Francis of Assisi and the Future of Faith, Exploring Franciscan Spirituality and Theology in the Modern World

Nearly eight-hundred-years after his death, St. Francis of Assisi remains the most popular saint in all of Christianity. He continues to inspire women and men of all ages, all backgrounds, and from all religious traditions; but how much do people know about the actual spirituality and theology of this great saint? What does this medieval man from Italy, and the religious movement he founded, have to say to a complex, globalized, technologically advanced, and modern world? Daniel P. Horan, OFM, in his latest book, Francis of Assisi and the Future of Faith, answers these questions and more. Returning to the sources and the best of contemporary scholarship, Horan presents a multifaceted approach to questions about the rich meaning and deep significance of the Franciscan spiritual and theological tradition for our present day in three parts. Engaging topics as diverse as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, evangelization in the digital age on Facebook and elsewhere, uniquely Franciscan approaches to ministry, as well as other themes, Horan dedicates the first part of the book to presenting the contemporary relevance of the Franciscan tradition for the modern world in an intelligent and accessible way. In the second part of the book, Horan presents illuminating original research and introduces readers to a wealth of insight and inspiration found in the broader Franciscan spiritual and theological tradition. The last part of the book features an exciting introduction to the influence of the Franciscan tradition on Pope Benedict XVI and in-depth look at the pope's twelve public addresses on the Franciscan tradition. Daniel P. Horan, OFM is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province in New York and is completing a Ph.D. in systematic theology at Boston College. He previously taught in the Department of Religious Studies at Siena College near Albany, New York, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Thomas Merton Society.