Systematic Theology Books : Lectio Publishing

Pope Francis

The Legacy of Vatican II

Newly released, revised and expanded Second Edition!

Christians, some Catholics and Protestants alike, have tended to use Francis’s pronouncements to justify the correctness of their own viewpoints on Vatican Council II and other theological matters. Professor Echeverria has read widely in Francis, and gets at where Francis really stands with respect to Vatican II. He does a thorough job of drawing on Francis’s own pre-papal and papal writings, talks, and sermons to discover and document the continuity in Francis’s thought with the council.

Additionally, Echeverria compares Francis’s discourse with that of his papal predecessors in the era since Vatican II and draws heavily on the Vatican II documents and the theology of doctrinal development stemming from the First Vatican Council and embraced by Vatican II. Not left out is the modern ecumenical movement from both the Reformed and Catholic side.

A text made for seminarians and divinity students, this book is also for those who wish to understand the ‘real’ Pope Francis and his legacy of Vatican II.

ISBN:	978-1-943901-11-1
Format:	6.14x9.21” B&W soft cover
Price:	$ 34.98 USD
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Evangelization: Building and Rebuilding the Kingdom

Issues of Language, Culture, and Conversion

Evangelization isn’t about winning the argument; it’s about winning hearts. Evangelization and conversion are pertinent topics, yet often many liturgical studies lack a good sense of the history of evangelization, and many historical studies lack a liturgical understanding of the methods of conversion. Many of these studies talk about early Christianity or the spread of Christianity to England or Germany or the mission to the New World or the Far East or Africa, yet without much insight as to what was operative in the methods of conversion and evangelization.

While there are many good studies in these areas, an overview with some profundity concerning the initial encounters of evangelization in the various centuries and cultures is yet to be done. We often underplay the importance of translations and how difficult it is to faithfully express texts. Likewise some understanding of the philosophical underpinnings present in the earlier work of evangelization—and with new underpinnings now needed to speak to our times—often is not recognized. Finally, in many recent ecclesial documents that deal with evangelization there is only a cursory presentation of history. This book is intended to bridge such gaps.

ISBN:	978-1-943901-02-9
Format:	6x9” B&W soft cover
Price:	$ 34.95 USD
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The Creed

The Faith That Moves Evolution

No one of us lives without, even unconsciously, seeking for that which gives meaning to our lives, for that which threads together all the lived experiences we have, for that which makes us deep down who we are. Faith, as in the title of this book, is a word which attempts to express such a search and it need not imply a transcendent reality, a beyond. But most of us are led in our search to just such a beyond in order to make sense of the totality of our lived experiences.

This book is clearly written for the Christian believer, yet for those who voyage into the beyond, it does that in a unique way by searching for a deeper understanding of the transcendent in the immanent and, in particular to probe the transcendent by meditating upon our best scientific knowledge of the universe in which we live. The evolutionary character of the universe is a particular ingredient of that probing. This book may serve those searchers who have not yet reached beyond the immanent but are still probing. The author pursues this search by a systematic treatment of the Nicene Creed which has been and remains central to Christian faith since the fifth century.

Yet this is not an analysis of the Creed in the usual sense of the word. It is rather a dynamic and creative rethinking, in light of current knowledge of the universe, of a God who in sharing the love of Father, Son, and Spirit in creation calls all of us to love one another in that Triune God. It is, as the author writes in the Introduction, a consideration of how we “can best participate in God’s work of creation in our 21st century world.”

George V. Coyne, S.J.
McDevitt Chair in Physics, Le Moyne College
Director Emeritus, Vatican Observatory

ISBN:	978-0-9898397-8-5
Format:	6x9” B&W soft cover
Price:	$ 34.95 USD
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Sacramental Theology

50 Years After Vatican II

On the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) much has been written and studied about its enormous and often disputed effect on the Catholic Church. Leading scholars have chosen to honor this momentous occasion with books and articles written between 2013 and 2015 that trace the major issues promulgated at Vatican II. This is one of those books. With pristine logic and order, renowned Franciscan theologian Kenan B. Osborne systematically demonstrates how Council changes in church theology consequently reconstruct sacramental theology in both meaning and celebration.

Dr. Osborne was a scholar of international repute and is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA where he taught for over 30 years.

Fr. Osborne was a frequent guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and the world, mostly recently in China and Korea. He is considered an expert in Christology, the sacraments, the permanent deaconate, post-Vatican II theology, and contemporary and Chinese philosophy.

ISBN:	978-0-9898397-3-0
Format:	6x9” B&W soft cover
Price:	$ 19.95 USD
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