Evangelizing a Post-Christian World

After the recent midterm elections here in America, CatholicVote CEO Brian Burch wrote, “Imagine a candidate for office saying, ‘My goal is to inspire Americans to start going back to church.’” The sentiment was part of a broader plea for political leaders who “know what time it is,” who can communicate that “the soul of America is at stake.”

As I read these words, I wondered what good it would do for anyone, particularly a politician, to “inspire others to go to church” when the secular culture has so successfully destroyed the true image of the Church. In our culture at large, the Church is viewed as a cute and irrelevant antiquation at best, and at worst, evil.

More importantly, “go to church” is not enough of a mission when people question their very identity, place in society, and the purpose of life. The Church has no place in our culture of hyper self-definition.

The Church’s mission now is no longer simply to spread the gospel and in the course be a “field hospital for souls,” as Pope Francis put it. Now, the Church is obligated to reach back to the beginning of its history and re-justify itself on the global stage. That is the reality of the post-Christian world.

Why won’t the “go to church” approach work?

To the general secular public, “church” often simply does not mean the warm, glowing things we Catholics feel. We see church as home, family, belonging, mercy, forgiveness, joy, beauty, truth, order, and safety. 

But for many, the idea of “church” is poisonous. 

The evangelical church earned a reputation for hypocrisy and greed when various high-profile TV pastors of the 1990s engaged in adulterous affairs and financial scams of their followers. 

Likewise, who reading this has not felt the agony of all our Church’s decades of covered-up abuse and financial scandals, which continue to this day?

For many, “church” instead means oppression, inability to be one’s “true self,” a patriarchy – you are familiar with the accusations. Yet, dismissing the pain people have attached to their image and experience of the Church is unwise and cruel.

Urging people to “go to church” is not sufficient or even helpful.

What is actually needed?

While all of this is true, we know the world still desperately needs the Church. Instead of just “inspiring” people to go there, what the Church needs to do now is communicate what it is, and what it means to be human. On the latter point, the world, and especially America, have lost our way. Basic questions of relationship and identity are an unanswerable landmine now.

You can’t get people to go back to church until they realize they need it. You need to give them something first: an understanding of the Church and an understanding of the human person. 

What does the Church say about being human?

The bottom line, of course, is the radical truth the Church holds that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. Not just made, but loved into being. Because of this, every life is sacred and valuable. Our primary identity is this: loved into existence by God, and loved profoundly. How many people know this? How would our world change, if they did?

What is the Church’s role beyond teaching this fundamental truth? Well, everything flows from this truth.

Why does true justice matter? Why do we need to be in relationship with others, over more than text and video call? Why does behaving badly made me sad in the long run? Why is the family the bedrock of society? Why do we care about unborn babies, the disabled, and preventing deaths of despair? Why bother speaking to God through prayer? Is God even knowable?

Throughout the ages, humans have asked themselves what it means to live a good and happy life; what is the meaning of life?

The Church, through its teaching and doctrine, holds the answer to every one of these questions. Human nature has never changed and never will change. If the Church can begin to explain this, then we will win souls back to the Church.

Beware of idols

As I have urged before, please, Catholics, do not put your faith in politicians. You risk turning them into idols. To despair of a political outcome and the future of your nation is to admit that God is not in control, which of course we know is a lie.

A Christian’s political conscience should absolutely, fundamentally be informed by their faith. The politician’s job, however, is not to encourage people to go to Church but to create the conditions – i.e., upholding the Constitution and the first amendment – to enable citizens to worship freely. The Catholic politician’s job is to uphold the Catholic Social teaching principles which allow for a flourishing society – subsidiarity, recognition of the innate dignity of the human person, the human right to life, protection of the gifts of marriage and family, freedom of conscience, and freedom from governmental oppression. To entrust politicians with the job of inspiring people to go to church is improperly ordered. 

Rather than “I want to inspire you to go back to Church,” I would much rather hear a politician say, “I will make it impossible for anyone to take away your right to go to Church.”

A path forward

Now is the time for the Church to understand that its mission is not only to share the good news of the Gospel but to teach people how to be. No one knows they need the Church unless they understand that the Catholic Church holds the key to their identity and happiness. As Saint Pope John Paul II said: “Jesus Christ is the answer to which every human life is the question.”

I do not disagree with Mr. Burch that “the soul of America is at stake.” Catholics must be engaged on the front lines of politics, not only as voters, but indeed as politicians. We need brave men and women to stand up for God in the public square. 

Instead of solely looking to our politicians to do that, however – and continuing to be disappointed – we are better served by personally leading our neighbors to the truths of the Church and about themselves and by engaging in cultural transformation from a grassroots level. That is, after all, the spirit of the first apostles whom Jesus sent out two by two with nothing but their sandals.

In the meantime, we can hold our politicians responsible for their actions on creating a culture of life and fighting to preserve our freedoms, and we can continue to pray for the soul of America.