Thoughts on faith, culture, and public life.
By Rod Benson Catholic social teaching (CST) represents one of the most substantial and sustained attempts within modern Christianity to develop a coherent moral framework for political, economic, and social life. Emerging formally in the late nineteenth century but drawing deeply on Scripture, patristic theology, Thomistic philosophy, and ecclesial tradition, CST has sought to navigate …
Continue reading "On the nature and limits of Catholic social teaching"
Christ Preaching in the Synagogue at Nazareth. 14th c. fresco (detail).Visoki Decani Monastery, Kosovo Working in the Sydney CBD, I have often walked past “rough sleepers” on the streets outside the Queen Victoria Building, railway station entrances, and the steps of churches. You’ve probably seen them too. Occasionally, a passer-by will place some spare change …
Papal citizenship, Catholic social teaching, and the politics of conscience By Rod Benson The confirmation that Pope Leo XIV voted in the November 2026 United States midterm elections raises a question that is at once historical, canonical, theological and diplomatic. The Holy See Press Office stated that the pope believes participation in democratic processes to …
Murray River mouth and Coorong lagoon system near Goolwa, South Australia. By Rod Benson One of the most significant principles in Catholic social teaching is the doctrine of subsidiarity. In broad terms, subsidiarity holds that responsibilities should be exercised by persons and smaller communities when they are capable of doing so, while larger institutions should …
Continue reading "Subsidiarity and Uniting Church ecclesiology"
An occasional article by Rod Benson published on EthicsDaily, 18 Dec 2014 The principle of the common good is prominent in Catholic social teaching and applicable to a wide range of social and ethical issues but is not often articulated in Baptist ethical thought and praxis. The notion of the common good appears to have …
