. I know that Catholics are even cowered by that kind of talk, you know, that we hear the phrase separation of Church and state, and that attracts us, because we know that our country has been strong because it hasn’t had an established religion, or an established church. And so we ourselves hesitate when people accuse us of mingling Church and state. But again, I want to make that distinction – faith and politics is not the same as Church and state. I wholeheartedly embrace separation of Church and state. I don’t want the state to tell the Church what to do, and the Church isn’t about the business of telling the state what to do. But the Church is busy about telling our members to be good citizens, and to work in the public square to create an atmosphere that serves the common good, and protects human dignity. ..............................



Good Stuff. have no doubt this book and what the Archbishop is saying is going to create major waves!!!!

Updated- I have a related post here at Archbishop Chaput Talks Important Louisiana Catholic and Political History in His New Book - Archbishop Rummel Revisited