In No Bigger Than Necessary (Meridian, 1977), the late Andrew Greeley described what he saw as the essence of the Catholic social vision. As was his wont, Greeley also took a number of verbal pot shots at those with whom he disagreed. Among his targets were proponents of post-conciliar Catholic social thought (CST) that were influenced by the churches of the Global South. Greeley thought the more recent teachings had forsaken a vital element of CST, namely the emphasis upon intermediate associations that stood between the large forces of the state and the market. He lamented a distinctive element of the tradition was being lost.
Somewhere Greeley must be smiling. Matthew A. Shadle, in a more nuanced and theologically informed style than Greeley, has made an argument for restoring “those communities characterized by relationships of mutuality, reciprocity, and self-giving” (21) through the adoption of an organicist, communitarian social vision that he tracks as a constant theme within CST. This is not the only element in Shadle's project for “interrupting capitalism,” but it is a vital one.
The metaphor of interruption is borrowed from the Belgian theologian Lieven Boeve, who contrasts a theology of interruption with theologies of continuity or discontinuity. The former refer to those theologies that “affirm a fundamental continuity between the Christian faith and modern social life.” The latter theologies “interpret modernity as essentially a rejection of the Christian worldview” (17). Shadle summarizes Boeve: “Interruption is an encounter with divine mystery that the Christian believer interprets in light of the Christian narrative, but that cannot be contained by the believer's prior understanding of his or her faith and therefore pulls the believer toward a deeper understanding of that faith” (19). The proclamation of the Christian narrative can interrupt history whenever contemporary life closes off opportunities for human flourishing. At the same time, God can interrupt Christians’ inadequate grasp of their own religious tradition through encounters with the other, especially the marginalized, excluded, different other. For Shadle, the way to renew CST is to see it as an interruptive narrative in both of these senses.
The volume begins with two table-setting chapters. The first provides a description of our post-modern world characterized by secularization, pluralism, and individualization. This is the world that CST must address. The second chapter outlines Shadle's methodological approach in the form of three theses proposed for a Catholic understanding of economic life. The first is that a theology of interruption is the best way for Catholics to make sense of contemporary economics. His second thesis is that the organic, communitarian dimension of CST must be revived for a post-modern context. And finally, a critical realist social theory and institutional economics are the appropriate partners when dialoguing with the social sciences.
The major part of the book, chapters 3–15, traces the evolution of CST on twentieth-century economics. Shadle tells the story through three stages. Chapters 3–7 sketch the onset of modern social Catholicism (read: post-integralist) that comes to a climax with what Shadle calls the “aggiornamento framework” of the papacies of John XXIII and Paul VI as well as Vatican II. In chapters 8–12, he analyzes the three main Catholic perspectives on economic life within that framework: liberationist, progressive, and neo-conservative. Shadle's historical narrative concludes with chapters 13–15 examining the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI in which a new “communio framework” was developed in response to post-modernity. Chapter 16, the final chapter, describes how several contemporary American theologians are employing Catholic thinking on economic life from four different perspectives—progressive, neo-conservative, liberationist, and communitarian. The chapter concludes with Shadle's short reprise of his own position, as previewed in chapter 2. A brief six-page conclusion to the book provides commentary on the papacy of Francis.
Throughout the volume, Shadle provides his assessment of the popes and theologians whose writings he examines. He often does this in sub-sections of various chapters that he labels “strengths and weaknesses.” It seems a reasonable way to conclude a review of his book. Under the heading of strengths, there are several to note. The book is well organized, and the author's thesis unfolds logically and is expressed in clear prose. The book is readily accessible to upper-level undergrads (although the cost likely makes it prohibitive as a textbook). Taking engagement with the social sciences seriously, Shadle uses them insightfully, not only economics—as would be expected—but also sociology. He also distinguishes varieties of capitalism and their historical settings. Throughout, Shadle explains his use of terms that admit of various interpretations, such as praxis, liberation, secularization, integralism, etc. Finally, Shadle offers fair readings of those with whom he dialogues, even figures with whom one suspects he deeply disagrees, and offers criticisms of those with whom the reader suspects he largely favors. He provides insightful analyses of the various schools of CST on economics.
Regarding weaknesses, there are none which should be taken as undermining the value of this well-conceived and well-researched volume. My biggest disappointment with the book is the lack of development of Shadle's own position. I find myself in substantial agreement with his argument as I understand it, but I would have liked an extensive final chapter in which he lays out his position in a constructive statement. Instead, the reader is left to do that based on Shadle's assessments of others and an all-too-short closing summary. A second disappointment is the brevity of treatment concerning the papacy of Francis. What I would consider the three major texts where Francis deals with the economy are Evangelii Gaudium, Laudato Si’, and his address to the World Meeting of Popular Movements. All of these were available before the end of 2015, which suggests that Shadle had adequate time to formulate an assessment of Francis and his agenda for CST on economic life.
For readers of this journal, I suspect there will also be disappointment with the cursory treatment of nineteenth-century social Catholicism. Indeed, a good deal of the history provided throughout the book will be familiar to scholars. That is not the strength of the volume. It is the consistently fair and thoughtful reading of a variety of Catholic thinkers on economic life and the wise interpretation of the official documents of CST that make this book well worth the read.
