News: Charles Taylor

“The entire Church operates in a superior manner when its political leaders, its scholars, and  its regular members reflect and act with some degree of competency and unanimity on a given matter.”

Charles Taylor, professor emeritus of philosophy at McGill University and winner of  the 2007 Templeton Prize for Progress toward Research or Discovery about Spiritual Realities, is but one example of the importance of scholars in the contemporary Church. The fact he is a layman has serious implications for the entire Church. As a layman he is free of Church control, in many important ways.

The Roman Catholic Church is a voluntary association of men and women. These people can be subdivided into a variety of categories, including political leaders, the bishops, scholars and regular members. Each of these groups is vital to the operation of the Church. Church scholars play a vital role in its operation and they consist  of both laypersons and the clergy. For obvious reasons, the laypersons are freer of institutional control than the clergy, and that makes a large difference in many, although not all, cases.

In recent issues of Commonweal magazine, articles have been published that are authored by Charles Taylor. One of these articles is titled “Sex and Christianity.” This is a timely subject of great complexity and interest. A scholar who is a layperson can be presumed to have a firsthand knowledge of many issues connected with that state of beiing.  Charles Taylor is a widowed father of five daughters, and a remarried man. These are among the reasons he has credibility in the area.

The entire Church operates in a superior manner when its political leaders, its scholars, and  its regular members reflect and act with some degree of competency and unanimity on a given matter. The above mentioned matter seems to justify this opinion.