"Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life, the common good of the family or of the State." -- St. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae

St. Augustine wrestled with the conflict between living as a devout Christian and surviving in a world where violence was an all-too-familiar reality. With stirring reasoning, scenarios, and facts, Rick Barrett will help you weigh the challenges and responsibilities regarding the morality of self-defense. From sixteenth-century England to present-day America, you will see what the law states regarding whether one is permitted to stand his ground or obligated to retreat.

Sure to spark debate, The Armed Catholic answers questions such as: Should only those with legitimate authority bear firearms, or are citizens morally permitted to as well? Did the Church ever endorse pacifism? Does the Catechism of the Catholic Church support the right to self-defense? What does the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops say about gun control?

In a post-modern Church that seems more concerned with modernity than eternity, Barrett breaks open what the Catholic Church and her popes have believed about self-defense since the 1500s and the continuity of her teaching. He further lays out St. Thomas Aquinas's thoughts on self-defense and the use of force. Moreover, he examines how these principles bear some similarities with the morality of Just War principles, according to St. Augustine, and explains the intention that should never drive an individual to either.

Within these thought-provoking pages, you will also find:

● Five principles to consider in evaluating the right to bear arms
● What the Church teaches about proportionality and necessity
● Whether the legality of self-defense contrasts with the Church's teaching
● Three criteria that must be met for a Just War, according to St. Augustine
● The true origins of Liberation Theology (you will be shocked!)
● The three duties of the pope to the Church (can you guess?)

Although the weight of taking another person's life seems unbearable, these insightful pages will help you apply ethical principles in understanding what is moral and what is not. In the words of St. Augustine, "Though defensive violence will always be 'a sad necessity' in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men."