Today's nominal Christians

While Pope John Paul II and his successor, Benedict XVI, have repeatedly emphasised the need for a new type of evangelisation, especially in the Western world, one has also to focus on the great phenomenon of "nominal Christians". These are also one of Malta's serious problems today. Malta is no longer an island.

Admittedly we are living in a world that has fast become irreligious. The world today is much more distanced from organised religion than it was 30 years ago. Perhaps it is proper to put at least two questions: Has Christianity been found wanting? Have the clergy failed in their ministry, or are we using yesterday's tools to build tomorrow's Church?

Back in 1983 Pope John Paul II spoke at Haiti on a new evangelisation as "new in its zeal, new in its methods, new in its expression". This new style of evangelisation includes our reaching out to "nominal Christians".

Perhaps at this stage it is appropriate to define a "nominal Christian". Saying a Christian "in name only" is too vague. It may be more accurate to say that there are several types of nominal Christians: a Christian without serious commitment, one who does not worship God in the community, the non-churchgoer, someone who accepts some of the tenets of faith, but rejects others.

In today's situation in Malta and Gozo one can define or describe the Maltese nominal Christian as baptised but with no live sign of commitment to the local Church. Regrettably the faith of a great number of our "nominal Christians" was not deep enough to face the challenge of this new age, where the crippling influence of the material and the secular is so powerful.

Obviously, the result is an ever-increasing nominalism. Years ago there was so much talk in England and Wales about establishing a new strategy in the Christian world in the light of Vatican II. This strategy consisted of planning the step-by-step implementation of the objectives of the Council. Most of the Council Fathers had quite a clear vision of a Church of communion, participation, and partnership for mission. On parallel lines with the medical system, the Church had to follow a process which is diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic.

As Pope Paul VI says in Evangelii Nuntiandi (n. 15), the Church "has a constant need to be evangelised if she wishes to retain freshness, vigour and strength" to evangelise people's culture and cultures, not in a decorative and superficial way but in a vital way, in depth and right to the very roots. (EN, 19, 20).

This means: (1) that we do not presume and act as if our baptised people, or those asking for baptism, are already committed Catholics; (2) that the new situation determined by the radical changes in society demands a new language, a new style, a new way of living and announcing the Gospel and a new way of giving the witness the Church is called to give.

Surely, we have to build up human relationships, help people who have been hurt to realise that they belong that the absence of even one makes the community that much less of a family.