Sorry for my delay in posting on one of the highlights of the Florida trip. All I can say is I have been busy doing other good things for the Parousians.
While in Orlando, the Parousians met with Adam Smith, not the author of The Wealth of Nations but the managing editor of Relevant. Relevant is a magazine on issues of faith and culture for Christian young adults, primarily evangelicals who find themselves questioning evangelical trappings and belong to what is being called the emergent movement. Clearly ecumenical allies of the Parousians, we were eager to compare notes. We met with Adam at a local eatery called Greens and Grille, a restaurant whose superior selection and remarkable fresh feel make it a must when visiting Orlando. Adam brought us copies of Relevant and Radiant its sister publication for young women.
The first great joy of our meeting was learning Adam was becoming Catholic. Ryan and I immediately exchanged conversion stories with yet another pilgrim heading to Rome. Adam's command of the Church Fathers was impressive. What I found most notable is his continuing struggle to understand the Eucharist - he doesn't well enough. Yet he knows enough to believe he's not smart enough to understand it yet, and he wasn't going to let intellectual pride stand in the way of knowing the beauty of the Church from the inside. I had a similar problem with the Immaculate Conception, and I had a similar prayer of "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief" as I accepted by faith the one thing I was struggling to put together in my head. After coming into the Church, it finally made sense.
Adam talked to us at length on why many young Evangelicals are losing faith. The evangelical subculture frequently aligns itself with the politics, economics, and lifestyle of comfort when Christ calls us to a lifestyle of radicality, especially in charity and in poverty. There is a frustration about a loss of a sense of mystery, replaced with four easy points to explain everything. The emergent movement is trying to deal with some of these issues, and from their ranks Adam has emerged into the Catholic Church without much shock or rejection from his peers. Adam and the Relevant crowd are dynamic in sharing their faith without putting on the airs, have a deep concern for social justice, and are finding a way to live in this world but not be of this world. This is definitely a sign of hope for our generation.
Relevant and Radiant are two of the best made magazines on the market. Give'em a look.
No comments:
Post a Comment