I have to confess, I resonate with some of this. I, too, am sick of the consumer, pop-culture, me-centered religion of so many evangelical protestants. Hence my recent interest in the Book of Common Prayer. I think it is a mistake to downplay the theological differences that will forever separate Evangelicals from Catholics (like papal authority, prayers to, or 'veneration' of, saints, transubstantiation, purgatory, the contents of the Biblical canon, the role of 'good works,' to name just a few); however, there is much that we (Evangelicals) can learn from the passionate devotion to Christ (not Mary!) of Catholic mystics. Most evangelical protestants would do well to learn something about a life of devotion to someone/ something other than their own thinly disguised, middle-class materialism.
I plan to visit a local Trappist monastery in (of all places!) Moncks Corner, SC, in the next few weeks, now that I'm on my sabbatical. (I'll be sure to report on that here at HOTI.) I have no problem admitting that we have much to learn from other branches of Christianity, but we should not lose sight of the fact that, by God's grace, we also have much to teach others.
2 comments:
The associate pastor at Apostles recommended that monastery in Charleston to me. My housemates and I plan to go sometime.
This is a topic that's been on my mind for quite some time. I grew up in the Baptist tradition but since I've been at CIU I've attended Church of the Apostles. I loved the transition from, "We should have a gym...because other churches have gyms..." to "Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever." A friend of mine who was raised in the same fashion was captivated by the liturgy and "me-free" worship at a Catholic church she attended for a time. It seems many Protestants are hungry for their faith to reflect God's precepts and not America's. One of the most troubling trends is that youth group has become an extension of our materialistic and entertainment driven culture, causing youth pastors to be more like comedians or the popular guy at high school rather than a man of God who has a heart and a gift for working with youth.
I like what you said about learning things from other branches of the faith. I think it's very easy for me to see something different and blindly accept it since it's such a breath of fresh air compared to what I'm currently experiencing. But it's wise to know that we all have to learn from one another, and that not all issues need to be divide the Body of Christ.
Resonates with me too, Crutch. I've been working through Rilke's Book of Hours, and I guess my focus has been more on the hours and chants of late...
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