Home Page,Catholic Statues,Church Supplies,Holy Spirit,Family Movies Catholic Videos Catholic Books Catholic Audio CDs Catholic Christian Music Catholic DVD Catholic Software Catholic Gifts Catholic Statues Catholic Church Supplies Marianland Contact Search Marianland Catholic Church
Catholic Statues,Church Supplies,Holy Spirit,Family Movies Catholic Videos,Catholic Documentary Films,Pro Life DVD Videos

 

 

 

Liberty, the God That Failed
Policing the Sacred and Constructing the Myths
of the Secular State, from Locke to Obama

Christopher A. Ferrara

Forward by Patrick McKinley Brennan
642 Pages, plus index
Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-62138-006-1
Price: $29.95 U.S.
ORDER HERE - ORDER INFORMATION

What has gone wrong with the grand American experiment in “ordered liberty”? The liberal’s answer is that America has failed to live up to its full promise of inclusiveness and equality—likely the result of corporate greed and white male ruling elites. The mainstream conservative or libertarian’s reply points to the Warren Court, the 1960’s, a denial of “states’ rights”, or a loss of Constitutional rectitude.

Christopher Ferrara, in Liberty, the God That Failed, offers an entirely different answer. In a counter-narrative of unique power and scope, he unmasks the order promised as a sham; the liberty guaranteed, a chimera. In his telling, the false god of a new political order—Liberty—was born in thought long before America’s founding, and gained increasing devotion as it slowly amassed power during the first two centuries of the nation’s existence. Today it reveals its full might, as we bear the weight of its oppressive decrees, and experience the emptiness of the secular order it imposes upon us.

To many of the West’s cultured despisers, religion as personal motive and social force is inextricably bound up with violence. In the tale modernity tells itself, the secular state saved the West from the depredations of religion, and thereby sowed fertile ground for the boundless achievements of liberal modernity. This myth is tenacious, its unmasking a long, continuous struggle, for the secular state has constructed this story to mask its own violent origins and ongoing displays of force.

Ferrara destroys this myth with a relentless uncovering of truths hidden by both liberal and conservative/libertarian accounts of what has gone wrong. In this brilliant retelling of American history and political life, the author asks us to open our eyes to harsh realities, but also to the possibilities for a rightly ordered society and the true liberty that can still be ours. To read this book is never to think about the modern West and American history in the same way again.

Praise for Liberty, the God That Failed

“Chris Ferrara’s book most persuasively demonstrates that negative liberty is an idol and that liberalism is the last of the ideologies. Indeed he shows that it was the basic ideology hidden behind all the others.”—John Milbank, University of Nottingham, author of Theology and Social Theory

“Opinions will no doubt differ on questions concerning the relationship between theology and liberty in American society, but there is no doubt of the scholarship in this comprehensive genealogy, which makes for a very impressive volume, a volume that should be read by everyone concerned with Christian theology and its political shaping of the society we live in. It is highly readable and an intellectual landmark in Catholic ecclesiastical history.”—Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford

“An absolutely epochal achievement—one of the finest historical studies I have ever read. It is backed by impeccable scholarly research, whose myriad of startling discoveries are pursued with relentless and unanswerable logic, and argued with apostolic zeal in the most accessible language imaginable. Every true son of an America still waiting to be transformed in Christ owes the author a boundless debt of gratitude.”—John Rao (D.Phil., Oxford), Associate Professor of History, St. John’s University

“I have hardly been able to put it down since I opened it. The narrative is compelling from beginning to end and a pleasure to read. Rich in learning and insight, Liberty, the God That Failed is a tour de force—congratulations on a marvelous achievement!”—Patrick McKinley Brennan, John F. Scarpa Chair in Catholic Legal Studies, Villanova University School of Law

“Anyone who cares to know what brought our country to the current state of intimidation and unprecedented government control can find the answers in the idolatrous worship of the Goddess Liberty, which has dominated America’s intellectual and political history from the pre-Revolutionary War era to Modern times. If you do not want to know the truth of our past and prefer to live in the mists of the myth of Liberty, do not read this book.”—Brian M. McCall, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma College of Law

