Fishing with C.S. Lewis and Robert Barron: YL Catholic Relations & the Art of Catching Nones

A friend contacted me recently to ask my advice about a good C.S. Lewis book for her husband. That’s a lot like asking me for the best Henri Nouwen book. They’re all so good it’s impossible to pick one (so I recommended the complete compilation of C.S. Lewis signature classics, of course!). But it prompted me to pull my own copy of Mere Christianity off the shelf and refamiliarize myself. 

I was immediately struck by the description of Lewis’ original motivations to write what would become a timeless spiritual classic for Protestants and Catholics alike: “Ever since I became a Christian I have thought that the best, perhaps the only, service I could do for my unbelieving neighbors was to explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times.” Somehow from the beginning, Lewis intuited that the world needed an articulate presentation of Christianity’s heart, not its peripheries, its center of gravity, not its disputed boundaries. 

His ecumenical instincts were beautifully attuned to the signs of the times. He rightly observed that disputes among Christians were, first of all, often matters of high theology suited only for real experts. But he also noted that discussions about controversial points hadn’t the slightest chance of bringing outsiders into the Christian fold. He chose to “fish” for men and women (Mt 4:19; Lk 5:10) with the proposition of “mere” Christianity, a term he borrowed from the oft-forgotten 17^thcentury figure Richard Baxter. By “mere” he didn’t mean minor or measly, but essential and foundational, the very core of the Christian tradition.  

Fast forward to the 21^stcentury and we meet another towering evangelical fisherman, Bishop Robert Barron. Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles and founder of Word on Fire Ministries, Barron’s effectiveness in proclaiming the Gospel to the postmodern generation can be aptly compared to Lewis’ influence on the generation of moderns before him. Like Lewis, who never hid his Anglican convictions, Barron is solidly Catholic, but he also knows that focusing on the divisions isn’t going to win any converts.

“You’re not going to get a lot of nones coming back to church if you’re ranting and raving,” Barron says. “You have to be more inviting, finding positive things in the culture you can identify with.”[1]Noting the influence of Saint Pope John Paul II, one of his heroes, Barron exhorts, “You should never be browbeating, aggressive, prideful, and all that. Never impose, always propose.”[2]

Why is this missionary strategy so effective (note Barron’s online videos have been viewed over 30 million times and his Facebook followers now number over 1.5 million)? It’s because Bishop Barron is sharply attuned to his audience. He knows that we are living in the age of widespread secularism, skepticism and unbelief. Like Lewis, Barron’s evangelical strategy begins with the kerygmatic core of Christianity, that positive, Christocentric message that Jesus Christ is the thing our restless hearts most yearn for. 

This same approach is at the center of the growing movement of Young Life Catholic Relations. Beginning with what Pope Francis calls “the essentials, that which is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing and most necessary”[3]we seek to address the startling rise of “the nones”, those who aren’t arguing about this denomination or that but who have no religious affiliation at all. How? With a winsome proclamation of Jesus Christ, with real relationships and a steady ministry of accompaniment, and with a spirit of partnership that stacks hands on that “center, rather that Someone, who against all divergencies of belief, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks [to us] with the same voice.”[4]

To find out more about how you can participate in this growing movement of unity and evangelization please click here.

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[1]Robert Barron, To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age (Image Books, NY: 2017), 124.

[2]Ibid, 115.

[3]Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), 35. 

[4]C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity found in The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics  (HarperCollins: NY, 2002), 8.

Second Catholic Bishop Signs Missional Agreement With Young Life

On Monday, April 25, the Most Reverend William Francis Medley became the second U.S. Catholic bishop to enter into a collaborative agreement with Young Life to reach a world of kids together. Nearly one year after a similar agreement was reached in Brownsville, TX, the Diocese of Owensboro, which covers the western third of Kentucky, acknowledged “the simplicity and purity of the mission of Young Life” and highlighted Young Life’s methods – going where teens are, building real relationships, and earning the right to be heard – as inherent to the Catholic tradition and essential components of the new evangelization.

“This agreement is so important,” noted Melinda Prunty, Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Owensboro. “We might do well with those kids who come to us, but we need help reaching those kids we don’t even know are out there.” Melinda played a critical role in the nearly three-year process that culminated in Monday’s signing. “We have so much to learn from the deeply relational approach to Young Life’s ministry,” she continued. “This is about introducing kids to Jesus and helping them grow in their faith. I pray that our Catholic clergy and youth ministers see the broader vision and walk side-by-side with Young Life.”

