Liberal, conservative, progressive, traditionalist: Where is the Church going? The answer, according to John Allen in his post-World Youth Day reflections, is that the Church is going evangelical.
‘Evangelical Catholicism’ is his preferred term to capture our 21st century struggles over Catholic identity, where the political categories of left and right, progressive and conservative, simply don’t make sense any more (if they ever did).
Let me quote a large chunk. It’s well worth reflecting on. He writes:
I define Evangelical Catholicism in terms of three pillars:
- A strong defense of traditional Catholic identity, meaning attachment to classic markers of Catholic thought (doctrinal orthodoxy) and Catholic practice (liturgical tradition, devotional life, and authority).
- Robust public proclamation of Catholic teaching, with the accent on Catholicism’s mission ad extra, transforming the culture in light of the Gospel, rather than ad intra, on internal church reform.
- Faith seen as a matter of personal choice rather than cultural inheritance, which among other things implies that in a highly secular culture, Catholic identity can never be taken for granted. It always has to be proven, defended, and made manifest.
I consciously use the term “Evangelical” to capture all this rather than “conservative,” even though I recognize that many people experience what I’ve just sketched as a conservative impulse. Fundamentally, however, it’s about something else: the hunger for identity in a fragmented world.
Historically speaking, Evangelical Catholicism isn’t really “conservative,” because there’s precious little cultural Catholicism these days left to conserve. For the same reason, it’s not traditionalist, even though it places a premium upon tradition. If liberals want to dialogue with post-modernity, Evangelicals want to convert it – but neither seeks a return to a status quo ante. Many Evangelical Catholics actually welcome secularization, because it forces religion to be a conscious choice rather than a passive inheritance. As the late Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger of Paris, the dictionary definition of an Evangelical Catholic, once put it, “We’re really at the dawn of Christianity.”
Paradoxically, this eagerness to pitch orthodox Catholicism as the most satisfying entrée on the post-modern spiritual smorgasbord, using the tools and tactics of a media-saturated global village, makes Evangelical Catholicism both traditional and contemporary all at once.
Evangelical from the Bottom Up
“Evangelical Catholicism” has been the dominant force at the policy-setting level of the Catholic church since the election of Pope John Paul II in 1978. If you want to understand Catholic officialdom today — why decisions are being made the way they are in the Vatican, or in the U.S. bishops’ conference, or in an ever-increasing number of dioceses — this is easily the most important trend to wrap your mind around.
You’ll get Evangelical Catholicism badly wrong, however, if you think of it exclusively as a top-down movement. There’s also a strong bottom-up component, which is most palpable among a certain segment of the younger Catholic population.
We’re not talking about the broad mass of twenty- and thirty-something Catholics, who are all over the map in terms of beliefs and values. Instead, we’re talking about that inner core of actively practicing young Catholics who are most likely to discern a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, most likely to enroll in graduate programs of theology, and most likely to pursue a career in the church as a lay person — youth ministers, parish life coordinators, liturgical ministers, diocesan officials, and so on. In that sub-segment of today’s younger Catholic population, there’s an Evangelical energy so thick you can cut it with a knife.
Needless to say, the groups I’ve just described constitute the church’s future leadership.
Once upon a time, the idea that the younger generation of intensely committed Catholics was more “conservative” belonged to the realm of anecdotal impressions. By now, it’s an iron-clad empirical certainty.
Case in point: A 2009 study carried out by Georgetown’s Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate, and sponsored by the National Religious Vocations Conference, found a marked contrast between new members of religious orders in the United States today (the “millennial generation”) and the old guard. In general, younger religious, both men and women, are more likely to prize fidelity to the church and to pick a religious order on the basis of its reputation for fidelity; they’re more interested in wearing the habit, and in traditional modes of spiritual and liturgical expression; and they’re much more positively inclined toward authority.
To gauge which way the winds are blowing, consider women’s orders. The study found that among those which belong to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, considered the more “liberal” umbrella group, just one percent have at least ten new members; among those which belong to the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, seen as the more “conservative” group, a robust 28 percent have at least ten new members.
For the most part, it’s a mistake to diagnose this trend in ideological terms, as if it’s about the politics of left vs. right. For today’s younger Catholics, it’s more a matter of generational experience. They didn’t grow up in a stuffy, all-controlling church, so they’re not rebelling against it. Instead, they’re rebelling against a rootless secular world, making them eager to embrace clear markers of identity and sources of meaning.
Among youth, Evangelical Catholicism usually becomes ideological only if the older generation paints them into a corner, demanding that they choose sides in the church’s internal battles. That tendency, alas, seems equally pronounced on the left and the right.
Most of this fits with my experience of the Church over recent years. What do you think?
Perhaps this also gives one interpretative key to the recent introduction of the new translation of the Mass, and the promotion of Friday abstinence – to see them not as victories for the ‘conservatives’ but as concrete manifestations of this evangelical impulse within the Catholic Church today.
“Perhaps this also gives one interpretative key to the recent introduction of the new translation of the Mass, and the promotion of Friday abstinence – to see them not as victories for the ‘conservatives’ but as concrete manifestations of this evangelical impulse within the Catholic Church today”
Not sure. I think this has more of an effect on the pastoral element of the Church as opposed to the evangelical element of the Church.
(and regarding pastoral work, and indeed, evangelical work, it would be great to see the Church really focusing on prayer – what prayer is / how to do it, and so on – fasting, for example, is nothing, nothing, surely, compared to proper prayer – and i mean formal prayer as well as informal prayer, and, ultimately, where one’s whole life becomes one big prayer).
