Reflections on Laxity in “A Church in Crisis”

The following reflections on A Church in Crisis Pathways Forward by Ralph Martin, bring into focus the laxity of universalism, the laxity of accompaniment, and laxity with respect to the devil. Such laxity or sloth is a form of herd mentality bordering on heresy.

If you had asked me when I was in my early and mid-twenties whether I was any kind of heretic, I would have said, “No, I don’t subscribe to any heresies.” Little did I know it, but I was something of a heretic. I was on a slow but steady descent into moral confusion and sin. In my late twenties, I would finally wake up a little and start to pull myself out. I would start to take a real stand. After reading A Church in Crisis Pathways Forward by Ralph Martin, I see that I had fallen into three traps.

The Laxity of Universalism

Universalism is a school of theology that basically teaches all or most people will be saved. Superficially, this idea sounds acceptable. However, universalism actually contradicts the Gospel. As Martin says, the doctrine of universalism tends towards a worldview that directly conflicts with Christ’s teaching about the narrow road. Martin writes, “If I were to describe how many of our fellow Catholics view the world today, I would describe it like this: ‘Broad and wide is the way that leads to heaven, and almost everybody is going that way; narrow is the door that leads to hell, difficult is the path, and few there are who travel that way” (67).It also denies our ability for evil. Karl Rahner felt that most people were “anonymous Christians” (75). In other words, most people are Christians without knowing it. In short, most people were incapable of truly choosing evil.

As a twenty-year-old, without explicitly accepting the doctrine of universalism, I more or less did not see the salvation of those around me as greatly at risk. I don’t recall praying for my classmates or coworkers. I didn’t even pray often for my atheist relatives. It did not seem very urgent to me.

The Laxity of Accompaniment 

As Martin points out, in Amoris Laetitia one of the ambiguous words is “accompaniment.”. The actual text of Amoris Laetitia reads “These situations [of divorced people] require careful discernment and respectful accompaniment” ( Amoris Laetitia paragraph 243). Ralph Martin quotes Fr. Weinandy’s letter to the pope, “As you wisely note, pastors should accompany and encourage persons in irregular marriages; but ambiguity persists about what ‘accompaniment actually means” (179). Martin shows that this ambiguity often leads to a fuzzy, lax theology.

Indeed, he highlights trends that are related to this ambiguous idea of accompaniment. He reveals a movement away from an explicit proclamation of the Gospel. In fact, the pope and others like to quote a saying of St. Francis (which he probably never said): “Preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words.” Martin explains that this saying is “usually invoked to reassure Catholics that silent ‘witness’ is really all that usually needs to happen” (181). In short, we say don’t be “judgmental” or “preachy.”

Martin questions the logic of Bishop Barron and others who have said at times that evangelization shouldn’t be about numbers. He asks why it shouldn’t. He concludes, “Yes, we need to be patiently and compassionately “accompanying” people on their journey, but we need to be leading them to the true food and drink that God has provided the human race – the Bread that has come down from Heaven and the water from the heart of Jesus” (188). In short, he helps us understand how a desire to avoid “ramming Christianity down someone’s throat” could lead to laxity.

Looking back over my twenties, I see how much I embraced the idea of accompaniment and silent witness. Of course, there are good things about these ideas as Martin acknowledges. However, I think I used them too often as an excuse to avoid difficult situations. I was a good listener. I could get most people to trust me enough to share things about their life. Perhaps, I felt that simply by listening well to others and leading a Christian life I was evangelizing. Had my example really been very saintly, perhaps, I would have led others to the faith. However, I was not very consistent. Moreover, I lost many opportunities to do more than just listen.

Laxity with Respect to the Devil

I would argue that when one does not speak up for one’s beliefs when one simply accompanies in the sense of going along, one is opening up oneself to the devil. It may not be in spectacular ways, but little by little, one’s foundation of faith may be weakened. Martin shows how we often dismiss the devil. He quotes the Jesuit superior general as saying “the devil exists as a symbolic reality, not as a personal reality.” – words he later took back. In his chapter “Powers, Principalities, and Organizations,” Martin shows how the devil is active in human history, whether in the development of Nazi doctrine or the Marxist revolution.

In examining the influence of the demonic in the world, Martin acknowledges that “we must here guard against the danger of seeing Satan’s activity everywhere and undervaluing the significant contribution of human sin and malice to our present situation” (252). Thus, in my own life, I acknowledge that my own sinfulness caused many of my failings. I also see how in my twenties, I often failed to guard against harmful influences. I was not very careful about my music, books, or movies. When I was around Catholics, I tended to pick wholesome entertainment. Around non-Catholics, too often, I simply went with the flow.

Conclusion

One question that the book makes me ask is, “What is the appropriate form of evangelization?” I am not planning to move towards an overtly, in your face type of evangelization. To a certain extent, I agree with Bishop Barron that it is dangerous to see evangelization as simply a numbers game. I also see how my form of Christianity was too comfortable. I was too relaxed about my salvation and that of others. Now, I’m striving for a balanced way to practice my faith. In short, to stop the crisis in our world, I think we must start taking the possibility of hell for ourselves and others seriously.