Why a Roman Catholic conference offers an important lesson for all Christians

The Synod on Synodality sounds more like something from Monty Python or The Babylon Bee than a real gathering of church leaders. Yet, as Father Robert Sirico describes, some considered it to be “the most significant global event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s [and] will likely be the defining moment of Pope Francis’ pontificate.”

The Synod, which officially ended this past weekend, was a multi-year series of meetings in which the Catholic Church attempted to “reshape how the church functions by embracing a ‘synodal’ model—one where openness, transparency, and dialogue are central.”

Many understood synodal to mean a shift away from the emphasis on a “universal church” to one that saw Catholicism as more of a “communion of churches.” The move was intended to recognize the increasing diversity within the church and, as Father Giacomo Costa put it, help it to “serve as a hub where people of different backgrounds find unity as brothers and sisters, children of one Father.”

However, in the aftermath of the Synod’s conclusion, the question remains as to how well it achieved that goal.

Where diversity matters most

One of the most significant changes in emphasis from previous synods is that men and women from the church’s laity were invited to take part in the discussions and have their voices heard alongside the bishops. Moreover, representatives from Catholic churches around the globe were present as well to ensure that no region went without a voice in the proceedings.

Yet, a common refrain among many participants was that “for all the talk of openness, the synod’s process was, in fact, carefully controlled.” For example, while the participants reflected the diversity of the church, the leadership did not. Rather, the synod’s drivers hailed primarily from the more progressive side of Catholicism in terms of theology. And that ideological divide is just as, if not more, important than nationality, gender, or a host of other markers of diversity.

One of the primary reasons that the Catholic Church is trying to make room for greater diversity is that the divide between its progressive and conservative wings is nearing a potential breaking point. Schism is a word that has been floated far more frequently in recent years, and it’s not difficult to see why.

German priests started their own version of the synod in 2019 in an effort “to bring pressure on the synod in Rome to address some of the church’s most controversial issues: the decentralization of church authority, questions surrounding sexuality, the role of women, and the life and celibacy of priests.” The result of their meeting was a document calling for the adoption of more progressive views on each of those topics—views that align well with the culture in Europe and much of North America, but that are quite anathema to the rest of the world.

And while the final document from the Synod on Synodality largely avoided discussing such issues, the tension between those two parties should serve as a warning to Christians from every denomination.

When the culture moves on

You see, the progressive wing of the Catholic Church is responding largely to the precipitous drop in both membership and clergy in their areas of the world. Last year, Germany’s Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck spoke of how in his fourteen years as the bishop of Essen, he has “buried almost 300 priests and ordained fifteen.” And that decline is mirrored in the larger population as well.

The culture seems to have moved on from the more traditional doctrines of the church, and the bishops feel the need to try to catch up in order to survive. However, in so doing, they have increasingly moved away from the traditions of the Catholic Church and, more importantly, the truth of Scripture. And the numbers would seem to indicate they have gained little for doing so.

After all, the only parts of the world where the Catholic Church is still growing and demonstrating consistent fruit are the parts that have not wavered in their commitment to biblical teaching on these more controversial issues. It would seem that attempts to placate the culture do little to make it more receptive to the gospel.

As Father Sirico perceptively noted, “It is a stark reminder that when the church loses its focus on its primary mission, it also risks losing its ability to speak meaningfully to the world.”

Maintaining that focus can be difficult, however, when fear begins to drive our decisions.

The church’s greatest strength

Paul’s admonition that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” is among his most oft-quoted teachings (2 Timothy 1:7). Yet, the context for that statement seems particularly relevant to our topic today.

It was only after reminding Timothy of the legacy of faithfulness that he received from his grandmother and his mother (2 Timothy 1:5) that Paul encouraged him to act from a place of God’s power, love, and self-control rather than from his fears. That legacy was meant to remind him that, regardless of his present difficulties, his faith was trustworthy and had proven itself effective in the past.

If Paul could say that based on the gospel’s effectiveness over a few decades, how much more should we believe it today nearly two thousand years later?

Is interest in the gospel declining across much of Europe and North America? Unfortunately yes. But is the problem with the gospel? Absolutely not.

So, as we attempt to help demonstrate our faith’s relevance and validity to the lost around us, we must be sure that we don’t compromise God’s truth in the process. To quote Father Sirico one more time:

“In a world that is increasingly fragmented and uncertain, the church’s strength lies not in its ability to adapt to every cultural shift, but in its steadfast commitment to the truth it has carried for over two millennia. The future of the church—and perhaps of the civilization it helped to build—depends on whether it can hold fast to that identity, even as it navigates the complexities of the modern world.”

Amen.

