Summaries / Resúmenes - Studia Moralia

278 REVIEWS / RECENSIONESconsistent theoretical foundations the rest of the moral theologicaledifice collapses.Because it does not reach precise conclusions the reader will beleft with questions to ponder. A major one, in my view, is whetherthe term ‘fundamental moral theology” is still useful. The movefrom the “general moral theology” of the manuals in use beforeVatican 11 to the “fundamental moral theology” of current manualsand textbooks has not been satisfactory. This can be seen in the continuingtension around the meaning of what is considered “objective”and “subjective” in moral discourse. None will deny that moraltheology must somehow combine both. While the older manualsgave priority to the “objective” as identifiable in precise actions, thenewer manuals are more attentive to the “subjective” as a constitutiveelement of moral argument. This is one problem in the movefrom the general moral theology of the older manuals to the fundamentalmoral theology of the newer. It may be better to talk of thefoundations of the Christian moral life in order to give a fresh impetusto the debate. Doing this would allow a discussion of the type ofquestions that are at the centre of Bonandi’s preoccupation such asthe theological nature and theoretic consistency of moral discourse.I am however suggesting something more than a simple change ofterminology. The problems facing our discipline are not only thetheoretic ones identified by Bonandi: there is, to take an easy example,the widespread abandonment of Christian morality on the pastorallevel (which, to be fair, Bonandi briefly alludes to on p. 323).Why one studies moral theology will have a significant impact onwhat one considers important in that study, and how much shouldbe included in a textbook or manual. There are different reasons tostudy moral theology, and this will emerge in the legitimate theologicalvariety in moral systems of thought. I judge Bonandi’s book tobe a very useful stimulus to those who study moral theology inorder to understand its theoretic components. From my perspective,it presents a particular challenge to those who study moral theologyfrom the aspect of the practical questions presented in pastoral contexts.This type of moral theology is in particular need of a morethorough exposition of the foundations of the Christian moral lifeon which subsequent arguments in precise contexts are proposed.RAPHAEL GALLAGHER, C.SS.R.