It would be fantastic to have that kind of discour...

2009-05-28T23:10:22.048-04:00

It would be fantastic to have that kind of discourse, as it doesn’t appear that we can have true ecumenical activities without the boundaries having been clearly laid out. Otherwise there'll be comments here and activities there that point to something those of the other denomination will either have no clue about or feel threatened by and suddenly everyone feels that the libertarian “whatever” arguments about religion are really the most sensible things around. In any standoff, when people are genuinely unsure of which course of action is the right one, the one with the most cultural weight tends to win out. Everyone’s already had their brains pummeled with nicey-get-alongy ideas till their punch drunk on false notions of peace and everyone with any blasted conviction gets left out.

It’s the only way to work together since it establishes at the beginning where everyone stands. Of course, while I appreciate Seamus’ concern that it might be enabling separatist positions I am also not quite convinced that this is a good reason in and of itself, even if it is partly true. Especially if we are making sure that false-assertions about Catholicism and Protestantism are not going unchallenged. Indeed, such an ecumenical situation may be one of the only places where such matters can be truly dealt with.

Oddly, the thing I found most difficult to grasp about the Colson/Neuhaus effort was Colson’s comments after Neuhaus passed on. He seemed blissfully ignorant of the weight of Catholic theological claims, or the reasons for Neuhaus' conversion.

The real problem of course is to get people together to actually deal with some of these issues. I’m pretty sure that when the Presbyterian church teams up for an outreach with the Baptist church down the road they already see it as a grand display of ecumenism. Add various local non-denom Evangelical groups to the mix and it’s hailed as an outright ecumenical orgy. Bringing the Catholic parishes into the mix is a bit more messy. They’re harder to understand since the basis for their thinking is different from the thinking of another denomination, even though that other denomination may have less in common issue to issue with you. I think that’s the background anyway.

But these things must be discussed and debated on real turf. Both P’s and C’s need to understand each other’s arguments as well as understand how crazy some of the things they say sound to the other. Being fairly familiar with each side I often find myself cringing at the things people say, whether P or C, and how much misunderstanding such things promote.

I’m encouraged that movement can be made in these areas. There seem to be more and more people cropping up who can speak both languages. My small attempts at establishing some worthwhile dialogue between the two groups generally haven’t met with much success so far, but that way has been barred for so long that it’s going to take a bit more work to get through.

I’m very open to any ideas as to how that can be accomplished.

Do you think that common works could enable comfor...

2009-04-05T20:07:00.000-04:00

Do you think that common works could enable comfort to take precedence over truth? I think a lot more could be done to make the world a better place if Evangelicals and Catholics could unite, but I'm afraid of our actions enabling their separation from Rome.

Comments on Likelier Things: Evangelicals and Catholics Together ... in Laconia...

It would be fantastic to have that kind of discour...

Do you think that common works could enable comfor...