Remnant Theory

Last updated on: November 4, 2016 at 8:59 am by William Droel

Remnant Theory 2016-11-04T08:59:25-06:00 William Droel

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Some time ago a business group sponsored a Saturday clean-up in my neighborhood. Teenagers were recruited from area churches and schools. They were treated to a party at the conclusion of the day’s effort. At a planning meeting about ten days before the event I was asked to approach two, small fundamentalist churches for more teen volunteers. One of the congregations already seemed interested in the neighborhood and its leaders were friendly when I arrived. “Will our teenagers work alongside Catholics,” one person asked me? “Of course,” I replied. “We can’t participate then,” she said. “We cannot expose our children to swearing.”

Dorothy Day (1897-1980) is now a Servant of God in Catholic saint-making terminology. She was once criticized because some of the volunteers at her New York City soup kitchen were swearing, and a few were also known to use drugs. “You cannot allow these bad people to tarnish the church’s good work,” her critic said. “Without the help of all these volunteers, the poor are not fed,” Day replied.

Some Christians judge our culture to be corrupt. Their response is to section themselves off into a relatively pure a sub-culture. Their strategy regularly appears in the Christian tradition. For example, the Catharism movement of the Middle Ages was influential in Northern Italy and parts of France. The world is no good, the Cathars preached. Live counter-culturally while anticipating the spiritual world above, they advised. Today the sectarian strategy is characteristic of the Amish and of many fundamentalist groups. This strategy often uses the remnant theory: God divides the righteous from sinners; God will ultimately lift up only the pure remnant and destroy all wickedness.
Roman Catholics cannot ascribe to the remnant theory. Catholics believe that people and their cultures are basically good, though flawed, yet receptive to redemption. No one on this earth, says Catholicism, is to be excluded from God’s mercy. The very word Catholic can be rendered thus: Here comes everybody. According to Catholicism baptism is a permanent tattoo on one’s soul and in one’s imagination that is not removed even when a person drifts far away from regular worship.
It is a sin for a Catholic to knowingly and willingly act in a way that excludes someone from God’s grace. It can be a serious sin. For example, a regular worshipper at my church once communicated to a young adult that she should leave Mass because, in the opinion of this worshipper, the young adult was not properly attired. The worshipper’s fashion opinion was wrong. The seriousness of the worshipper’s exclusionary comment, it needs to be said, depends on the degree of knowledge and will.

An East Coast Catholic bishop thinks that U.S. Catholicism might be better off with fewer members. That is, Catholicism could include its holy members and exclude those baptized Catholics who now dissent from or act against church teaching. “We should never be afraid of a smaller, lighter church if her members are also more faithful, more zealous, more missionary and more committed to holiness,” he said, without naming who would assign whom to each group. This is precarious talk from a Catholic, especially from a bishop.
A bishop—in word and in lifestyle—must constantly proclaim Catholic dogma and generally explain how revealed truth yields doctrines about marriage, about abortion, about labor relations, about the protection of children in church settings, about internet content and many other topics. Further, a bishop is well aware that many elements in our popular culture degrade God’s intention. Thus, a bishop must constantly speak about wholesomeness and dignity and sacredness of each life. A bishop is likewise responsible for the formation and support of lay leaders who within their normal settings can influence culture for the good, who can improve legislation, judicial conduct, business practice, social service delivery, TV production, neighborhood development and more. A bishop also knows that a few groups in our country call themselves Catholic, only to mock Catholic teaching, and thus that bishop has a duty to set the record straight.

The East Coast bishop in question received a solid Catholic education–from grammar school through graduate schools. He was also given excellent spiritual formation. I predict he will soon realize the fallacy of the culture despisers and will soon abandon the temptation to exclude sinners from the church. I predict that as this bishop spends more time praying with penitents in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he will realize that God wants a big church; that God has no insurmountable barriers to grace. Of course, God knows full well that from Eve to Adam to the bishop to your columnist, there are many sinners. But only God—God alone—makes the decisive call on who is admitted to God’s eternal company and who is excluded.

Remember you mercy, Lord. Remember the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth. In your love remember [to include] me. –Psalm 25

Droel edits INITIATIVES (PO Box 291102, Chicago, IL 60629), a print newsletter on faith and work.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 20, 2016

Division within the Church

Next Post

November 16, 2016 Yankee, Go Home

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Redeemer" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

One who buys back One who gives One who judges One who conquers