Really effective evangelization can only take place, surely, when people actually get out onto the internet forums, pubs, public arena in general, and making a real case for Christ (without being dogmatic etc ..and it doesn’t, necessarily, have to involve standing on a soap box – although there have been some great-soap box Catholic evangelicals -, but not being scared to talk about Christ when the opportunity arises). Evangelization based on Christian scripture and Catholic teaching, but in warm, human language as opposed to distant, academic theological language.
Lastly, i think we need to pray for the ordination of far more deacons in the country. We need far more deacons not just to help priests in general, as well as deacons trained in marriage counselling and mental health work, but, also, in evangelization. Deacons leading small and flexible groups of people (other deacons, lay and priests and nuns etc ..) blessed with a particular gift of evangelization in evangelization.
I think it’s a bit sad that the Church has, to a degree, neglected the great vocation of the diaconate. Our first Christian martyr was a deacon. St Francis of Assisi, arguably the Church’s great evangelist of the 2nd millenium was a deacon.
We need to pray for more great deacons and evangelical Catholics such as Francis of Assisi, i think.
That’s very funny, that is twice today the word ‘concrete’ has been prominently raised in my faith meetings today. Waves of fashion and movement sweeping over a culture are all natural social rhythms, what fascinates me is the phrases and words we use to define these waves and how comfortably people sit within those phrases within their different degrees of Evangelism, Conservatism, Liberalism etc.
I Love the new translation of the Mass. For me personally it is so very much stronger. The invitation to communion I can now say proudly loudly and clearly. Before when it read “Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed” (and then every one went up and received Him). And I was never healed. I totally struggled. I used to stay quiet or say instead “Lord I am worthy to receive you, (just as much as anyone else) only say the word and I shall be healed.
Now I can say with great Love “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, (because I’m not, neither is anyone) but only say the word and my soul shall be healed” and then he heals me deeply with his personalised blessing. So slight the change but in Truth so very Great :O)
P.S How do I know that my soul is healed?
Because He enters under my roof! x
I think this is absolutely my experience as well. As a father of six children, my teenagers speak to me about the issues that post suggests are the reasons for their hopes for a more robust “Evangelical Catholicism”. I’m very confident it will be the future and produces a great many of vocations.
Hi Father… I really like this NCR article, and your reading of it.
The Church desperately needs to move away from these ridiculous left-right battles, which are destructive in so many different ways.
The transformation in the church which the author describes happening in the US, UK or Australia (didnt really get where he was from) had long been happening in Latin america. I had a very strong experience of being educated in a Lay benedictine school, run by committed lay benedictine catholics. Thus I think the strength in the church today lies in the new movements which are virtually unknown in the UK. So far my experience of parish life in the UK aswell as the catholic state education, is that is gear up to getting the numbers in or for the lapse. I have truly struggled to find much depth or people willing to share my faith and commitment at the same level. Even the parish priest gets complicated when I ask for little more depth.
The Hyde park vigil and Wyd were amazing experiences which reminded me a lot about my experiences of the church I grew up in – I don’t really understand why it can be transferred to parish level.
I love the new translation and Friday penance.
In relation to politics, I think the author is right – I am not interested in left or right or being boxed in any political party for that matter. As far as I know, the church is the only institution that represents my values (prolife and profamily in a nutshell) and politically speaking I will vote for a candidate who stands primarily for those values.
Very interesting & inspiring!
Not something that fills me with joy, a bit disappointing and hardly inspiring. Circling the wagons is not the answer. Not sure we should be getting excited about walking away from many faithful people just because they have a different perspective.
I thought it was about time I posted on this. I have in my possession what might be called a ‘manifesto’ of what the actual Evangelical Catholics have set out to do (in Ireland and England). It sets out their beliefs and aims.
Your article Fr. Wang does not correlate with what this small document says at all.
These are the leaders of Evangelical Catholicism and what you are saying seems to be at odds with what they are saying. Their message is really the same general message as charismatic renewal. This is not surprising as there is a strong link between the two.
I think that what you were trying to do was move away from the ‘old labels’, but what you are actually describing in your article is neo-conservatism (neo-con/neo-Cath) e.g. Jimmy Akin.
This neo-con movement is not developing (in its own right) at all in this country
If you look at the content of what the American Catholic internet media is made up of it is now 70% neo-con, however this has not been the case in the UK with the majority of internet media taken up by traditionalist blogs and sites. As a matter of fact this site is one of the few sites that vary from the standard traditionalist sites.
You have missed a trick here. You need to look at the School of the Annunciation for the New Evangelisation. It isn’t giving a neo-con message, but rather a cross between neo-con and traditionalist. If you look carefully all the ‘great and the good’ are all gravitating towards the school. There are links with Steubenville now. EWTN presenters/CTS writers are being drawn to it.
There is a growing school of thought in the Catholic media that says that if you want to know what Catholicism will be like in England in 30 years then look at what is happening in the southern and south-western states of the U.S.A. Interestingly this is the same ethos that is coming out of the school of the Annunciation.
You have also missed another pointer. There are growing pockets of Catholic parents who are homeschooling and developing the Domestic Church. This is all exactly how it started developing in America 30 years ago.
The Church hierarchy might not want this, but there is little they can do about it as it is being driven by the internet.
The message of the New Evangelisation 20 years ago was perceived to be one of bad Catholic Youth work and bad catechesis, but now the New Evangelisation means this…..
http://newevangelisationlincolnshire.blogspot.co.uk/
It is evangelical, but it is also traditional.