Editorial

The challenge for Christianity today

Peter Westmore

Contents - Nov 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The challenge for Christianity today - Peter Westmore Ad limina: The Pope calls for strong leadership from New Zealand's Bishops - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World British Catholic writers call for a better Mass translation - AD2000 Report Orthodoxy: Anglican Synod 2004: Are liberal Anglicanism's days numbered? - Rev Nigel Zimmerman Deer Park: Transforming our secular culture: the role of women - Marcia Riordan Liturgy: Ad-libbing in the Mass: Does it really matter? - John Young Education: Where secular humanism is triumphing over the Gospel - Fr John Walter Morning Mass: Finding some 'head space': an alternative approach - David Birch Obituary: RIP Michael Davies - The passing of a true defender of the Faith - Michael Foley Letters: The Passion of the Christ (letter) - Arnold Jago Letters: Abortion issue (letter) - Greg Byrne Letters: Reporting abuses (letter) - E. Makaus Letters: Real Latin (letter) - Matt Bruekers Letters: Pastoral problems (letter) - Fr Frank Brennan SJ Letters: Crisis of faith (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: Young Catholics (letter) - Nola Viney Letters: State Aid (letter) - George Caruana JP Letters: Archbishop Mannix and State Aid (letter) - T.A. Rigg Letters: Extraordinary ministers of Communion (letter) - Leon Voesenek Letters: Unchanging Mass? (letter) - Fr G.H. Duggan SM Letters: Church teaching (letter) - Carmel Pittari Events: 4 Dec 2004 - International Movement of Catholic Students Australia (Victoria) Books: MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, by James Dobson - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: From East to West You Gather a People, by Fr Russell Hardiman - Brian Peachey (reviewer) Books: More new titles from AD Books Reflection: Saint Francis and the universal call to holiness - Fr Sebastian Camilleri OFM

After decades of being dismissed as irrelevant, there are clear signs that even in secular Australia, Christianity is being taken seriously again as a significant cultural factor.

Since the Enlightenment of the 18th century, the prevailing intellectual fashion has held that there is a purely rational explanation for everything.

A development of this was the notion that there was no such thing as truth. The influence of this idea is very strong. An American survey showed that 66 percent of adults responded that they believe that "there is no such thing as absolute truth; different people can define truth in conflicting ways and still be correct", and 72 percent of those aged 18 to 25 held this view.

While this seems to be something new, it is actually the same sentiment expressed by Pontius Pilate: "What is truth?"

The proposition that there is no absolute truth contradicts human experience: particularly the laws of nature, and the moral law which decrees, for example, that many actions including murder, slavery, theft, calumny and exploitation of others are always evil.

In fact, even those who say there is no absolute truth make decisions every day based on the knowledge that many things are true.

Further, the failure of 20th century ideologies based on atheism - including nazism, fascism and communism - has also discredited the idea that there are no moral absolutes.

The demise of rationalism has been accompanied by a return to belief, as seen in the Islamic world and in the former Soviet empire, where Christianity has emerged from decades of persecution.

In Australia today, the challenge is to show through word and deed that Christianity, which believes in moral absolutes and proposes a way of life modelled on Jesus Christ, has the answers for a society still wallowing in moral uncertainty and intellectual confusion.

Peter Westmore is the Publisher of AD2000.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 10 (November 2004), p. 2