Books
Book Review: The Catholic Church in America
In the coming weeks, President Trump likely to nominate a committed Catholic like Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. In anticipation of this, the attacks on Barrett’s faith have already begun. The implication is that in order to be a qualified public servant in this country, one has to be a committed atheist, or at the very least a Christian who regards his or her religion as simply a club or hobby rather than the truth about life itself.
All of this reminded me of a book I read this summer, titled “The Prodigal Church: Restoring Catholic Tradition in an Age of Deception” by Brandon McGinley. The book examines the role Catholicism has played in American culture throughout the years, going from something loathed to something that was actually celebrated in the mid-20th century. How has it come to be that such an institution came to be where it is now, with no discernible influence on even its professed members? McGinley tracks this movement, citing JFK as a turning point, when it became fashionable to call yourself a Catholic without believing in or acting out any of the Church’s dogma.
This is what scares the American secular elite about a potential Amy Coney Barrett nomination to the Supreme Court. As Senator Diane Feinstein famously said to her during her appointment to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, “the dogma lives loudly with you — and that’s a concern.” The ruling powers in America believe they have effectively eviscerated Catholicism in this country to the point that it doesn’t actually mean anything. Politicians these days can claim to be Catholic just as easily as they can claim to be feminists or democratic socialists, to give two examples of other labels that sound good to some people but lack any meaningful definitions. There is a great fear in this country that the ascendance of orthodox Catholics to prominence could undo a century’s work of secularization.
Regardless of what eventually happens with the Supreme Court vacancy, “The Prodigal Church” is insightful reading for anyone pondering if there is a role for Catholics to play in 21st century America. McGinley identifies several specific areas in which the Church has clearly abdicated its responsibilities, and he provides several prescriptions for how Catholics can once again build faith communities like the enclaves that existed before the siren song of the bourgeoisie gutted them in favor of suburbanization and atomization. Or, as McGinley so aptly puts it, before “The Church…acquiesced to the steamroller.”
Alexander de Tocqueville famously wrote about America, “Our descendants will tend more and more to divide into only two parts, some leaving Christianity entirely, others going into the Roman Church.” It goes without saying that the first part is alive and growing. As for the second part, it remains to be seen in the coming decades if there is a Roman Church robust enough to welcome newcomers. For this to happen, reading “The Prodigal Church” would be a good place to start.
