The Modern Boethius

Excited to announce that my first authored book, To His Face: Indefectibility & the Problem of Dissent, is finally out! 📚🎉 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face.” (Galatians 2:11) When may a Catholic withhold assent from the teaching of the Church? Progressives appeal to conscience, traditionalists to Tradition. In To His Face, I argue that both can fall into the same error of making themselves the final judge of the Church’s teaching. The book examines the authority of the Magisterium, the limits of theological dissent, and the Church’s indefectibility as the foundation of trust in her teaching office. Theologians may raise difficulties and seek clarification, but they cannot claim the authority to overrule the Church’s doctrinal judgments. The book grew out of a 10,000-word exchange with Dr. Matthew Levering about the Church’s teaching authority and the problem of dissent. It examines what Christ’s promises to the Church mean for questions of conscience, obedience, and fidelity to the Magisterium. I’m especially grateful to Dr. Robert Fastiggi, who wrote the foreword and provided detailed notes on the manuscript, and to Emmett O’Regan, who wrote the afterword and offered suggestions that strengthened the argument. 🙏 My thanks also to Mike Lewis and Where Peter Is, where I’ve been grateful to write, and to Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, and En Route Books and Media for bringing the book into print. And a special thank-you to my parish community at the Baltimore Basilica, where my faith has been nourished and I’ve made many good friends. Available in print, on Kindle, and as an audiobook. Purchase links are here. 👇 📚 Print edition a.co/d/0fTt86Dm 📱 Kindle edition a.co/d/0jfK8aLR 🎧 Audiobook a.co/d/0aJTyK4s Thank you for reading and supporting my work! Here’s what a few scholars and authors had to say in recommending the book. 🙌 ⸻ “Andrew Likoudis here takes up one of the most important topics facing the Church. … Likoudis, along with scholars such as Robert Fastiggi and Emmett O’Regan, has staked out a constructive position that requires careful consideration by all who seek the good of Christ’s Church as obedient spiritual sons and daughters of the pope.” Matthew Levering, PhD James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary ⸻ “Andrew Likoudis offers a penetrating and comprehensive exposition of the principles governing the relationship between the theologian and the Magisterium.” Rocco Buttiglione Friend and trusted collaborator of Pope St. John Paul II, member of the Pontifical Academies of Social Sciences and St. Thomas Aquinas ⸻ “Andrew Likoudis offers a masterful analysis of the very issue that concerned St Paul VI in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, namely dissent against the teaching authority of the papal Magisterium.” Stephen Walford Author of Pope Francis, the Family and Divorce: In Defense of Truth and Mercy (Paulist Press), with a preface by Pope Francis ⸻ “A clear, concise, and measured contribution to the pervasive discourse on obedience in today’s ecclesial atmosphere.” Andrew Mioni Author of The Sacrifice of Praise: Liturgical Debates and the Fundamentals of Worship ⸻ “Andrew Likoudis offers us careful analysis of assent and dissent within the Church, mindful of the interaction between the different levels of the Magisterium, as discerned in the lives of the faithful. He does this in full consciousness of the presence of the Word Incarnate, the face of Him whom we seek in all discernment and in every act of assent.” Very Reverend Canon Francis V. Tiso, PhD Former Associate Director, USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs ⸻ “It is remarkable how Likoudis has produced a text accessible to the layperson, rich enough for the seasoned theologian, and, above all, timely for our situation.” Suan Sonna Director of Apologetics, Diocese of Bridgeport, CT