Friday news to know:

• PhD student discovers lost Mayan city in the jungles of Mexico
• Israel continues attacks outside of Beirut overnight.
• JD Vance sits down with Joe Rogan for a three-hour interview
• Dodgers and Yankees World Series gets the highest ratings in seven years
• On this day in 1512: The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is opened to the public

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote of the day:

“Tradition means giving a vote to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead.” —GK Chesterton

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Spiritual warfare and our “primal identity”

You know you’re getting to a certain age when you are not familiar with a single one of the top Halloween costumes for this year. At the top of the list is Bob, a shrunken-headed ghost from the recent Beetlejuice sequel. Next comes viral breakdancer Raygun with the green and yellow tracksuit worn during the Australian’s controversial Olympics performance. In third place is CatNip, the cat-like monster from the video game series “Poppy Playtime.”’

You have to get to No. 11, “Chipotle burrito,” to find something I recognize. Sadly, Godzilla, one of my childhood favorites, has fallen to No. 25 on the list.

Here’s a Halloween theme with which I am unfortunately very familiar: the subject of spiritual warfare. Halloween always brings questions regarding Satan and the demonic. Long after the candy is consumed and the costumes are forgotten, these issues will be relevant to every heart and soul.

Spiritual battles are an inevitable part of life on this fallen planet. After Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, the devil “departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Like Jesus, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

If you’re like most of us, you win some of these battles and lose some. All the while, your soul longs for a way to sustain victory in the spiritual battles we face.

I discovered a step in this direction recently in a familiar story that impacted me in a new way.

“He is the living God, enduring forever”

In Daniel 6, the Babylonian king’s corrupt counselors persuaded him to issue a decree that the entire nation must pray only to him (v. 7). Daniel’s response, whereby “he got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (v. 10, my emphasis) cost him the lions’ den but led to God’s greater glory and the prophet’s greater service.

Note the words I italicized: Daniel was already in this habit and discipline, so when the test came, he could fall back on what he already knew and did.

Even King Darius knew that Daniel served God “continually” (vv. 16, 20). Daniel’s influence on the king was so profound that while Daniel spent the night in the lions’ den, the king spent it “fasting” as “sleep fled from him” (v. 18).

Of course, Daniel had no idea this was happening. When we are faithful to God, others see our faithfulness even when we are unaware of our influence. Oswald Chambers was right: the river touches shores the source never sees.

The result, as we know, was that Daniel was spared, his enemies were destroyed, and Darius made a new decree that “in all my royal dominion,” people were to pray not to him but to “the God of Daniel” (v. 26). This “pagan” king then testified:

He is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions (vv. 26–27).

Wouldn’t you love to have Daniels’ faith and spiritual power? Here’s the question: What motivated him to serve God so “continually” that he turned to him at the peril of his life?

“The farther away you are from the devil”

Years ago, I learned from Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline that the various spiritual disciplines do not earn God’s favor—they position us to experience his best. Like Daniel’s prayer life, they are the key to the spiritual power we need to defeat the Enemy.

But keeping these various disciplines can be a real challenge, especially in a culture that not only does not reward such faithfulness—it finds biblical truth and spirituality dangerous and actively opposes it.

The key is being able to say with the psalmist, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). The more we love God’s law, the more we will study it and be transformed by it. The writer could say this because he had come to delight in biblical truth: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (v. 103). He could therefore pray, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (v. 104).

As we study God’s word, pray, worship, and experience other spiritual disciplines, we come to love the God whose word we study, to whom we pray, and whom we worship. Then our love for God empowers the disciplines by which we know him and make him known.

We act into feeling and, eventually, we experience feelings that empower our actions and godliness that defeats Satan is the result. As Billy Graham noted: “Stay close to Christ—because the closer you are to him the farther away you are from the devil.”

Claiming your “primal identity”

But what do we do when we don’t want to pray, read Scripture, or practice other spiritual disciplines in our daily lives? What do we do when we don’t love God enough to love his word and want to obey his will?

When David was fleeing from King Saul in the wilderness of Judea, he could nonetheless tell God, “My mouth will praise you with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:5). This is because he remembered what God had done for him in the past: “You have been my help” (v. 7a). He thought of what God will do for him in the future: “In the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy” (v. 7b). And he focused on what God was doing for him in the present: “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me” (v. 8).

When we remember all that God has done, will do, and is doing in our lives, we are encouraged to love him in response to his love.

Henri Nouwen said of us, “You are not what others, or even you, think about yourself. You are not what you do. You are not what you have.” Rather, your “primal identity” is the “beloved daughter or son of a personal Creator.” He therefore encouraged us:

Try to choose to remain true to the truth of who you really are. Look in the mirror each day and claim your true identity. Act ahead of your feelings and trust that one day your feelings will match your convictions. Choose now and continue to choose this incredible truth.

When we know how deeply we are loved, we are empowered to love the One who loves us. This love then empowers our desire to read and obey his word. Reading and obeying his word equips us to resist temptation and defeat the Enemy.

Such a lifestyle offers sustained victory by which we can declare daily,

“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

So here’s the question: Will you “remain true to the truth of who you really are” today?

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