Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Nietzsche's Challenge to the Faith and Benedict XVI's "Existentialist" Response 1

Part 1 Core Concepts of the Christian Faith Life

2 Putting out into the Deep: Christian Spirituality and the Call to Holiness 17

3 Rules of the Game: Obedience and True Freedom 33

Part 2 Benedict XVI on the Theological Virtues

4 Faith (I) : Seeking Understanding and Taking a Stand 53

5 Faith (II) : Obedience to What Precedes Us and What Being a Christian Really Means 84

6 Hope (I) : The Church's Vision of Cosmic Transubstantiation and Redemptive Suffering 100

7 Hope (II) : The Mysteries That Make Hope Possible and Their Implications for Our Lives 121

8 Charity (I) : God's Love and Our Response in Truth 143

9 Charity (II) : Integral Ecology and Man's Place in Creation 169

Part 3 Benedict XVI in Dialogue with Other Contemporary Thinkers

10 Salvation by Allegiance, Not Certainty: How to Believe Biblically 197

11 "Ironic" Belief: The Christian Story and Apologetics in a Secular Age 217

12 Conclusion: The Beauty of Life in Christ: Faith's Ultimate Apologia 239

Bibliography 267

Index 279