God... Jesus... Religion...

The following essays are largely based on the continuing education programs which Father Edmund Hussey has given during the years of his retirement as a pastor and seminary professor. The Second Vatican Council ushered in a period of great change in our apparently unchanging Church. Historical studies became important, indeed essential for theologians and biblical scholars. Archaeological excavations, cultural anthropology, the recovery of long-lost ancient manuscripts and the art of textual criticism continue to give us a much clearer picture of our past. This clearer picture of the past often challenges what we have been taught or at least the way in which some teachings have been presented to us. In some areas there is now a wide gap between what many educated Catholics believe and what they have been taught to believe. These essays not only try to help others know where we are but also help them understand how we got here and where we might be going.