What Would You do? - Our Readers

Getting Scorched at a Barbecue
What would do in this situation?
Readers solve the dilemma.

Scenario:

Dave and Julie, a Catholic couple in their early thirties, are fairly new to their neighborhood, having moved there a few months earlier from another state. Their neighbors are friendly and gregarious, and Dave and Julie are enjoying their new circle of friends. Between all the barbecues, Little League games, and neighborhood birthday parties their children are invited to, Dave and Julie are becoming well acquainted with their neighbors, several of whom are Evangelical Protestant. Things are fine until the afternoon of the neighborhoods annual Fourth of July block party. In the middle of the pleasant and lighthearted barbecue, John, one of the Evangelical neighbors, begins to pass out anti-Catholic tracts to each adult and even to many of the older children. Julie realizes whats happening when her nine year old daughter brings her a tract she was given. The leaflet, produced by Johns church, is an antagonistic slam against the Catholic Churchs teachings regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Other tracts attack the Eucharist and the pope. Dave and Julie are angry and embarrassed at Johns actions. They want to confront him, but they dont want to ruin the neighborhood event and, since they have to live amidst these people, they wonder if they should just keep quiet and let it pass. What should they do? What would you do?

Dave and Julie should definitely say something at the party. Many people there are being misinformed about the Catholic Church. We have a duty as baptized Catholics to stand up for truth and oppose error. Just as they would correct someone who slandered their mom, so they should correct someone who slanders Holy Mother Church. By not saying something, theyd be giving tacit approval to the tracts anti-Catholic claims. Apologetics doesnt have to be confrontational. Before beginning, Dave and Julie should say a prayer to the Holy Spirit and realize that they are doing John a favor by correcting his erroneous opinions. This does not have to be something to ruin the neighborhood event, but should be an opportunity for spirited and charitable discussion. By passing out those leaflets, John has invited a response. If Dave and Julie dont feel equipped to answer the charges off the cuff, they should say they "forgot some salad dressing," run home, grab their Bibles and some good apologetics tracts, and come back ready to charitably explain and defend the Faith. Breaking open a Bible is not going to spoil the party. Evangelical Protestants enjoy that! Dave should start the conversation with a smile: "Hi, John. I noticed that the tracts youre handing out misrepresent the Catholic Churchs teachings. Were you aware of that? Julie and I are Catholic, and wed be happy to explain what the Catholic Church really teaches. For example, in this tract it says that we Catholics worship Mary . . ."
Lisa Burnham, Farmington, NM

Dave and Julie are right to be miffed at Johns behavior, but they need to use this as an opportunity to open up dialogue with him. This scenario has the potential of opening his eyes to the fullness of the Faith. Dave and Julie should approach John and chide him in a half-humorous, half-serious way about his "unbiblical" and misguided evangelistic strategy. Doesnt he know that the person of Jesus Christ is the center and foundation of all missionary proclamation? Handing out tracts exposing the alleged errors of Catholic Marian devotion and the papacy does not focus anyones mind and heart on the saving love of Christ. Its a cheap way to pick on the faith and spirituality of the largest and oldest Christian Church in the world. Dave and Julie are concerned about being too confrontational because "they have to live amidst these people," but they can still point out to John their disappointed surprise at his potshots at Catholicism.
They could say something like, "Well, that sort of evangelism is what your church promotes. But the Catholic Church proclaims Christ. Pope Paul VIs encyclical, On Evangelization in the Modern World, reminds us that, Evangelization will always contain as the foundation, center and at the same time the summit of its dynamism a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, Who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all men, as a gift of Gods grace and mercy. What a shame, John, that youve lost your focus on the heart of the gospel message and are sidetracked with these crass caricatures of the historic Christian Faith." My hunch is that John will need a few moments to regain his composure after being outflanked by Paul VI and the apostolic zeal of convinced Catholics. He just might realize that Catholicism isnt the Christ denying Whore of Babylon he thinks it is. He might then be open to a serious dialogue about the Faith, and Dave and Julie can show him how Mary, the Eucharist, and the Pope, far from clouding the centrality of Christ, draw us ever more intimately into that center.
Chris Oleson, via e-mail

