Lutherans, Come Home
The above video is a current marketing strategy of the Roman Catholic Church called “Catholics Come Home.” It is well done - while, of course, being propagandistic (the word “propaganda,” interestingly, has its etymological origins in the Roman Catholic Church’s evangelism agency founded in 1622, “The Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.”
And this is the point of my sharing it.
The theological and historical errors notwithstanding, this is a beautiful piece of propaganda, and it is valuable in that sense. For as the Rev. Bryan Stecker points out, the digital footprint of the Roman Catholic Church dwarfs anything that we are doing . They are massive and rich, and have access to resources that we don’t (in fact, I saw this ad on a restaurant TV that was showing the Winter Olympics). It cost them a fortune to air this. And that is the point. What you see in the above video is exactly what their marketing folks understand that people are looking for, and they are heavily invested in telling that story. This video has been released in many languages, as people all over the world are seeking out a kind of Christianity that is genuine, serious, beautiful, grounded in antiquity, historical, unified and universal, active in the world, and making a difference.
Being a marketing tool, they are putting their best foot forward. They don’t have anything to say about current events like sex scandals, rebellious German bishops promoting sexual perversion (along with James Martin, SJ in the US), Vatican bank scandals, hardball politics, the suppression of the Latin Mass, agitation for women’s ordination and open rebellion among some female orders, contradictions between councils and popes regarding doctrinal matters that should be consistent through the ages and not subject to change, etc. Nor is there anything about historical events like the scandals of the pornocracy, the Avignon Papacy, the corruption that led to the Reformation, or the vulgarity and scandal of various papal families and dynasties, like the Borgias. Nothing is shown from the Inquisition and the burning of heretics (and others) at the stake, or the persecution and slaughter of Lutherans and other Christians who sought reformation. There was no reenactment of the trial of Galileo or the exhumation of Pope Formosus, dressing his corpse and putting it on trial in the macabre Cadaver Synod (chopping off his fingers and tossing the body into the Tiber, where it washed up). And why would there be? This is, after all, a marketing campaign.
But notice how worship is portrayed in this video. Again, this is what they want you to see. This is their best foot forward. You see liturgy, reverence, and beauty. You see vestments and incense. You don’t see goofy Father Boomer wearing a football jersey. You don’t see the ubiquitous lady cantor in a muumuu attempting to lead the congregation by warbling “On Eagles’ Wings.” You don’t see the priest from South America or the Philippines dancing with parishioners (sometimes luridly), or the American bishop scolding people for kneeling to receive the Sacrament. You don’t see a pastor walking around giving a sermon. You don’t see screens and drums and guitars. You don’t see a stage with a preacher clad in chinos or polos or graphic tees. You see what people - especially young people - are thirsting for: authentic, beautiful, liturgical, sacramental dignity. They are putting their best foot forward: vested and walking in a dignified way in the chancel and at the altar.
No gimmicks. No CoWo. No stunts. No stages or sets. No skits, no kiddie pools, no praise band. Indeed, what you see in this Roman Catholic video is the kind of dignified worship focused on the cross of Christ that we Lutherans say that we practice in Article 24: the kind of worship that God tells us in His Word that He wants to see His people practice (Exodus 26-31).
The Roman Catholic Church knows what people are looking for. And we Lutherans have it. At least, some of us do. See the video below.
Lutherans, come home!