Why does the Catholic Church take a politically conservative stance on some issues, such as abortion and birth control, while on others, such as social programs and nuclear policy, it resembles the left? Why do some Catholic groups reject the legitimacy of Church hierarchy and yet choose to remain within its fold? To explain these apparent contradictions, Gene Burns examines the origins of contemporary diversity and conflict in the Catholic Church as well as the processes of ideological change.

With valuable insights into the American Catholic Church, the modern papacy, and the Latin American Church, The Frontiers of Catholicism is as much a political study of ideological dynamics as it is an institutional study of religious change.

Gene Burns is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Princeton University.

"Burns has written a work of sociology, but with a broad historical sweep."—Peter Hebblethwaite, Times Literary Supplement

"Shifting policies on abortion, birth control, peace and war, the economy, social doctrine and liberation theology are the meat of the book. Mr. Burns even finds a place for the truly unpredictable spiritual element."—John M. Todd, New York Times Book Review

"A solid analysis of tensions in Catholicism and the nature of ideological change. Of interest to students of religious history and the interplay of religious and cultural forces."—Charles H. Lippy, Choice

"The importance of The Frontiers of Catholicism goes far beyond its ostensible topic. . . . Burns has used his topic to develop a conceptual framework that has wide-ranging applications to other instances of ideological development and change. . . . An excellent work, one which will be of interest to anyone studying the intricacies of ideological formation and development."—Patricia Wittberg, Contemporary Sociology

A Notable Book of the Year, 1993, New York Times Book Review