Is there a new evangelization along the horizon?

[Robert_Sock]

I believe there is, and I believe to will transform the world. A new spirituality that will act as a new commodity in the workplace. Under this commodity, the lowly window washer could receive more spirituality than the CEO. Nobody knows what the other person is getting. This could dramatically increase the moral that is usually missing in most workplaces.Positive virtue could be valued the most.

 

[Jaysuitical]

God help us if a “new spirituality” were to act as a “new commodity in the workplace” – tho’ I’m not sure what you mean by a “new commodity” – tho’ certainly Wall Street firms would love to have another intangible to sell.

The New Evangelization seems to be here already – it’s like going out on a morning and seeing green shoots suddenly everywhere when it had been winter so long.

Aslan is on the move.

 

[McCall1981]

The New Evangelization seems to be here already – it’s like going out on a morning and seeing green shoots suddenly everywhere when it had been winter so long.

@ Jaysuitical

Why do you think the New Evangelization is already here?

 

[commenter]

@ Jaysuitical

Why do you think the New Evangelization is already here?

Lukewarm Catholics are disappearing.
In my area, I’m seeing some young couples raising many children, often home schooling, and teaching them the essentials of doctrine and devotion. I’m seeing a powerful mission based on the Divine Mercy in the inner city helping the poor, but totally Catholic in committment and doctrine. But I am also seeing many Catholics rejecting the Faith, especially on abortion and marriage. My diocese has seen waves of prior evangelism programs about every 5 years, with very poor results. They invariably focus exclusively on building welcoming communities, “come as you are, stay as you are”, let’s make everyone feel at home, etc. If anyone mentions doctrine, they would say that’s fine, but we can talk about that later on. But they never did get around to doctrine. In the RCIA one man brought copies of the Catechism and passed out one to each participant. The person in charge collected them and gave them back to the donor.
I haven’t met any Catholics who entered or deepened their Catholic faith through prior evangelism programs, the ones I have met came in by exposure to EWTN.

 

[McCall1981]

Lukewarm Catholics are disappearing.
In my area, I’m seeing some young couples raising many children, often home schooling, and teaching them the essentials of doctrine and devotion. I’m seeing a powerful mission based on the Divine Mercy in the inner city helping the poor, but totally Catholic in committment and doctrine. But I am also seeing many Catholics rejecting the Faith, especially on abortion and marriage. My diocese has seen waves of prior evangelism programs about every 5 years, with very poor results. They invariably focus exclusively on building welcoming communities, “come as you are, stay as you are”, let’s make everyone feel at home, etc. If anyone mentions doctrine, they would say that’s fine, but we can talk about that later on. But they never did get around to doctrine. In the RCIA one man brought copies of the Catechism and passed out one to each participant. The person in charge collected them and gave them back to the donor.
I haven’t met any Catholics who entered or deepened their Catholic faith through prior evangelism programs, the ones I have met came in by exposure to EWTN.

Interesting, I’ve heard other people observe something like this too, like things are becoming more polarized between the Church and secular society.

 

[commenter]

The saints emphasized the problem of Christians dealing with “the World”. Most Catholics don’t know what this means, so they don’t adequately prepare their children or themselves for this challenge. Today’s culture is defined by the media which is aggressively secular, hostile to doctrine. Religious education programs and parishes that fail to teach Catholic doctrine are developing people who will either be lost to the Faith, or at best will be passive Catholics unable to evangelize anyone. It takes more than doctrine to evangelize, but doctrine was the missing ingredient that caused most evangelism programs over the past 50 years to fail. In the past the evangelist types in my parish and diocese focused on hospitality, “outreach”, “listening” sessions, banners, slogans like “A Christian is a person who has met one” or “Values are caught, not taught”, etc, etc. and more miserable etc, while other people chose the religion textbooks.