"fidelity to a milquetoast figure with such malleable teachings"

A number of years ago now, I frequently sparred with a bunch, and I do mean a bunch, of progressive Christians on a particular discussion forum... a sparring spanning nearly a decade and occurring during a time when I thought, wrongly, that I was to become an ordained Episcopal priest.   At that time, and rarely since, I used to refer to the Gumby Jesus these religious leftists espoused.  A Jesus that bends to every whim and doctrine (or lack thereof) except those whims and doctrines espoused by people who thought as I did... an exception that eventually led to my being banned at that site because I was too... well... brutally honest.

Today, while visiting Deacon Greg, my recollections of those Gumby Jesus days came rolling back thanks to Colleen Carroll Campbell:

It was a controversy tailor-made for the TV cameras: A lesbian couple in the liberal bastion of Boulder, Colo., had enrolled their children in a Catholic parish school, only to see those children denied re-enrollment once the parish priest learned of their home situation. When the story leaked last week, Boulder's vociferous gay-rights activists mobilized to protest the priest, the parish and the Archdiocese of Denver, brandishing signs outside the church that plaintively asked: "What would Jesus do?"

For the reporters breathlessly covering the story and many Catholics, the answer was obvious. Jesus would allow the children to stay in the school. He would tell the teachers not to worry about the conflict between their duty to teach Catholic doctrine on marriage and their desire to protect the feelings of students being raised by a couple that flouted that doctrine in a particularly obvious way. The solution, he would say, is simple: Drop the doctrine and focus on feelings.

At least, that's what the Jesus of our contemporary imagination would say. He has a habit of endorsing what we wanted to do anyway, especially when it comes to sex. And unlike that intense and unsettling figure in the Bible — the one who talked about marriage as the union of a man and a woman for life — this Jesus never talks about tough choices or objective truth. He's all about hugs, rainbows and doing what feels right — a sort of human Hallmark card in Birkenstocks.

Appealing as this Jesus may be, his do-your-own-thing dogma has its drawbacks in the context of Catholic education. For starters, it's difficult for Catholic schools to justify their existence when their organizing principle is fidelity to a milquetoast figure with such malleable teachings. And it's difficult for students at Catholic schools to understand why they should be willing to suffer ridicule for defending their faith when so many of their pastors, parents and teachers are not.

Believing in milquetoast figures espousing malleable teachings explains a lot of things, none of it good and none of it happening solely in the Catholic church.

Comments

[tim aka The Godless Heathen]

I’m just a little confused why a lesbian couple would even want their child attending a Catholic school in the first place with their obvious conflicts with the teachings.

[Bernie]

In this burger king church atmosphere of "I want Christian teachings my way" is shameful. Christ had rules and laws to live by. This child must hear that any homosexual act is a sin. If these women do not believe in the Catholic Faith then put that child in a public school where she will hear that it is a "normal" lifestyle. It is the little ones that will suffer for the sins of the adults. Christ's Church is divided due to liberalism and politically correct teachings.

[TXMarko]

"What would Jesus do?"

Historically speaking, fire and brimstone come to mind....

[Albert Woudenberg]

for the most part i truly believe that Christ would have great admonishing to do if he were to return in the very near future, for many of the churches in the world. Adhering to the Gospels, the Word given us by son of God himself was a message for Christians to live humbly, meekly and in abeyance of the governments that are put over us. Until said time that governments force us to do what is against the will of God we have no place to reject the law.

Living in love and obedience does not mean picketing funerals with hateful and offensive messages. Nor does it mean slaughtering your fellow man in revenge for your own being slaughtered.

Vengeance is the Lords and the Lords alone

[Albert Woudenberg]

and no, historically speaking fire and brimstone are no more, the vengeance of God on humanity for our sins was washed clean in the blood of Christ; the fulfillment of the old testament. Historically speaking, turning the other cheek and let he who is without sin cast the first stone, come to mind