This article is a review of the book Seeds of a New Church by John O’Brien CSSp, Columba Press, Dublin, 1994.
(The Furrow, October 1994, pp.564-567)
The bright green shoots of new growth on the cover of Seeds of a New Church are a fitting symbol of the book’s contents. The underlying message is one of realistic hope of new growth out of the old roots, not only for the Church in Ireland (although the context of O’Brien’s writing is Ireland), but for the entire Church.
The first of the book’s three parts attempts to describe the present situation of the Church in Ireland, and goes on to explain why, for various reasons, theological, pastoral, and organizational, the present situation cannot continue. The second part contains twenty-two contributions from a wide variety of groups in Ireland which are working for the building up of God’s kingdom in areas as diverse as housing, reconciliation between Protestant and Catholic in the north, the feminist movement, and the revitalization of parish structures. These groups each speak for themselves, with, as might be expected, some resulting unevenness in the weight and depth of the contributions. The third part of the book seeks to evaluate the preceding parts theologically, by highlighting the notion of Church implicit in them, and by examining the theological assumptions about Church which underlie them, before going on to point a way to action to concretize this vision.
To anyone who is even a little familiar with the situation of the Church in Ireland it should not be necessary to labour the point that signs of decline are widespread and clearly evident. One of the more serious aspects of the situation is the unwillingness of many clergy to acknowledge that there is a problem. ‘We still get a full church on Sundays’ is one response which, hopefully, may not be typical. And yet there do seem to be many clerical heads buried firmly in the sand, unwilling or unable to face the reality of a situation which calls for swift and decisive change.
One of the great merits of Seeds of a New Church is the courage, realism and intellectual rigour with which it confronts real problems. The author has brought his missionary experience and his theological training to bear on the pastoral crisis in the Irish Church. Another aspect of the matter is that he has obviously listened to people and heard what they have to say, and he has listened with the heart and not only with the ears. His missionary experience is relevant to the matter, as many of the missionary Churches, especially in Africa, were founded by Irish clergy on the Irish model, and are now experiencing something of the same directionless drift which seems to have gripped the Church in Ireland.
His critique is far-reaching: ‘the familiar form of the Church in this country is in a period of decline and may even be dying.’ But his observations are not in the least a bashing exercise: ‘there is a crucial and all-important distinction between the Church and the secondary structures employed to consolidate a given historically conditioned and, hence, essentially relative model of the Church. We are witnessing the irreversible decline of one such model. We have to realize that our mission is to be the midwife to something new, whether or not we will be around to see it in full bloom.’
John O’Brien is clearly more concerned with the birth of a new model of Church than with the decay and death of the old. In the context of a theology of the Kingdom of God he calls for the building of Christian community in a way which goes beyond mere organizational restructuring. He calls for genuine participation by laypeople in the full life of the Church, involving a movement away from the monarchical-hierarchical model to a more democratic one in which transparency and accountability will be key factors.
If anyone doubts whether laypeople are interested or equipped to take their place in such a reformed Church, they need look no further than the contributions which form part two of the book. These reports on a wide variety of pastoral initiatives each contains a message of hope which is all the more vigorous and encouraging precisely because they arise out of the struggle by ordinary people to face the concrete difficulties and setbacks that are inseparable from human existence. They are a reminder that, in Gospel terms, what matters is not to be successful but to be faithful.
Two of these reports I found especially helpful, namely, “Adult faith development” by the Partners in Faith group, and “Towards base ecclesial community” by the Fig Tree Prayer Group. Two of the contributions from feminists, “The female image of God” by Sophia, and the report from Mná le Chéile made me wonder whether male attitudes, including those of clergy, to women are really so primitive. I haven’t found them so in my experience. What saddened me (though I can’t say it surprised me) about the latter reports was the apparent conclusion that, despite a sympathetic hearing from some priests, the general feeling among the women involved was that not much should be expected of the institutional Church and that, if they wished to move forward, they would have to do it on their own. I think that women are not alone in that perception.
In the last part of the book, John O’Brien starts from a theological base and moves forward with some practical proposals which, at the very least, give stimulus to a fresh look at the challenges. He argues unambiguously for far-reaching changes in the Church embodying, among other things, a rediscovery of the contemplative spirit, a clear-cut option for the poor and for justice, the reintegration of the feminine into Church life and reflection, and the installation of structures of genuine participation and inclusiveness. Anyone looking for a way ahead for the Church in Ireland will find plenty of ideas here on issues ranging from training for ministry to communication to consulting the faithful.
One of his proposals, namely, for a national synod of the church in Ireland will, I firmly and sincerely hope, not be adopted. It wouldn’t work, and the attempt to bring it about would only have the effect of killing off such an idea for a generation or two. My reason for this apparently negative attitude is that the necessary groundwork for such a synod has not been laid, and, without that groundwork, it cannot succeed. I’m reminded of what Gandhi said, ‘The end must be prefigured in the means.’ If the end in view is a genuinely participative Church renewing itself from the grassroots up, then grassroots initiative and direction must be the means of achieving it. I have the feeling that, despite John O’Brien’s efforts to avoid it, the synod he proposes would be perceived (and might in fact be) another top-down effort at renewal on the lines of Vatican II.
If a synod is to make a real difference there needs first of all to be a nationwide community of small Christian communities, then parish, deanery and diocesan councils which carry real credibility because of the genuineness of their commitment to participation, transparency and accountability. Does such a model of Church exist in Ireland at the present? I leave it to those closer to the scene to answer that question. But I believe that, without that foundation, a synod would be merely a castle in the air. Worse still, not only would the attempt to have a synod without that foundation be a failure but there is a great risk that any attempt to hold a synod, even if on a different foundation, might evoke the response that, ‘We tried that before, and it didn’t work, so why waste effort on it now?’ A synod of the Church in Ireland is a good idea whose time has not yet come.
In conclusion let me point out briefly some of the special merits of this book. Firstly, it has application to the universal Church, especially to those English-speaking countries where Irish influence has been strong. Secondly, it is, for the most part, free of theological gobbledygook, and can be read and assimilated by most educated people. Thirdly, there are some delightful nuggets of wisdom waiting to be quarried by the interested reader; for example, the statement that ‘most of the factors slowing and stopping change are not theological at all.’ Or ‘The people of God includes a hierarchy but it is not a hierocracy.’
As an Irish missionary, I’m proud of a fellow Irish missionary, and of an Irish publishing house, The Columba Press, for producing a book of strength, courage, vision, and hope. Céad míle fáilte to some creative Irish theological writing!