MORE SOCIAL JUSTICE BABBLE FROM YET ANOTHER ARCHBISHOP

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia released his new book, Strangers in a Strange Land.

I was prepared to go out to my local bookstore to purchase it today.  However, I happened upon an interview with the Archbishop (posted on the National Review website) in which he discusses the main topic which the book addresses.

“Our task as Christians, “ he writes, “is to be healthy cells in society.  We need to work as long as we can, in whatever we can, to nourish the good in our country and to encourage the seeds of renewal that can enliven our young people.”

He explains further, “ ... we’re all called to holiness. It’s always within our reach if we’re serious about pursuing it. The word “holy” comes from the Hebrew word qodesh, which doesn’t mean pious; it means “separate” or “other than.” The pursuit of holiness is the everyday work of separating ourselves from the distractions and addictions in the world that pull us away from God.” 

And what are the virtues and failings of this "strange land" which the Archbishop describes? 

He explains. "Instead of helping the poor, we go shopping. Instead of spending meaningful time with our families and friends, we look for videos on the Internet. We cocoon ourselves in a web of narcotics, from entertainment to self-help gurus to chemicals. We wrap ourselves in cheap comforts and empty slogans, and because there are never enough of them, we constantly look for more. We enjoy getting angry about problems that we can’t solve, and we overlook the child who wants us to watch her dance, or the woman on the street corner asking for food.”

So, here we go again, more social justice claptrap from yet another Archbishop.

Dear Archbishop, attempting to convince people with a platform of pious platitudes that provide for everyone’s needs is the goal not of Christianity but of Marxism.

The social justice “utopia” which Archbishop Chaput hints at cannot and never will be accomplished by human effort nor is it the mission of the Church. 

Sadly, social justice is being presented to the Church as one’s Christian obligation.  And so,  social activism and religious humanism has become the new gospel.  The mandate of the new evangelism is to make the world perfect by alleviating every need and tranquilizing every discomfort.  This is not Christianity.  It is Marxism wrapped in the cloak of evangelical counsel.

And so, Bishops and Pastors no longer speak about the Gospel that redeems humanity from sin but rather a type of salvation that comes from society by doing good, by taking from those who have more and giving to those who have less, by achieving a perfect equality among members in each and every society and culture.  They seem perfectly willing to forget and ignore the fact that charity is inspired by and the result of personal sanctification, not the other way around.

The world will never be perfect because human beings are imperfect, because we enter this world wounded by sin:  our intellects clouded by self-deception and our appetites disordered. 

The Church used to preach that the Gospel was about an individual saying yes to Jesus, to His invitation to follow Him and thereby find salvation through the forgiveness of sin.

It seems the more the Church speaks nowadays the less and less I hear about forgiveness of sin and the more and more I hear about social justice and the liberal-progressive agendas it inspires from so many in positions of pastoral authority.

I am led to wonder whether or not our Bishops even believe any longer that the Gospel really is about Jesus dying to redeem us from our sins.

Anyway, I’m glad I read the interviews Archbishop Chaput has given about Strangers in a Strange Land.  They saved me the cost of a book which would have wasted my time reading yet another episcopal manifesto on the virtues of social justice.