Just Faith

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Has anyone participated in the JUST FAITH program? Our parish offers this program as a means to deepen one’s faith and to become aware of the poor, and social injustice.
 
Agent said:
Has anyone participated in the JUST FAITH program? Our parish offers this program as a means to deepen one’s faith and to become aware of the poor, and social injustice.
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I have, it is a really, really good program. It is long, intense but well worth it. 👍 :cool: I highly recommend it to everyone. The follow JustFaith II program is also well worth it.
 
I have some questions to ask in regards to the JustFaith program.
  1. I have heard that Mr. Jezreel is a speaker for Call to Action, which is known to be a dissident Catholic group that was even excommunicated in Nebraska, and membership was warned against by the Vatican. This in and of itself concerns me and raises a red flag about the program.
  2. Some of the books mentioned as reading for this program, are by authors who are considered rather liberal and with Marxist leanings. Jim Wallis comes to mind. (He is also named as a “mentor” for Barack Obama.) If a program is teaching Catholic social justice, why does it not including reading the Catholic Catechism’s articles on social teachings, Cardinal Ratzenberg’s Congregation of the Faith’s documents on Marxist theology and Catholic Social teachings, etc., etc.
  3. When there are so many good Catholic scholars and apologists out there who have written excellent books on Catholic social teaching, saints in the church, etc., why do we have to look to authors outside the Catholic faith for instruction in OUR Church’s teachings? This concerns me.
Please advise.
 
Agent said:
Has anyone participated in the JUST FAITH program? Our parish offers this program as a means to deepen one’s faith and to become aware of the poor, and social injustice.
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Is that “just” as in “only” or “just” as in “justified”?
 
Kryscford: I have found the same information about Just Faith.
May be offered in my parish, but think I will pass on this one.
 
I had no idea about the “leftist leanings” of this program but I have already decided against joining. I went to an informational meeting and it really isn’t what I am looking for.
 
KrysCford said:
I have some questions to ask in regards to the JustFaith program.
  1. I have heard that Mr. Jezreel is a speaker for Call to Action, which is known to be a dissident Catholic group that was even excommunicated in Nebraska, and membership was warned against by the Vatican. This in and of itself concerns me and raises a red flag about the program.
  2. Some of the books mentioned as reading for this program, are by authors who are considered rather liberal and with Marxist leanings. Jim Wallis comes to mind. (He is also named as a “mentor” for Barack Obama.) If a program is teaching Catholic social justice, why does it not including reading the Catholic Catechism’s articles on social teachings, Cardinal Ratzenberg’s Congregation of the Faith’s documents on Marxist theology and Catholic Social teachings, etc., etc.
  3. When there are so many good Catholic scholars and apologists out there who have written excellent books on Catholic social teaching, saints in the church, etc., why do we have to look to authors outside the Catholic faith for instruction in OUR Church’s teachings? This concerns me.
Please advise.
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I have not heard of any speaking at CTA, it should not matter anyways. 🤷

If you look at the JustFaith website, the curriculum is designed for both Catholics and non-Catholics. The CCHD supports it, but it is designed with an ecumenical approach with focuses on the broad nature of Catholic Social Teachings across many religion sects.

It goes beyond the Catholic faith because Social Justice is not just Catholic-only. Social Justice is targeted at all of humanity, Catholic or not. This means a broad approach is needed and not limited to stay within the firm guidelines of say the CCC, which is irrelevant to non-Catholics. Social Justice goes beyond the formal rules as helping others is a warm and very human matter beyond a strict reading of a book of rules.
 
JustFaith offers a number of programs. One is JustFaith Ecumenical and one is JustFaith Catholic. The program offered in any Catholic Church is obviously JustFaith Catholic.
During the year, JustFaith participants do use the Catechism of the Catholic Church and many of the documents, encyclicals and constitutions of the Catholic Church. The program material is in absolute communion with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Catholic social teaching is the Catholic Church’s version of social justice and the JustFaith program uses Catholic social teaching in the program. The documents of the Catholic Church that teach us about Catholic social teaching are Rerum Novarum, Gaudium et Spes, Populorum Progresso, Caritas in Veritate, Dei Verbum, Deus Caritas Est among others.
If you are unsure of what the Church teaches about social justice JustFaith is a good place to start to learn. Otherwise go take a class or two at any Catholic seminary or Catholic university. Our Church has such a rich and beautiful tradition of philosophy, theology, anthropology and liturgy…all of which are important parts of Catholic social teaching…especially theology. JustFaith is a beneficiary of much of that rich tradition of ours.
 
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