BY JOHN MARTIGNONI
Q: Nothing personal, but I’m really not a big fan of what you do. All of this apologetics stuff just seems to be filled with so much conflict and tension. How does that evangelize anyone? Whatever happened to St. Francis’ way of evangelization, “Preach the Gospel always and, when necessary, use words.”
A: Well, first of all, and I know this may be difficult for some to read, but St. Francis actually never said that, at least, not that anyone has been able to find in anything his early biographers wrote about him. Secondly, if you read about St. Francis, he actually used a whole lot of words in his evangelization efforts. One story in particular, about his meeting with the Sultan of Egypt during one of the Crusades, would probably stun a lot of folks as to how “in your face” he was with the Sultan.
Anyway, to your point about apologetics being filled with conflict and tension, before I tell you why I disagree with what you’re saying, I want to first address what I believe is a larger societal issue that seems to underlie your contention. It seems, in my humble opinion, that just about the only mortal sin a person can commit in our society today, is to tell someone else they are wrong about something.
We can’t tell the adulterer that he is wrong, so let’s have no-fault divorce. We can’t tell anyone abortion is wrong, so let’s just respect everyone’s privacy. We can’t tell homosexuals that same-sex relations are wrong, so let’s just live and let live. Again, telling someone they are wrong is just about the only sin one can commit in today’s society. So, in such an environment, debate becomes inherently wrong. Argument, in the classical sense of the word, becomes inherently wrong. Disagreeing with someone on issues of faith and morals becomes inherently wrong.
Thus, engaging in apologetics seems to be inherently wrong under such a prevailing societal attitude. To tell those who disagree with Catholic teaching they are wrong, becomes a sin, of sorts. It is viewed as being filled with “conflict and tension,” and as being unnecessarily adversarial. But, it just isn’t so.
First and foremost, apologetics is about seeking the truth. Jesus said, “Know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” (John 8:32). Apologetics is not about argument for argument’s sake, but about discovering truth. In order to help my separated brethren in Christ discover the truth that the Eucharist is indeed the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and not merely a symbol, I have to engage in apologetics.
Second, and closely related to the above, apologetics is about love. If I truly love those who are not Catholic - whether they be Baptist, Evangelical, Presbyterian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or even atheist - would I not want to do everything...everything!...in my power to bring them to Jesus Christ in the Sacraments, and, particularly, to bring them to Him in the Eucharist? I mean, if I really and truly believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, and that a Catholic can receive Him at any given Mass, then why would I not want to do all that I could to bring everyone into the Catholic Church so as to receive Him? Why would I not want to share the truth with them? Can I truly be said to love someone if I am unwilling to step out of my comfort zone to share the truths of the Catholic Faith with them?
Now, do discussions about faith and morals sometimes involve conflict and tension? Absolutely. But, does searching for truth sometimes involve conflict and tension? Does loving others sometimes involve conflict and tension? Indeed they do.
(To be continued...)
Q: Nothing personal, but I’m really not a big fan of what you do. All of this apologetics stuff just seems to be filled with so much conflict and tension. How does that evangelize anyone? Whatever happened to St. Francis’ way of evangelization, “Preach the Gospel always and, when necessary, use words.”
A: Well, first of all, and I know this may be difficult for some to read, but St. Francis actually never said that, at least, not that anyone has been able to find in anything his early biographers wrote about him. Secondly, if you read about St. Francis, he actually used a whole lot of words in his evangelization efforts. One story in particular, about his meeting with the Sultan of Egypt during one of the Crusades, would probably stun a lot of folks as to how “in your face” he was with the Sultan.
Anyway, to your point about apologetics being filled with conflict and tension, before I tell you why I disagree with what you’re saying, I want to first address what I believe is a larger societal issue that seems to underlie your contention. It seems, in my humble opinion, that just about the only mortal sin a person can commit in our society today, is to tell someone else they are wrong about something.
We can’t tell the adulterer that he is wrong, so let’s have no-fault divorce. We can’t tell anyone abortion is wrong, so let’s just respect everyone’s privacy. We can’t tell homosexuals that same-sex relations are wrong, so let’s just live and let live. Again, telling someone they are wrong is just about the only sin one can commit in today’s society. So, in such an environment, debate becomes inherently wrong. Argument, in the classical sense of the word, becomes inherently wrong. Disagreeing with someone on issues of faith and morals becomes inherently wrong.
Thus, engaging in apologetics seems to be inherently wrong under such a prevailing societal attitude. To tell those who disagree with Catholic teaching they are wrong, becomes a sin, of sorts. It is viewed as being filled with “conflict and tension,” and as being unnecessarily adversarial. But, it just isn’t so.
First and foremost, apologetics is about seeking the truth. Jesus said, “Know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” (John 8:32). Apologetics is not about argument for argument’s sake, but about discovering truth. In order to help my separated brethren in Christ discover the truth that the Eucharist is indeed the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and not merely a symbol, I have to engage in apologetics.
Second, and closely related to the above, apologetics is about love. If I truly love those who are not Catholic - whether they be Baptist, Evangelical, Presbyterian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or even atheist - would I not want to do everything...everything!...in my power to bring them to Jesus Christ in the Sacraments, and, particularly, to bring them to Him in the Eucharist? I mean, if I really and truly believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, and that a Catholic can receive Him at any given Mass, then why would I not want to do all that I could to bring everyone into the Catholic Church so as to receive Him? Why would I not want to share the truth with them? Can I truly be said to love someone if I am unwilling to step out of my comfort zone to share the truths of the Catholic Faith with them?
Now, do discussions about faith and morals sometimes involve conflict and tension? Absolutely. But, does searching for truth sometimes involve conflict and tension? Does loving others sometimes involve conflict and tension? Indeed they do.
(To be continued...)
About John Martignoni
John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice. If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org. And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.
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