Help For Catechists: October 2009

Should Catholics do the Dare?

By Mary Lou Rosien

Should Catholics do the Dare? I recently interviewed one of the co-creators of the hit movie, Fireproof. It was an incredible experience and I was very impressed with this man, Stephen Kendrick. He and his brother are currently working on a new work as a follow-up to their best-selling book, "The Love Dare". This one, "The Love Dare Bible Study", uses the idea of the love dare to work with small groups to better understand scripture and God's plan for marriage.

Stephen and Alex Kendrick are Bible based Christians who do work in many areas of ministry, including marriage. They want to help strengthen marriages and faith in Christ. A very noble endeavor. However, Bible studies that are not specifically Catholic can pose a certain risk to Catholics who are not well-versed in their own faith.

For example: Whose interpretation are we to trust? The Bible was put together by the Catholic Church in about the year 300 A.D. (a fact most Christians and Catholic Christians do not realize). The Church provides a basic understanding of the complex stories and issues represented in Sacred Scripture. It is not that the Church doesn’t think common folk are not smart enough to interpret scripture for themselves. The thinking is that the Church is being led by the Holy Spirit in these matters.

If seven different non-denominational preachers read the same piece of Scripture, you will receive seven different opinions of what it means.....not so with the Catholic Church. One authority leads her in all things, including understanding Scripture.

Catholics are in an interesting position in dealing with many popular Christian trends. Take for example, "The Purpose Driven Life", by Rick Warren. I enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it. I think a lot of Catholics would find the same, but if an individual studies the Catechism, especially the passages on the Beatitudes, he might come to many of the same conclusions. So is the idea really new, or just new to Christians who haven’t studied Catholicism?

Two of my children belong to a non-denominational Bible study. They have made wonderful friendships with like-minded young people. I am grateful for these children in my kids’ lives. These connections help them to stay strong in a secular school environment.

Still, my husband and I have taught them to bring questions to us if what they hear differs from what they think the Catholic Church teaches. We own a copy of "The Catechism of the Catholic Church" and we encourage them to look up things when they have questions. We teach them to find common ground with all Christians, while always praying that the Lord reveals the truth to them. We are blessed to have the ‘fullness of faith,’ the Holy Spirit to lead our Church, why would we ignore the gift that the Lord has given us?

Mary Lou Rosien is the author of Managing Stress with the Help of your Catholic Faith (OSV Publishing). Write to her at mrosien@rochester.rr.com.