Fundamentalism at Home and Abroad

Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, is codirector of Refounding and Pastoral Development, a research ministry, in Sydney, Australia. An award-winning author, he is internationally known for his expertise in helping church leaders minister effectively in a postmodern world. In 2011 he presented the Martin D’Arcy, SJ, Lectures at Oxford University. His many books include Healthcare Ministry; Violence, Society, and the Church; Laughing with God; Culture, Inculturation, and Theologians; and Catholic Identity or Identities?, all from Liturgical Press.

• ContentsAcknowledgments   ixIntroduction   xiChapter 1Defining Fundamentalism in Our Contemporary World   1Chapter 2Understanding the Cultures of Fundamentalism: The Power of Mythology   30Chapter 3From Cultural Trauma to Fundamentalism: The Role of Religion   62Chapter 4Catholic Fundamentalism: An Analysis   97Chapter 5Islamic Fundamentalism: Responding to Cultural Trauma   125Chapter 6Fundamentalism: Pastoral Responses   162Index   185

"In this short but carefully argued book, veteran cultural anthropologist Gerald Arbuckle tackles one of the major sources of turmoil and violence in our world today–fundamentalism. Someone once remarked, `The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certitude.' Arbuckle not only describes the cultural contexts that generate destructive and deaf certitudes but also proposes many practical and pastoral responses to them."Fr. James Lewis Heft, Alton M. Brooks Professor of Religion, University of Southern California