Evangelizing Academia and the intellectual elité

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rock7
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rock7

Guest
Okay this flipped through my mind. And no I’m not talking about evangelizing students. How do we evangelize those that write philosophy papers, publish in the journal nature, or discuss public health policy. In other words how do we witness to society’s scholar class? They are the ones who lead many astray and it is by their influence that atheism, rational humanism, and the deification of progress and tolerance(worldly tolerance if you know what I mean) spread and incubate? If anything Christ work is more needed in this sector than anywhere else today! Then how do we do it?
 
When I read your title I thought I’m not of the caliber to evangelize Academia or intellectual… but I can pray for the ones who are… waiting to see who replies!!! Yes, I agree, it’s (evangelizing) needed in every sector of society…

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
 
Study Pope Benedict’s “veritas in caritate” encyclical. That should put them to shame.
 
It may be a matter of facing them within their specialty. Any good good catholic should use their professional bodies to direct debate towards the truth, and to be an example to others in their circle.
Let your light shine and use your expertise to produce papers yourself in your chosen field and don’t be afraid of rejection by a lot of publishers.
 
I teach a bit. I’m not afraid to talk about God. I think one or two solid people, willing to stand up and reasonably talk about it, would back down the rest of the junior faculty in most instances.
 
Rock7 said:
Okay this flipped through my mind. And no I’m not talking about evangelizing students. How do we evangelize those that write philosophy papers, publish in the journal nature, or discuss public health policy. In other words how do we witness to society’s scholar class? They are the ones who lead many astray and it is by their influence that atheism, rational humanism, and the deification of progress and tolerance(worldly tolerance if you know what I mean) spread and incubate? If anything Christ work is more needed in this sector than anywhere else today! Then how do we do it?
Click to expand...
By being good people.

Also, when spelled with the accent it is on the first e (élite)
 
I’d say it requires a combination of being kind-yet-honest in approach with a solid educational background. One has to be familiar with rational, objective arguments in order to engage with those who are well-educated; to be otherwise is to make the situation worse. As an example, I was once in the midst of a discussion with a pro-abortion atheist on the subject of abortion. Needless to say, any God-based arguments would get me nowhere, so we were pursuing a scientific/rational line of reasoning. It was a perfectly civil discussion, and we did seem to be getting somewhere…until some tiresome woman popped into the conversation with, “well, all that stuff doesn’t matter 'cause the BIBLE says it’s wrong!”

sigh

Not. helpful.
 
Well I am sorry about the grammar mistake! Another question is how do we evangelize postmodernist thinkers. You know those who believe there is no absolute truth and the only reality is the narrative we(human beings) create? Modernists who say religion is dead and civilization is better off because of it? As well as those religion is irrelevant but attempt to live lives of integrity, patience and other virtues while invoking no god? As well as mixes of the three.
Postmodernist: god is a narrative that is fictitious but works for weak people
Modernist: god is dead and man’s progress is the be all end all of existence.
Virtuous humanist/idealist: we all need to respect each other because if we don’t we might annihilate the planet through war and such.
Marxist/gramscian/Trotskyist/Maoist: religion is an oppressive bourgeoisie system that is inevitably overthrown God is not real but is an effective means to an end
Social justice/Gaian/help old poor people activist/ we need to only use religion as a tool of social utility and stability, reflecting on creation(for creation sake not God’s) and twist Jesus into a hippie activist that he never was. “The poor will always be with you.” Essentially these all overlap depending on the ideology and individual.
Perennialist: essentially all religion comes from the same source, god doesn’t care who you worship only you just need to be sincere and tolerant
Syncretism: We must merge our cultures and doctrines to create a more harmonious world.

Though is essentially the main problems the church faces with regard to intellectual, ideological, and religious challenges today? How do we evangelize each one with regards to intellectuals?
 
Well, these people do need to be evangelized.

But, the first thing we have to do, is make sure that our own children don’t go to such institutions. That’s just my opinion. But, as you said in the OP, these liberal academia professors lead many people astray. The first step is for us personally to send people a clear message by how we live our lives… a message that Catholic/ private Christian schools/ homeschooling is a viable alternative to secular education.

I should say that I myself am a college student at a secular institution. And, I’ve been in public school my whole life. Having gone through it, especially in college, many of the professors are known to be card-carrying members of the Communist party. They are radical. Yet, their views are taught as normative. [And no, they don’t preach Communism… or are overt about any of their heresies… but its pervasive in the curriculum, and it seeps through].

To evangelize these professors, the first step is praying for them. But, in the meantime, we need to be doing all we can to take away these peoples’ influence. By promoting Catholic schools, etc. These peoples’ views deserve to be put on the margins of education. They once were, and they can be made so again, eventually.
 
Sure we can avoid sending our children to these institutions. Though how to evangelize to those who Paul said professing themselves to be wise became fools, as well see the gospel as folly? This I think will define the church more than any of the issues she is facing with regards to sexuality, abortion, and thousands of other heresies.
 
