PILGRIM

PILGRIM / RICHARD JOHN NEUHAUS

When I hear the word dialogue I reach for my dogma, says a Catholic friend of the orthodox persuasion. Ecumenical dialogue is often portrayed as a substitute for doctrine and dogma. People who go in for dialogue are worried about imposing their belief on others, which is odd, since they seem to have so little belief to impose. Vibrant faith, we may be inclined to think, does not dialogue. Vibrant faith proclaims, instructs, judges, and persuades. In sum, ecumenical dialogue is a liberal scheme aimed at the evisceration of true religion.

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PILGRIM / RICHARD JOHN NEUHAUS

When I hear the word dialogue I reach for my dogma, says a Catholic friend of the orthodox persuasion. Ecumenical dialogue is often portrayed as a substitute for doctrine and dogma. People who go in for dialogue are worried about imposing their belief on others, which is odd, since they seem to have so little belief to impose. Vibrant faith, we may be inclined to think, does not dialogue. Vibrant faith proclaims, instructs, judges, and persuades. In sum, ecumenical dialogue is a liberal scheme aimed at the evisceration of true religion.