This blog explores both historical and current events guided by the thought of the leading thinkers, past and present, of this school or movement of theology. Refer to the Classic Posts, Great and Contemporary Thinkers, various links of all kinds, in addition to the Archives themselves. David is the founder and manager of this website, but many friends contribute to it on a regular basis.
The religion business? Yes indeed. Both sides of the divide in Protestantism are guilty of it. While it's bad enough to market a church it's quite another to market Jesus, a phemomenon all too present in the typical revivalist Protestantism resident in the United States. In Evangelicalism bigness is to be preferred, large stadium evangelism, huge rallies for men's groups, the testimonies of the professional football coach, the corporate CEO, an all-too-close political promotion on the order of a Justice Sunday with friends of Jack Abramov in the crowd. I really wonder what that kind of preference might have to do with Marian sprituality or, say, the little way of St. Therese. Think about it. I mean can you see Jesus out there on the platform promoting Himself with a megahorn together with sexy acolytes handing out tracts and other sales materials as part of a well thought out evangelism "program"? There are such things, of course. Might this crude trivialization of the faith be an inevitable outcome of the Reformation? I'll bet a case could be made for that contention. In the meantime Catholics like Bill Donnelly of the Catholic League need to stay off stage and distance themselves more from clowns like James Dobson who perhaps innocently, perhaps not, have gotten themselves so emeshed in scandal. The same goes for Catholic apologetics outfits whose alternative "voter guides" are now the focus of IRS attention. For a spirituality that is to seek the form of God in the world, one shudders at what passes for it in these instances.
2 comments:
The religion business? Yes indeed. Both sides of the divide in Protestantism are guilty of it. While it's bad enough to market a church it's quite another to market Jesus, a phemomenon all too present in the typical revivalist Protestantism resident in the United States. In Evangelicalism bigness is to be preferred, large stadium evangelism, huge rallies for men's groups, the testimonies of the professional football coach, the corporate CEO, an all-too-close political promotion on the order of a Justice Sunday with friends of Jack Abramov in the crowd. I really wonder what that kind of preference might have to do with Marian sprituality or, say, the little way of St. Therese. Think about it. I mean can you see Jesus out there on the platform promoting Himself with a megahorn together with sexy
acolytes handing out tracts and other sales materials as part of a well thought out evangelism "program"? There are such things, of course. Might this crude trivialization of the faith be an inevitable outcome of the Reformation? I'll bet a case could be made for that contention. In the meantime Catholics like Bill Donnelly of the Catholic League need to stay off stage and distance themselves more from clowns like James Dobson who perhaps innocently, perhaps not, have gotten themselves so emeshed in scandal. The same goes for Catholic apologetics outfits whose alternative "voter guides" are now the focus of IRS attention. For a spirituality that is to seek the form of God in the world, one shudders at what passes for it in these instances.
John Lowell
Great comments (as normal) John!
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