Denver Catholic

more than emotivism or ideology ... Again and again, we see that belief in the Logos — or at least an acknowledgement that it is a more plausible position that assertions that all is flux or that everything begins in noth- ingness — is crucial for preserving the West's civilization achievements from the rule and consequences of irrationality" (147). Gregg offers an appeal to preserve liberty and justice by continuing the great tradition of allowing reason and faith to speak harmoniously to us about the order of the universe and integrity of human life. After two hundred years of a mostly secular culture, it can be hard to think about politics from a deeply Catholic perspective. For a Christian, however, everything must be viewed in light of our one final end, the pur- pose of our lives that gives meaning to all that we do. St. John Vianney Seminary's Dr. Alan Fimister, along with his co-author Father Thomas Crean, has written a clear and accessible articulation of the Church's tra- ditional teaching on the political life in Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy (Editiones Scholasticae, 2020). Integralism is a controversial term, as many Catholics find integrating faith and politics to be not only outdated but also dangerous for the possibility of the entanglement of faith and politics. To this, Fimister and Crean argue "that every temporal matter has reference to spiritual ends" and finds its purpose and fulfill- ment in God (243). Integralism "is used to denote an uncompromising adherence to the Social Kingship of Christ, that is, an insistence upon the moral duty of men and societies toward the true religion and toward the one Church of Christ" (5-6). Rather than speaking of Church and State, kept separate in the modern world, the authors refer the spiritual and temporal powers of the Church, the latter of which we call "Chris- tendom," or "Christianitas ... the society of Christians as subject to the jurisdiction of temporal rulers" (216). The book treats topics such as the family, economics, law, and international relations, focused not simply on the status quo but on how things should be from a Christian perspective. Though certainly provocative at times, Integralism provides a helpful means of contemplating the kind of society we need to build if we are to overcome our current crisis. The Church helped build Western civilization ... That civilization, however, has been tottering under unrelenting attacks, as modern thinkers and politicians have driven a wedge between faith and reason and sought to replace it with utopian dreams of continual, material progress." DR. R. JARED STAUDT "

• Cover