Tuesday, September 09, 2003

Why You Should Read Luke Timothy Johnson's New Book

First Amy has a wonderful post over at
open book:

"But doesn't this bulletin notice scream 'Miracle of Sharing?' I mean - my experience as a religious ed coordinator tells me very definitely that what adult Catholics want, more than anything else, is answers, and they live with this fantastic hope that God has revealed answers, through Scripture and Tradition. To suggest that 'there is no final answer' to the question of who Jesus's identity is absurd and not Catholic, and not even Christian. It is a shabby god in whom I have no interest who leaves us bereft, with no answers.

And ultimately, those who fall back on this technique for 'teaching' are showing, in the end, how stupid they are. They don't have the knowledge or skills to be able to explain the Creeds - they don't understand them in context, they're not smart enough to be able to elucidate them so that they are comprehensible and relevant to modern sensibilities...so they throw up their hands and say, 'Discuss, class.'"

She's right and I would say that the above average Catholic has little understanding of what the Creed says we believe. The Catechism is based on the Creed and it is a reliable source of belief but it is based on a presumption of belief. Luke Timothy Johnson's new book points out that the norm for Scripture interpretation and belief is the Creed and he lays out a great presentation of the Creed and why we "modern" just don't get it.