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The Old Old Story
By Dwight Longenecker
I can remember the American Evangelical preachers of my youth railing against the purveyors of something they disparagingly called ‘the social gospel’. The ‘social gospel’ was the liberal form of Christianity that had substituted the ‘old, old story’ of mankind’s sin and Christ’s sacrificial redemption for a mixture of trendy causes, political activism and ministry to the poor. As far as they were concerned, a missionary’s work (whether at home or abroad) was to preach the gospel. All that nonsense about building hospitals and schools and soup kitchens was just the liberals watering down the faith yet again.
Such a view of Christian mission is a dangerously facile reaction to a perceived abuse. The Evangelical preachers had a point inasmuch as there was a stream of liberal Protestant Christianity that had ceased to be dogmatic in any sense, and had substituted a bland activism for Christian truth. However, abuse should not undo right use. To react against the ‘social gospel’ by avoiding all political involvement and social ministry was a gross abdication of Christian responsibility.
I experienced this one-sided approach to evangelisation within the conservative Evangelical churches of my youth, but it wasn’t until I became a Catholic that I realised that the prejudice could go the other way too. If those interested in preaching the gospel of sin, redemption and resurrection were sometimes biased against the ‘social gospel’, I have come to realise that there are many sincere people in the Catholic Church who are doing excellent work in the realm of ‘peace and justice issues’ who are very biased against the proclamation of the Christian faith in all its fully dogmatic and difficulty glory. They cringe at the idea that we should point out mankind’s sinful condition. They regard a call for conversion as ‘triumphalistic’, ‘divisive’ or ‘ecumenically unsound’. They wish for ‘interfaith dialogue’ to such and extent that the whole idea of conversion becomes anathema.
The clash between these two views is sometimes expressed as the ‘kergymatic’ versus the ‘koinonia’. In laymen’s terms it is dogmatic versus community-based evangelisation. The first seeks to communicate the gospel through preaching and teaching. It summons people to consider the claims of Christ and it calls them to conversion in the widest sense. The second communicates the gospel through works of charity, a radiant example and a heart of love. It seeks to draw people to the attractive and overpowering love of Christ. If there is to a New Evangelisation then there is simply no room for a clash between these two emphases. We will all, by nature of our background and temperament, be drawn more to one than another, but this is no excuse to marginalise and exclude the other side. Both are needed if a balance is to be maintained and the New Evangelisation to go forward apace.
A friend of mine who is best described as ‘Catholic lay evangelist’ told me of his experience attending a conference on adult catechesis and evangelisation. The conference was attended by diocesan leaders in the field. My friend is definitely one of those involved in ‘kerygmatic’ evangelisation. He calls people to turn to Jesus, repent of their sins and welcome the fullness of the Holy Spirit into their lives. He is also very involved in the Church’s social witness and makes sure that the ‘koinonia’ aspect of evangelisation is a vital part of his own ministry and outreach. However, he expressed his shock that at the conference the whole emphasis was on ‘koinonia’ to the exclusion of the ‘kerygmatic’. In other words, the form was there, but the content was missing. The ‘social gospel’ had become merely social.
If Evangelisation is to move forward, then it is vital that the ‘social gospel’ be rooted and enlivened by the solid dogmatic content of the faith. The social dimension is vital, but if the faith is no more than ‘making the world a better place’ then why bother to be a Christian at all? On the other hand, a gospel of sin, repentance, and forgiveness is empty if the social aspect is neglected. The African missionary sums it up when he says, ‘I cannot give them the bread of the Eucharist if I have not given them ordinary bread for supper.’
The Catholic Church is strong on the ‘social’ aspect of evangelisation, but in Europe she has not been strong on the ‘dogmatic’ proclamation of the gospel. The cultural and historical reasons for this are complex, but Pope John Paul has recognised the malaise and called repeatedly for a New Evangelisation. Fortunately times may be changing. Our bishops have established a new agency for Evangelisation, and have called for new resources and a new apologetic to be developed. In response, the Catholic Truth Society commissioned me to write five booklets that communicate the ‘kerygmatic’ element of the Catholic faith in a simple way for people in the pew to understand easily. This series of booklets is called Christianity Pure&Simple. It is true that many Catholics have been ‘sacramentalised but not evangelised.’ Christianity Pure&Simple explains the faith in friendly, jargon-free way so that for evangelisation, like charity, can begin at home.
The project is bigger than that however. Facing the challenge of reaching out to the totally unchurched in our society, CTS have also published something called a ‘seed leaflet’. The seed leaflet is a simple, punchy, illustrated leaflet that is designed to be distributed indiscriminately far and wide. It builds a bridge from the church to the outside world. The leaflet gets the reader to ask the basic questions that will lead to a faith commitment. The idea is that ordinary Catholics will buy packets of seed leaflets and spread them everywhere. The bolder among us can hand them out on street corners, give them to friends and hand them to salespeople in the shops. The more timid can leave them on the table in a restaurant, stuff envelopes and do a bulk mailing, put them through letter boxes or leave them on the table in the train. Parishes can buy a packet for every parishioner and challenge every person to be a missionary by getting the seed leaflets out and about.
At the end of the leaflet the reader is encouraged to say a short prayer asking for God’s guidance and to send away for the first of the five Christianity Pure&Simple booklets free of charge. When a Catholic buys a ‘seek packet’ of 25 leaflets they are also helping to fund CTS’s project to send the applicant the first booklet free. Christianity Pure&Simple isn’t the final answer when it comes to evangelisation. It is simply one tool in the toolbox. It is one resource among many. It complements the active social witness of the church, the everyday charitable work of Catholics, the radiant personal lives, clear moral stance and active spirituality of the whole church. This project contributes one small part to the ‘kerygmatic’ aspect of the church’s witness, and as such can help a new generation to understand and accept the fullness of the Catholic faith.
Dwight Longenecker is available to speak to parishes, diocesan and deanery groups on the Christianity Pure&Simple project. Contact him at HYPERLINK "http://www.dwightlongenecker.com" www.dwightlongenecker.com
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