A Synodal Church is a Jungle
Support the channel by joining the Reinforcements at https://brianholdsworth.ca
Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com
As many of you know, if you’ve followed this channel long enough, I’m a big admirer of CS Lewis and even employ some of his argumentation in my videos. This in spite of the fact that even though his Catholic friend J.R.R. Tolkien was instrumental in his conversion to theism and then Christianity, he never converted all the way to the Catholic Church. He instead, embraced a kind of high Church Anglicanism.
Lewis was famous for trying to build bridges along the fault lines of Christian denominations by promoting what he called Mere Christianity, or what was essential and mostly agreed upon by the main denominations – you could call this credal Christianity because it promotes the fundamentals of the ancient creeds which we almost all agree on.
This is probably why Lewis wasn’t in the habit of criticizing any Christian church or tradition, but he is supposed to have compared the Catholic Church to an overwhelming jungle where people can get lost and distracted before they ever get to the fundamentals of mere Christianity. And, I, in the course of my own conversion to Catholicism have found it hard not to sympathize with that criticism. Catholic thought and beliefs are so substantial that it can be easy to miss the forest for the trees.
For example, I’ve met Catholics who could tell you all about the apparitions of Medjugorje but don’t know what the phrase “consubstantial with the Father” in the Nicene Creed means. I’ve met Catholics who know all about the life of St. Juan Diego, but can’t name the 12 apostles.
So maybe Lewis has a point. But instead of describing it as a jungle, I might amend the comparison to be a library – a massive library. Because, if we’re talking about the Church’s intellectual tradition, her teachings, and even her dogmas, you actually do have something like a library of content. But the challenge with a library, is that it’s easy to get distracted with the stuff you want to read as opposed to the stuff you should read.
-
11:57
Brian Holdsworth
10 months ago $0.08 earnedWhat Should Catholics Do?
3052 -
1:18:43
Edge of Wonder
5 hours agoPager Explosions: How Technology Can Be Used Against Us
44K7 -
8:19:47
Akademiks
11 hours agoDiddy Arrest Footage LEAKED! Police Say He's ON S*ICIDE watch after Being Locked up in MDC BROOKLYN
147K73 -
11:44:20
Total Horse Channel
15 hours ago2024 WDAA World Championship Show | Friday | Arena One
48K1 -
4:16
steveinman
6 hours agoAnimals Gone Wild Compilation
39K6 -
2:22:56
WeAreChange
8 hours agoDiddy Will Get EPSTEINED?! The Power Brokers Are LOSING IT
90.1K48 -
1:56:20
Twins Pod
1 day agoWar Hero or War Criminal? | Twins Pod - Episode 31 - Eddie Gallagher
112K22 -
2:00:23
2 MIKES LIVE
11 hours ago2 MIKES LIVE #119 Open Mike Friday!
27.6K1 -
2:02:21
Quite Frankly
10 hours ago"Diddy's Jail Guards, Crowder's Sting, When UV Attacks, and More..." 9/20/24
30.1K9 -
56:43
Sarah Westall
7 hours agoTop Scientists are Dying, Blocking Important Trials & Alternative Treatments w/ Matt Hazen
27.6K8