“Alasdair MacIntyre, William Cavanaugh, and John Milbank have written powerfully and trenchantly against the theory and practice of Enlightenment liberalism, but Christopher Ferrara has given us much more than a scholarly critique—this is a learned polemic, in the best sense of the word. Ferrara is a one-man army against the juggernaut of secular liberalism and the Leviathanian state, and in Liberty, the God That Failed, he has struck a decisive blow.”—Thaddeus Kozinski, author of The Political Problem of Religious Pluralism

“A great book, with clear forceful analysis and lots of eye-opening material! This groundbreaking and extremely provocative study is essential reading for Catholics who want to stand back and understand how we ended up where we are today.”—Jim Kalb, author of The Tyranny of Liberalism

“It unearths the visceral anti-Catholicism that accompanied secularism, even in its so-called benign forms. The book is a necessary corrective to those who would put forth the American Proposition as an ideal or who would have recourse to the Founding Fathers, as if within their bosom we could somehow place our temporal hopes.”—Jeffrey J. Langan, Chairman, Program of Liberal Studies, Holy Cross College at Notre Dame

“Can liberty be obtained by rebelling against natural law and its author? In this magisterial work, Dr Ferrara meticulously traces the ancestry of Enlightenment liberty and demonstrates that making a god of liberty failed at conception. The inevitable result was a blow against, not for, true freedom. This comprehensive study of an issue central to modernity is essential reading for any student of modern civil and political society.”—James Bogle, barrister and Chairman of the Catholic Union of Great Britain

About the Author

Christopher A. Ferrara is an attorney and President and Chief Counsel of the American Catholic Lawyers Association, Inc., specializing in First Amendment and civil rights law. He is the author of hundreds of articles and six books, including the widely acclaimed The Church and the Libertarian, a defense of Catholic social teaching, and The Great Facade, a co-authored study of changes in the Church since Vatican II, now considered one of the best treatments of the subject ever written.

 

 

 

Roman Catholic apologetics, theology, philo-sophy, political and social thought, spirituality, history, art, biography, and literature

Dedicated to making the rich tradition of Catholic intellectual and cultural life more available to families, students, and scholars

Mental Disorders and Spiritual Healing
Teachings from the Early Christian East

The Middle Ages

Look to the Land

The Quantum Enigma
Finding the Hidden Key

Cosmos & Transcendence
Breaking Through the Barrier of Scientistic Belief

Philosophy and Theurgy in Late Antiquity

Christian Gnosis

St. Thomas Aquinas - G. K. Chesterton

All Things Made New
The Mysteries of the World in Christ

Theistic Evolution
The Teilhardian Heresy

Science & Myth
With a Response to Stephen Hawking’s The Grand Design

Mathematical Plato

The Religious Poetry of Vladimir Solovyov

Renaissance and Reformation Times

The Book of the Ancient World

The Book of the Ancient Romans

The People of Ancient Israel

The Book of the Ancient Greeks

The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World

Beauty in the Word
Rethinking the Foundations of Education

Liberty, the God That Failed
Policing the Sacred and Constructing the Myths
of the Secular State, from Locke to Obama

Behold the Heritage
Foundations of Education in the Dominican Tradition

Glastonbury
The Novel of Christian England

The Common Mind
Politics, Society and Christian Humanism from Thomas More to Russell Kirk

Heralds of the Second Coming
Our Lady, the Divine Mercy, and the Popes from Blessed Pius IX to Benedict XVI

Ancient Wisdom and Modern Misconceptions
A Critique of Contemporary Scientism

The Power of Four
Keys to the Hidden Treasures of the Gospels

The Tumbler of God
Chesterton as Mystic

The Radiance of Being
Dimensions of Cosmic Christianity

The Discovery of the Mind

The Political and Social Ideas of St. Augustine

The Passionate God

The Rod, the Root and the Flower

Touches of Sweet Harmony
Pythagorean Cosmology and Renaissance Poetics

Liberty or Equality:
The Challenge of Our Time

Against Inclusiveness
How the Diversity Regime is Flattening America and the West and What to Do About It