Chris Dillbeck, the local Young Life area director in Owensboro, has been a tireless force for bridge-building since he started Young Life there in 2012. His winsome spirit and ecumenical vision forged relationships that transcended denominational affiliation. One former youth minister in the diocese, Danny May, tells the story with great joy and wonder. “Three years ago, Chris walked right into my office, introduced himself and to the ministry of Young Life. From our first conversation, I could see that he was building bridges with the Catholic community.” Since then, the two have become good friends and partners in the mission to reach lost kids. “Young Life enabled me to reach students in the public schools that I would not have had without Young Life. That’s why I volunteered to help Young Life freshmen orientations and club events. That’s why my wife and I support Young Life to this day.”

Dillbeck believes this is more than a practical agreement to reach kids. “This is another step in unifying the Bride of Christ, the Church. I truly believe this pleases the Lord.” He also hopes it will draw more Catholics into a permanent state of “going out”, putting everything in a “missionary key,” as Pope Francis has exhorted. “This agreement opens the door for Catholics to be a part of this dynamic mission, and gives us a template for partnership moving forward,” he said.

Paula Schmidt, Coordinator of Religious Education at St. Pius X in Calvert City, could not be more excited about this new spirit of partnership. “When I first heard about Young Life coming to Kentucky, my first and only thought was ‘AWESOME’!” Paula was raised Catholic, attended Mass with her parents, and eventually got confirmed. “But my experience with Young Life helped me see my faith in a new light,” Paula says. After attending many weekly Young Life clubs, she went to summer camp at Frontier Ranch in Colorado. “Young Life planted a seed of faith and helped it to grow. That same faith is now flourishing as I serve the Church today!”

Brett Hersma, Young Life Senior Vice President over the Midwest Division, attended the historic signing in Owensboro and concluded by saying, “This agreement helps to formalize what we already believe – we all care deeply about kids, and we want them to be alive in their faith. It’s important for more communities to see that Young Life and the Catholic Church are making strides in working together for the sake of Christ and kids.” Our prayer is the same as that which Jesus prayed on the night before he was betrayed, that we may be one, so the world would know Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Every kid, everywhere, for eternity.

Chris Dillbeck (left), Michael Havercamp, Bishop Medley, Brett Hersma, and Jack Nikcevich

Remembering

How great is my God,

and how I love to sing His praises!

Whereas I am often frightened

when I think about the future,

and confused and disturbed

by the rapidly changing events about me,

my heart is securred and made glad

when I remember how He has cared for me

throughout the past.

When I was brought forth from my mother’s womb,

God’s hand was upon me.

Through parents and people who cared,

He loved and sheltered me

and set me upon His course for my life.

Through illness and accident

my God has sustained me.

When I became rebellious

and struck out on my own,

He waited patiently for me to return.

When I fell on my face in weakness and failure,

He gently set me upon my feet again.

He did not always prevent me from hurting myself,

but He took me back to heal my wounds.

Even out of the broken pieces of my defeats

He created a vessel of beauty and usefulness.

Through trials and errors, failures and successes,

my God has cared for me.

From infancy to adulthood

He has never let me go.

His love has led me – or followed me –

through the valleys of sorrow

and the highlands of joy,

through times of want

and years of abundance.

He has bridged impassable rivers

and moved impossible mountains.

Sometimes through me,

sometimes in spite of me,

He seeks to accomplish His purpose in my life.

He has kept me through the stormy past;

He will secure and guide me

through the perilous future.

I need never be afraid,

no matter how uncertain

the months or years ahead of me.

How great is my God,

and how I love to sing His praises![1]

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[1] A contemporary interpretation of Psalm 105; Leslie F. Brandt, Psalms/Now (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1973), 166-67.

Till Death Do Us Part

The sharp divisions between Protestants and Catholics in late 19^th century Netherlands led to a strange historical period marked by a phenomenon known as pillarisation. Society literally self-segregated according to denominational affiliation. Catholics and Protestants lived, worked, educated, and did business in the separate sectors or pillars of society. Every aspect of life was divided – schools, banks, businesses, universities, newspapers, political parties and broadcast media. Many Catholics and Protestants literally had no personal contact with the other.

Yet it seems that no amount of politico-denominational segregation could keep one man and one woman apart, despite that fact that they were from opposing pillars. J.W.C. van Gorcum, a Protestant colonel in the Dutch Cavalry, fell in love with J.C.P.H. van Aefferden, a Catholic of noble upbringing and they married in 1842. The town of Roermond was up in arms but it mattered little to the young couple who enjoyed 38 happy years of marriage before the colonel died in 1880.

