The Upsurge of the Supernatural: The Future Church - 2

Religion without the supernatural isn´t a religion, it´s a set of table manners. 

GREENVILLE (Catholic Online) - [ Editors Note: We began a series of articles by Fr. Dwight Longenecker which are based upon John Allen's best selling book entitled Future Church last month. We present Part Two this month] Religion without the supernatural isn´t a religion, it´s a set of table manners. What I mean to say is that religion, by its very definition, has to do with the transaction between this world and the next. The problem with progressive Christianity is that it ignores or disbelieves in the supernatural. When that happens all that is left is a moral code, and that moral code soon deteriorates into being ´nice´ or being politically correct. It other words, it isn´t religion at all, it´s a set of table manners. In the first article on John Allen´s important book, Future Church we will saw how the future Catholic Church is young, vibrant and located in the global south. The new wave of Catholic Christians are in Africa, Asia and South America. They´re young and eager and they tend to be conservative morally and a bit more ´liberal´ in areas of social teaching. This fact is the death knell for the old fashioned, liberal Catholics and Protestants of Europe, Canada and the USA. In addition to being morally conservative, the new wave of Catholics are overwhelmingly  supernatural in their understanding of the faith. Allen says, "Attitudes toward the supernatural are the fundamental dividing line between the religious climates of the North and South...In the South, the spiritual realm is tangible, palpable, and constantly nearby--in some ways, more real than the physical world."  Allen quotes Kenyan theologian, John Mbiti, "For African peoples, this is a religious universe...the invisible world presses hard upon the visible. Africans ´see´ that invisible universe when they look at, hear or feel the visible and tangible world." This means the growing church of the South is in constant battle with the old witch-doctors, superstition and genuine evil spirits. As a result, exorcism is a vital and necessary ministry. Fr Rufus Perea, a priest of the Mumbai Archdiocese in India is president of International Association of Exorcists. Membership in his body has grown from six in 1993 to the hundreds. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the strong emphasis on the supernatural in the developing church? The strength is that the belief in the supernatural means that the believers in the south will be strong and committed believers in the efficacy of the sacraments. For them the priest is not simply a social worker who wears black. He really is the sacrificing priest who consecrates the bread and wine to become the body and blood of Christ. The priest administers the sacraments of the church and is Christ´s own agent to cast out evil, help to overcome sin and bring healing and forgiveness. For the supernaturally convinced in Africa, Asia and South America the church is not there primarily to bring about social justice and do good works. It is there primarily to overcome evil, to save souls and to deliver people from the bondage to Satan and all his works. The social justice and good works follow on from that deliverance. The weakness of the strong belief in the supernatural is that the young church in the South can too easily fall into superstition. While it is a good thing for the Catholic faith to adapt to the culture it is in, it is a risky business, and too often Catholics end up mixing pagan practices with Catholicism. Voodoo in Haiti is just one example of the confusing mixture of the Catholic faith with customs which will at least confuse the people and at worst, introduce occult practices into the heart of the faith. The challenges are enormous for this emerging church. They are the same challenges that the early church faces. As the light of the gospel spread through the ancient pagan world the battle with the devil was constant. As in the early church, exorcism will need to be taken seriously. Along with the spiritual work, converts will need strong and pure catechesis will be necessary. Strong moral teaching will need to be given and preached without compromise. If the church does her job in the developing world, combining belief in the supernatural with strong catechesis, pure moral teaching and positive social justice, then a new kind of church will emerge from the South; and from this new wave of Catholics a new Christendom will emerge as a world power--a Christendom that is young, vital, positive and full of faith. 
----- Fr Dwight Longenecker´s new book is The Gargoyle Code. Written in the style of C.S.Lewis´ Screwtape Letters, it is a collection of letters from a senior devil to his diabolical trainee on how to tempt Catholics.  Fr Longenecker blogs at Standing on My Head. Visit his website at www.dwightlongenecker.com 

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