In 1979, Charles Curran and Richard McCormick began editing the series Readings in Moral Theology, and Curran has continued the work with various other coeditors since McCormick's death. As readers of prior volumes know, the editors select influential essays representing a variety of perspectives across the theological landscape in order to provide understanding of the current literature. This volume continues the work of bringing “together previously published articles dealing with a common theme” (vii)—this time, the theme of ethics and spirituality. The movement by some theologians to reintegrate ethics and spirituality began before and continued after Vatican II. The fifteen essays collected here indicate the various ways the authors within the last twenty years have responded to the “call for the reintegration of spirituality with ethics” (vii). The editors group the essays in three parts comprising five essays each.

Part 1 looks at the need to reconnect ethics and spirituality. These five essays highlight the distinctiveness and interconnectedness of the two disciplines, as well as the reasons for, challenges to, and possibilities for their reintegration. The editors note that the terminology within the discipline of spirituality is in flux, and readers will note that different notions of spirituality do operate through the collection. Additionally, terms such as morality and ethics are also not used in a uniform manner. However, Mark O'Keefe, Norbert Rigali, and Richard Gula all provide parameters for the terms morality, ethics, and spirituality in their essays. In so doing, they provide helpful frameworks for analyzing how other essayists use the terms.

Part 2 “shows how a more integrated ethics and spirituality reshape traditional concepts” (ix). The essays in this section explore questions of prayer and ethics, Ignatian spirituality and virtue ethics, the saint as a model for ethical living, and conscience formation in connection with spirituality. The essays in part 2 highlight the reality that while reshaping concepts through theological research can happen in life-giving, insightful, practical ways, change that is more systematic takes time. This is especially true because character development, conversion and growth in the virtues, and conscience formation require commitment and faithful practices. Finally, James Keenan's essay on Ignatian spirituality and the virtues shows the value of considering the formative influences of spiritual practices on ethics. His work, along with the edited collection by Thomas Nairn, The Franciscan Moral Vision: Responding to God's Love, illustrates how different approaches to the moral life might be influenced by different spiritual charisms.

Part 3 pulls together essays under the heading “Refocusing Ethical Topics.” Of all the topics that could be considered, justice, ecology, the body, common good, and ministerial ethics have been chosen. As a group, the essays shatter the misconception that spirituality is a private matter between an individual and God. The essayists demonstrate that spirituality has a decidedly communal and public dimension, showing how prayer, faith, and action in the world work together. For those interested in environmental ethics, Mary Frohlich's provocative essay calls for more than changes in behavior; she argues that a new spirituality is needed to support and sustain environmental ethics. While all topics chosen are valuable, the reviewer noticed the lack of essays in two areas. There are no essays considering how emotions influence and function at the intersection of spirituality and ethics (Bryan Massingale's work on lament comes to mind). Second, no essays explored how the Internet age is influencing approaches to spirituality and, consequently to ethics. These omissions simply point to the need for another volume, and to areas where more work needs to be done.

The collection serves its purpose of gathering essays about the way theologians are thinking about the intersection of ethics and spirituality. This volume should be included in libraries. It is suitable for graduate students, while undergraduate students will find some essays easier to digest than others. Curran and Fullam have done us the favor of providing a salient, thought-provoking, and insightful collection of writings on ethics and spirituality, demonstrating how both disciplines are concerned with conversion, right relationships, and Christian discipleship. They illustrate the theological fruitfulness emerging from reintegrating spirituality and ethics.