Dave and Julie should think of whats best for their children. Assuming their children have been educated in the basics of the Faith, they should explain to them that the tract was mean and didnt reflect what the Roman Catholic Church teaches. Dave should take John aside, tell him he is Catholic and not to distribute the materials to my family. If he became aggressive, Id kindly remind him of the word "respect." I wouldnt argue or debate with him about his beliefs regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary, as it would prove futile. Id also read the tracts, so Id know how to respond to them should those subjects arise in the future. Finally, Dave and Julie should get involved in their parish, so the whole family will have new friends in a peaceful, Catholic atmosphere.
Glenn Talaue, via e-mail

Dave and Julie should neither forget the Scriptural command to "love thy neighbor," nor should they neglect to defend the Catholic Church. They should study the tracts, for theyre sure to contain some blatant misinformation about the Catholic Church. (Lets hope theyre Catholics who are familiar with the New Testament.) They should contact John and request to speak with him, explain that they are Catholics, and point out the errors in the tracts he was distributing. They should strive to be loving with John. By being charitable, a relationship of mutual respect might flourish.
Bob Micca, via e-mail

Its obvious John is misinformed about the Catholic Faith. Maybe he is a bitter ex-Catholic, or maybe hes never had any direct contact with Catholicism and is acting on hearsay. Dave and Julie could just keep quiet and do nothing, or they could approach John with hopes of enlightening him. Id recommend they approach him with the truth. Unlike Johns uncharitable approach, they should deal with him in a tactful and charitable way. They should pray hard before they do this. They need the leading of the Holy Spirit. Frank Sheed in The Church and I explained that making it clear is not easy. The first thing John needs to know is Who Jesus is to Dave and Julie and that He is the center of their lives and of the Catholic Church. I know that sounds elementary, but if John doesnt sense that Dave and Julie have a heartfelt commitment to Christ, he probably wont listen to their apologetics explanations. He will only change if he sees Jesus in them.
Trent, via e-mail

Im not a Catholic, and most Evangelicals I know would be very uncomfortable with someone using a block party forum to pass out tracts of any kind, especially if they knew someone might be offended. Id be offended for Dave and Julie. I would first apologize to them as the "odd family out " acknowledging that the tracts were offensive to their Faith. Then, because of the gender difference, Id ask my husband to quietly pull John to one side and ask him not to pass the tracts out. If John insisted on doing so, my family and I would leave the party and invite Dave and Julie and their family over to our house for an "after party" party.
Ruth Dupree, via e-mail

Id use the opportunity to tell John the truth. First, Id get Catholic tracts that refute the arguments in Johns tracts and clandestinely hand mine out. Then, after the party, Id confront him privately (thereby avoiding a spectacle) and explain why what he did was wrong. Id try to open up a discussion with him, but if he remained adamant, Id forbid him to give any tracts to my children or to distribute them in my yard (if thats where some were handed out).
Andrew Loh, via e-mail

Next issues scenario . . .

Susan is a 34 year old Catholic wife and homeschooling mother of six. Shes a member of a Christian homeschooling group of about 30 families. The other moms are friendly, outgoing and, for the most part, committed to Christ. About half of the women are former Catholics who now attend local Evangelical churches. The rest are Catholic. Whenever the issue of the Catholic Church comes up, Susan doesnt sense hostility, just mild but friendly disagreement over doctrines. The non-Catholic moms seem open to hearing more about the Catholic Church, but Susan feels shes not qualified to enter into deep theological discussions and, to top it off, she becomes tonguetied and gets a bad case of the butterflies when religion comes up. She wants to evangelize these women, but she doesnt want to cause confrontations or dissension. What should she do? What would you do?

E-mail your response to "What Would You Do?", editor@envoymagazine.com.