Books by Gabriel Moran

America is five hundred years old; the United States is less than half that age. The term America was coined in 1507 to refer to a continent and a dream of a new world. People in the United States, especially government leaders, have a serious problem of regularly speaking as if their country were America. Author Gabriel Moran reflects on the use of the word America in the United States from its beginning to the present. He cites numerous examples to show the importance of distinguishing between the United States and America. The result is a different way of perceiving and understanding the history of the United States. This book is especially relevant to the current political division within the United States and some of the missteps in its foreign policy. The failure to consistently distinguish between the nation of the United States and the continent and dream America underlies nearly every political, cultural and economic problem that the country faces.

The concept of the ""uniqueness"" of Christianity often blocks attempts at dialogue with other religions. Traditionally, the argument goes: if Christianity is unique, then to dialogue with others somehow diminishes the weight of the claim that Jesus and the Gospel are unique. But what if ""uniqueness,"" properly defined, actually constitutes the key for understanding both Jewish and Christian traditions? Author Gabriel Moran frames his analysis of ""uniqueness"" by discussing the implications of that question.In this fluent and conversational work, Moran examines the paradox surrounding the concept of ""uniqueness"" in Christian and Jewish religious traditions. He uncovers the layers of meaning that accrue in a word that is in some sense both illogical and yet indispensable for human religious conversation. Tracing a logic of uniqueness embodied in ""revelation,"" ""faith,"" ""chosenness,"" ""covenant,"" and ""mediator,"" Moran opens a conversation between Jews and Christians that will lead readers to greater wisdom and religious depth.

Well-known religious educators Maria Harris and Gabriel Moran challenge the religious education community to risk change. Focusing on themes of foundations, development, spirituality, and a wider world, Harris and Moran discuss issues such as gender, death and dying, and both interreligious and international...

Are human beings naturally violent? Is war the fate of the human race? Despite the depressing record of the past, the worlds future depends upon avoiding war and drastically reducing violence. Living Nonviolently: Language for Resisting Violence examines carefully the language of violence and war. One of the first casualties of violence is language, which in turn makes resistance to violence difficult to articulate. In the first four chapters, Gabriel Moran proposes distinctions for the interconnected ideas of force, power, aggressiveness, violence. and warnot to invent a new and logical language but to ground the meaning of these terms in our human experience. That revitalization of ordinary language depends upon an inclusive language of men and women, adults and children, human and nonhuman animals. The fifth chapter locates the potential for both encouraging violence and resisting violence in the peculiar logic of religion. Jesus Sermon on the Mount is commonly invoked by people who say that nonviolence may be an admirable ideal for a few people but it is irrelevant for most people and for all nations; in this chapter, Moran examines the widely misunderstood sermon in detail to illustrate its potential for resisting violence. For a conclusion, he discusses practical means of education that are helpful to reaching some understanding of violence and resistance to violence. Living Nonviolently is written for scholars in peace studies, political philosophy, or religious studies and for anyone who wishes to understand the roots of violence and war.

Speaking of Teaching: Lessons from History focuses on teaching as a fundamental act of all human beings, viewing the question of teaching through the lens of five famous thinkers and two contemporary problems. Moran argues that teaching is not given the attention that it deserves and proposes to situate school teaching in the context of many forms of teaching. Tracing the history of the idea of teaching from Socrates to Wittgenstein in the first several chapters, this book also examines the intricacies of teaching morality and religion, showcasing society's ambivalence about teaching.