Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have called the Catholic Church to renew her commitment to the evangelization of the peoples of the world. The Ordinariate will find its very life in this calling. Ordinariate congregations can only grow through the work of evangelization; the Ordinariate exists for those who are and will be coming to the fullness of the Catholic faith.In a past life, I studied and taught rhetoric, "an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations". It's no coincidence that St Augustine of Hippo was a rhetoric teacher. It's an important evangelical skill. Unfortunately, I see little evidence that anyone connected with the Houston clique knows anything about it.
I think Our Saviour was saying something about audience in the Parable of the Sower (Mark IV: 3-9):
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, some an hundred. He said unto them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
When you start to speak or write, you have to have an idea of audience, or in more modern terms, market. Who's going to buy what you're selling? Does Msgr Steenson even have an idea of what his market is like? You can say "Anglicans", but that's a little like trying to sell cars to "drivers". Most Anglicans are happy as bugs where they are. What's probably the biggest and most successful Anglo-Catholic strain is urban, gay-accepting Episcopal parishes. I was a member of one for ten years or so. In my view, the Holy Spirit is present there, and they have their own destinies to work out, but by and large, they're on the same page with present TEC leadership. They aren't going to become Catholic anytime soon.
Then there's the broad spectrum across TEC, ACNA, and some "continuers" -- they may see value in being Protestant and find some aspects of Catholicism even somewhat unpretty or repellent. (There were things I had to get over in my own journey.) They're a hard sell at best. These people might be seen, from the Ordinariate's perspective, as various kinds of unsuitable ground for the sower.
Among other "continuers", there are people who are just plain angry, and their anger is as much anti-Catholic as anti-TEC. These include David Virtue and some "continuers" like Michael Gill. Thorny ground indeed.
There are sentimental Anglo-Catholics who like vestments and trips to Rome, but don't strike me as solid people who can build a community under stress. These include the madwomen who wear velvet hats to church and the guys who used to run Anglo-Catholic cheerleading blogs. I assume the pretty picture of St Peter's on the Ordinariate home page is aimed at this group, and frankly, it's an indication to me of how little the Houston clique understands the market. These people are stony ground without much earth.
On the other hand, I'm drawn to a view that Fr Z frequently puts forward on his blog, where he seems to be on the same page with many conservative US bishops: you won't get far by dumbing things down or preaching to an easy audience. If people are told that doctrine and faith aren't important, they take it to heart, and they quickly find other things to do on Sunday. You need to be sympathetic to the people who take religion seriously.
Indeed, if people are seriously seeking you out, you need to see them as a gift and bring them in. You need to make things easy for this group, because any effort you put in with the others isn't going to pay off. I think Our Lord understood this. Frankly, for now, Msgr Steenson, this is your market. I don't have the impression that you remotely understand this.
More rhetoric class tomorrow.
