Friday, October 05, 2007

"Whole Community Catechesis"--Don't Go There...

Thanks to Rick at Ten Reasons, we in Milwaukee are fore-warned.

The catechetical establishment around these parts is a big fan of "whole community catechesis." You'll see it promoted in archdiocesan publications, advertised in bulletins, and practiced by DREs and RCIA directors.

He then quotes Donna Steichen:

...The kind of religious education practiced by Cordelia Flyte is now called “faith-sharing,” “faith formation,” or “adult faith-formation.” Its style, familiar to veterans of RCIA or Renew I and II programs, is also the heart of “whole community catechesis.” It may well be the wave of the catechetical future.

“Faith sharing” means gathering the relevant community in jolly social groupings and encouraging them to tell each other what they believe. No one is permitted to object to another’s belief, or to tell anyone else what he ought to believe; that would be "proselytizing," which is oppressive. By contrast, simply talking of one’s “faith journey” is liberating. However uninformed one’s opinion might be, participants are assured that it serves “to further the reign of God.”

Oh, goodie!

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