Do you actually think it’s possible in a country so steeped in Christianity for academics to have just not heard of the Jesus story? Unless the individual is a recent arrival from a more secular country (Japan or Korea or something) it’s almost a guarantee that they’ve at least heard of the religion.
 
Yes but being atheists or agnostics don’t you think they would by definition dismiss it? How to evangelize them when their reliance on Freudian psychology, Frankfurt critical theory, or anti-colonial feminist theory-all dirty heathen ideas makes a stumbling block to repentance. How do we get them to give up those ideas and ways of thinking that make it impossible for them to be receptive?
 
Rock7 said:
Yes but being atheists or agnostics don’t you think they would by definition dismiss it? How to evangelize them when their reliance on Freudian psychology, Frankfurt critical theory, or anti-colonial feminist theory-all dirty heathen ideas makes a stumbling block to repentance. How do we get them to give up those ideas and ways of thinking that make it impossible for them to be receptive?
Click to expand...
.

We really can’t. No one is called except by the Holy Spirit. That’s why we must pray and be open if the Holy Spirit puts words in our mouths. He will when HE is ready and it may not even be the argument we had in our minds that open up their hearts and minds. It may be our actions, our good example, the love we have for our neighbors…
Be there, be open to the Holy Spirit. PRAY.
 
petra22 said:
.

We really can’t. No one is called except by the Holy Spirit. That’s why we must pray and be open if the Holy Spirit puts words in our mouths. He will when HE is ready and it may not even be the argument we had in our minds that open up their hearts and minds. It may be our actions, our good example, the love we have for our neighbors…
Be there, be open to the Holy Spirit. PRAY.
Click to expand...
:amen:

Yeah, the beginning to actually converting anyone is being open to the Holy Spirit in our own lives, and then praying for that person. If its something you feel called to do, then stay close to prayer, and the Holy Spirit will start placing opportunities in your path before too long!

But yeah, personally, since I’m not called to this. All I can say, is that since academia is currently so opposed to Catholicism and traditional religion in general, we need to limit the damage they’re doing. And shepherd our children away from the wolves.

However, these people are not ‘lost causes’, no matter what ideas and heresies they believe. We can never write anyone off as a ‘lost cause’, we can never give up on anyone while here on Earth.
 
Rock7 said:
Yes but being atheists or agnostics don’t you think they would by definition dismiss it? How to evangelize them when their reliance on Freudian psychology, Frankfurt critical theory, or anti-colonial feminist theory-all dirty heathen ideas makes a stumbling block to repentance. How do we get them to give up those ideas and ways of thinking that make it impossible for them to be receptive?
Click to expand...
I have yet to come across an academic who actually accepts most of Freudian psychology. His ideas are influential historically, sure, and he is credited with being the first to incorporate the scientific process to psychology, but most of his ideas are long ago discarded.

You’d be hard-earned to find many Frankfurt-school adherents either, outside of a few specialized areas. And in my experience, the fastest retreat to postmodernism comes from evangelists (“Its true for me because X happened to me;” “Your liberal/secular/atheist/any-other-Christianity-besides-mine ideology blinds you blah blah”).

Never mind the presumption that all academics are atheists/agnostics and that that requires definitional automatic dismissal.
 
I think he meant people who accept the logical conclusion of Freud and the Critical theorists ideas-man is just a sexual animal no real spiritual, and western civilization is evil and needs to self-destruct just because a few natives died of smallpox.
 
Rakata8 said:
I think he meant people who accept the logical conclusion of Freud and the Critical theorists ideas-man is just a sexual animal no real spiritual, and western civilization is evil and needs to self-destruct just because a few natives died of smallpox.
Click to expand...
From what I’ve seen the only people who believe in Freudian psychology (albeit unwittingly) are people who believe in reparative therapy.
 
I think this thread ties into Rock7’s evangelizing Europe thread-in that these bastions of humanism, modernism, postmodernism, radical feminism, extreme environmentalism, Marxism and hundreds of others emerged from european intellectuals. So I don’t think we can be content to evangelize the guy in the street in France we have to witness to the Maoist whose ideas influence Jeac’s thinking.

On another note-how do we evangelize scientists?
 
Ah, I ask this nearly every day. I work at a major US research university. I am not the intellectual elite, but I am in their midst. I believe only the Holy Spirit can change hearts. In the meantime I pray for them. I try to not hide my beliefs which is sometimes a challenge because that makes me “different” and there is some mocking of Christian beliefs.

I have a small sphere of influence with people on campus and I do my best and ask God to let his light shine in me. Several times out of the blue I’ve had colleagues ask questions about things like an afterlife and have been able to share my beliefs.
 
I’m praying a prayer for you, AnneTheresa! My happy prayer!

St. Patrick’s Prayer (part)
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top