The Everlasting Man

Prospects for Conservatives

The Way to Our Heavenly Father
A Contemplative Telling of the Lord’s Prayer

Not As the World Gives
The Way of Creative Justice

Through, With, and In Him
The Prayer Life of Jesus and How to Make it Our Own

Our Way and Our Life
Christ in His Mysteries

To Know Christ Jesus

The Cross and the Beatitudes

Christ, the Life of the Soul
Blessed Columba Marmion

With Christ
Blessed Columba Marmion

We and Our Children
How to Make a Catholic Home

Social Theories of the Middle Ages

The Spirit of Catholicism

Compendium of Theology

Theology for Beginners

A Brief Life of Christ

 

 

 

BIBLES
Text of The Third Secret of Fatima Prophecy - Complete Report
Books and Videos on Padre Pio
Videos, DVDs and Books on Sr. Faustina and Divine Mercy with Diary of Sr. Faustina
ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLES - Family Bibles, Spanish Bibles, Church, School and Study Bible Edidions
Bishop Fulton Sheen - Audio Tapes, DVD Videos and Books
THE DOUAY-RHEIMS BIBLE - Now in Larger Print!
Why Should You Read Only the Douay-Rheims Translation of the Bible?

 

 

Home Page / Statues / Crucifixes / Catholic Resources / Catholic Videos / Roman Catholic Books / Catholic Audio Tapes / Christian Music / Catholic News / Angels / Antisemitism / Animated 1 / Animated 2 / Animated for Children - The New Testament / Animated - The Old Testament / Apparitions of Blessed Virgin Mary - Ave Maria / Apologetics / Art Gallery / Audio Tapes / The Beatification of Padre Pio - by Award British Film Director J. Paddy Nolan / Hilaire Belloc / Bible / Bibles / Books on Bible / Bishop Fulton Sheen / Books / Books on Divine Mercy / A Catholic Theme Park / Children and Youth - Animated / Church Documents / Church History / Creation vs Evolution / The Creature from Jekyll Island / Devil - Satan / Catholic Family Resources / Divine Mercy / Diary of Sister Faustina / Dr. Bernard Nathanson / Errors - Problems of Modern Times / Eucharist and the Mass / Family and Marriage / Fr. Aloysius Ellacuria - American Padre Pio / Freemasonry / Garabandal / Gifts / Gods of the New Age / Global Socialist Tyranny / Health / Hell, Heaven and Purgatory / Home Schooling / John Paul II Collection / Joan of Arc / Journeys of the Soul / Latest Message / Marianland / Marian / Marian Videos / Mariology / Charismatic / Marx and Satan / Medjugorje Miracles and the Message / Miracles in Catholic Church / Money System / Mother Teresa / Music / Free Music Samples / Yoga / One World Government / Padre Pio (Videos) / Padre Pio (Books) / Pious Publications / The Priesthood / Pro-Life Videos and DVDs / Pro-Life Books / Prophecy / Prophecy of The Third Secret of Fatima / Rafael's Art Gallery / Prof. Libor Brom / Religious Education-Adult / Catholic Religious Education-Grade School / Religious Education - High School / Rock/Pop Music, MTV, Hollywood and Satan / ROSARY / Saints Part 1 / Saints Part 2 / Saints Part 3 / St. Patrick Apostle of Ireland / Scott Hahn, Kimberly Hahn and Bishop Sheen - Audio CDs and DVDs / Shocking Videos / Spanish Videos / Spiritual Life / Sr. Faustina / Stigmata and Stigmatist / Theology / True Church and Bible / The UN's Crusade Against God and Family / Vatican II / Videos - Main Section / J. Paddy Nolan / Wayne Weible / Latest news / Sin and Repentance / Fr. Faber / Catholic Marian DVD Videos as Seen on EWTN Roman Catholic TV Network of Mother Angelica / Mother Teresa / Text of The Third Secret of Fatima Prophecy / Catholic Books and Audio Tapes

 

 

Home Page