A people apart?Luke Timothy Johnson Luke Timothy Johnson (born November 20, 1943) is the R. W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Candler School of Theology and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. says that lay Catholics have "an ecumenical vision of the church" that understands unity "not in terms of uniformity but in terms of a complex yet harmonious diversity" ("A Larger Sense of Church," May 19). This may be the case, but Catholics also have a fuzzy fuzz·y adj. fuzz·i·er, fuzz·i·est 1. Covered with fuzz. 2. Of or resembling fuzz. 3. Not clear; indistinct: a fuzzy recollection of past events. 4. sense of what it means to be Catholic. Before Vatican II Noun 1. Vatican II - the Vatican Council in 1962-1965 that abandoned the universal Latin liturgy and acknowledged ecumenism and made other reforms Second Vatican Council Vatican Council - each of two councils of the Roman Catholic Church , Catholics were defined as abstainers from meat on Friday and dedicated Mass-goers on Sunday. The definition was pathetically superficial, but secure. Now it seems there is nothing that distinguishes us from our Protestant brethren. Perhaps that's a good thing. But why are we Catholics? Culture? Habit? Johnson seems to be saying that we have a lot to learn from Protestants. But what do they have to learn from us? He suggests "a strong appreciation of tradition and authoritative teaching." Given the state of "authoritative teaching" today, that isn't much comfort. THOMAS F. MADER MADER Management of Atmospheric Data for Evaluation and Research Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, residential city (1990 pop. 60,569), Contra Costa co., W Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area; inc. 1914. It is the trade and shipping center of an extensive agricultural area where walnuts are among the major product. , Calif. |
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