Anticipating her own death, Lady Aefferden gave up her rights to be buried in the family’s noble plot so that she could be laid to rest next to her beloved husband. Yet Dutch pillarisation law prevented it. The best that could be done is that the bodies be buried on either side of the wall that separated that Catholic from the Protestant sectors of the cemetery. Close as they were, it seemed that the sectarian divisions of religion were too great for even them.

The unrelenting Lady Aefferden was simply unwilling to concede. She made specific arrangements for her grave to be placed as close to the wall on the Catholic side while her husband’s grave be positioned as close to the wall on the Protestant side. And after her death, she had two stone hands added to the back of their gravestones, transcending the wall and embracing one another in a final symbol of love’s victory. They are still holding hands today.

“What God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Mark 10:9

On a broader level, the Bible beautifully expresses the theological truth that God created humanity as one family.  While that family has been torn apart by sin, it is Jesus’ explicit desire that “all may be one” just as he and the Father are one.[1]  Protestants and Catholics, high church and low church, traditionalists and progressives – we were created by God to share the love that we have all experienced in Christ Jesus.

What walls are dividing you from your Christian brothers and sisters today?  Do not settle for the pillars of injustice that continue the narrative of division and segregation. We are the body of Christ. Let love’s victory be trumpeted in your life today.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38

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[1]           Sandra M. Schneiders, “Religion vs. Spirituality: A Contemporary Conundrum” Spiritus (3.2 2003), 163-185.

Abdullah: An Introduction to Receptive Ecumenism

I remember how cold it was, the mountain air biting at our faces as we waited for transportation. At least I wasn’t alone. Less than a year into my Peace Corps experience in rural Morocco I had received the blessing (by the grace of God) of a true friend.

Mohamed was a bright and principled young man from humble beginnings – Moroccan, Berber, Muslim. He studied law at the local university, though he had little chance of actually finding a job after graduation. In Morocco either you had money and could buy your way into extending that privilege or you didn’t, translating into a hard life of sustenance and survival (education notwithstanding).  Despite his family’s struggles, Mohamed was always positive, even playful, a trait that warmed my heart on cold days like these.

It all happened in a moment. A small group of teenage boys began to laugh and point. Mohamed and I turned to see the object of their amusement. I will never, for the rest of my life, forget what I saw.

It was Abdullah.

A living portrait of abject poverty, Abdullah’s hair was matted and unkept, his skin darkened and scabbed from constant exposure, his teeth rotten and abscessed. His pants were stained and tattered. A broken sandal flopped loosely on one foot, swollen and black. The other foot was bare, trudging through the fresh snow, tender and red. And in a final measure of unfathomable despair, Abdullah wore no shirt, no coat, his sunken torso exposed to the wind and the cold.

Frozen with shock, in what seemed like an eternity, I stood, slack-jawed and dumb. And while I did nothing, while the adolescents mocked, I witnessed one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. Mohamed, without meditation or delay, sprang up, walked directly toward Abdullah, removed his jacket, placed it around Abdullah’s shoulders, whispered gently into his ear, and guided him down the road.

I have reflected on that story for over 15 years and I can barely hold back the tears now.  It would have been enough if the story ended there. But the most amazing part is that Mohamed didn’t own another jacket. After giving his coat away in a moment of uncalculated compassion, Mohamed went the rest of the winter without a coat.

This event changed me. It challenged me. It haunted me. 

It was like the Jesus that I was reading about in Scripture was right there, alive and well, in the life of one who did not even acknowledge his divinity. It gave me my first undeniable encounter of the hidden Christ, disguised in “the other.” It forever dismantled my simplistic caricatures that assumed (somehow) that God only works in Christians, and perhaps more pointedly, in Christians like me.

I believe that this event marks the beginning of a journey that I continue to travel today – a road recently described as “receptive ecumenism.”[1] By opening my heart to “the other” I can see what I can learn. With humility and self-criticism, I can acknowledge my own shortcomings (and that of my religious tradition) without losing my unique identity as a Catholic, as a Christian, as a human being. I can, with the full authority of the Church, “reject nothing of what is true and holy in [the other]” while maintaining my unique confidence in Jesus Christ.[2]

“I was naked and you gave me clothing,” Jesus said.[3] Lord, open my eyes to see you where I least expect it. Lord, open my heart to love you in the broken and downtrodden. Lord, open my mouth that I might proclaim your goodness wherever it is found. Amen.

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[1] See Paul D. Murray, ed., Receptive Ecumenism and the Call to Catholic Learning: Exploring a Way for Contemporary Ecumenism (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008).

[2] Nostra aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions), 2.

[3] Mt 25:36.