1. Personal Relationship with God
There is a special importance among evangelicals to the idea of the personal relationship with God that serves to teach we Catholics a thing or two. Most evangelical communities place primary importance on this relationship. Their worship, their teaching style, and their music is all tailored to this idea.
This is not to say that Catholics too don’t seek this same intimacy with God, but sadly many Catholics have never even considered this concept which the Church herself teaches. This is the result of poorly catechized and un-evangelized Catholics. They might know everything there is to know about God, but they don’t necessarily know God personally. They haven’t necessarily encountered Him or experienced His mercy and love.
“Our involvement in society and in the life of others comes from our personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”
~ Archbishop José H. Gómez of Los Angeles
The solution to this problem, I would submit, is to put a greater importance on the personal relationship with God. As Catholics we believe that this relationship is lived out most fully in the sacrament of the Eucharist, where Christ is present “body, blood, soul, and divinity” and through which He gives Himself to us in complete humility and love. We, of course, are to submit ourselves to His will and place ourselves in His hands. It is an encounter, an exchange, a love affair. This is what Catholics need to learn and live and share with the world.
2. Engage the Youth and the Culture
Evangelical Christians also do an amazing job—possibly the best of all Christians—of not only reaching, but engaging the youth and the culture. There is a reason thousands and thousands of young people turn out to a Hillsong concert, but very few will show up for John Michael Talbot. I’m not saying anything bad about JMT, but Hillsong knows how to meet them where they are, how to speak their language, and how to lead them deeper into relationship with God, which we have already discussed is primary to the Christian life whether evangelical or Catholic.
And it’s not just the music. Evangelicals are doing a great job of attracting the youth and bringing them to Jesus. Catholics on the other hand are falling behind in this effort. The Gospel is anything but boring, however that is what comes across when we are teaching it in a classroom. The evangelical approach is most often to teach it through example and in dynamic, relatable ways. They make being a Christian cool, in a sense.
“Let the children come to me.”
~ Matthew 19:14
Catholics have got to step up our game when it comes to reaching the youth, because they are the future of the Church.
3. Proclaim the Gospel to the World
Lastly, Catholics have a lot to learn from evangelicals when it comes to preaching the Gospel. They make the message of Jesus simple and easy to understand. Jesus loves you! He died for you. Now you live for Him. Anybody can grasp this idea.
As Catholics we often get so caught up in all the doctrines and dogmas, rules and practices, that we forget about the main message, we lose sight of our mission.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
~ Matthew 28:19-20
Not that Catholics should in any way “dumb down” our faith, but priority should indeed be given to the primary message of Jesus, that God loves us. Even in my own experience these past few years as a catechist I have found that most of the parents who come through our program don’t have a very strong understanding of this and the majority of them have never experienced God’s love or mercy in any significant way. We can catechize them, teaching them everything there is to know about God, but even more importantly we need to take them by the hand and show them who He is.
Becoming Evangelical Catholics
Now I think a little disclaimer is in order. The teachings of the Catholic Church don’t need to be changed in any way. The ideas expressed here are mostly practical ways in which we can change our approach to the practice of our faith to better align ourselves with Jesus Christ and His plan for the Church.
To be an “evangelical” means to live the Gospel. So there is no reason a Catholic shouldn’t be an evangelical, in fact, Catholics are the original evangelicals. But sometimes we need to be reminded of that. For this reason we can be thankful for to the Evangelical Christian witness.