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KARL KEATING'S E-LETTER
TOPICS:
KEEPING--AND SPREADING--THE FAITH IN SANTA FE
FUNDAMENTALISTS SAY NO TO MY SELF-INVITATION
Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:
Catholic Answers' web site, www.catholic.com,
is ranked in the top
ten of all English-language Catholic sites in the world. It has been moving
up, slowly but steadily.
We expect it to move up quickly once we inaugurate our new discussion
forum, where you will be able to exchange opinions and news with other
Catholics (and with non-Catholics, for that matter). The forum will be
visited regularly by our staff apologists.
On "Catholic Answers Live" I joke that I accept callers' questions on any
topic other than politics, sports, and soap operas. Our discussion forum
will have no such limitation. (It might be amusing to see how participants
work up a Catholic approach to soap operas.) There even will be a special
area for comments arising from my E-Letter--and, yes, I plan to
participate.
We also are arranging to put on our site the entire contents of all of the
back issues of "This Rock" magazine--more than 14 years' worth of material!
This is a formidable project and will be accomplished in stages. Eventually
we will have each issue available both in HTML and PDF formats, and the
contents will be searchable by several means.
Catholic.com already is the top site for apologetics information. Once the
back issues of "This Rock" are online, our site will have immensely more
apologetics resources than any other site in the world.
I'll let you know when the discussion forum is ready for business--it will
be very soon--and when the first big batch of "This Rock" issues is set to
appear.
NO WONDER THE ARCHDIOCESE IS CALLED "HOLY FAITH"
What a pleasant surprise it was! I got a call from Most Rev. Michael J.
Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe. He was in town for a regional bishops'
meeting and wanted to visit our offices.
This was last Tuesday, my day on "Catholic Answers Live," so I invited him
to be in the studio with me. The Archbishop, who has been on the program
before and who will be on again in July, consented--good for me, because he
fielded questions that I would have had some trouble handling.
He was serving as the first bishop of Lubbock, Texas, when he was appointed
to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1993. At the time Santa Fe was known as a
dumping ground for troublesome priests. This was years before the recent
scandal broke, but the Archbishop wasted no time in instituting reforms. He
removed twenty priests, most of whom went onto the retirement rolls (they
were old enough) and none of whom was permitted to exercise any priestly
faculties.
Things have been going well ever since. The Archdiocese, which includes
Albuquerque, has 300,000 Catholics (making it somewhat less populous than
the average diocese) and will see about ten priestly ordinations over the
next two years. It boasts a higher-than-normal influx of converts at the
Easter vigil.
Archbishop Sheehan is keen on doctrinal orthodoxy and is energetic
pastorally. Recently he published an ad in the secular press: "Are You
Catholic? Do You Want to Be Married in the Church?" More than 150 couples
who had been in irregular relationships said yes. After undergoing
instruction and going to confession, they had their marriages blessed by
the Archbishop. In the largest ceremony, 60 couples and their extended
families filled the Santa Fe cathedral.
Archbishop Sheehan's most recent project is Catholic radio. He is working
to have stations in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. That's good news for us,
since it means "Catholic Answers Live" will have two new Southwestern
outlets in about a year.
"THANKS, BUT WE DON'T NEED A CATHOLIC SPEAKER"
In the December 31, 2003, issue of the E-Letter, I listed mock resolutions,
including this one: "Not to turn down an invitation to be the keynote
speaker at the next annual conference of the Association of Fundamentalists
Evangelizing Catholics."
In the following issue I noted that, coincidentally, I had learned the day
previously that AFEC would be holding its 2004 conference in Catholic
Answers' back yard. The host for this year's event will be Mission to
Catholics International, which is headed by one-time priest Bart Brewer,
who lives only four miles from our office.
After waiting several months and receiving no invitation to speak before
the assembled dozens of AFEC, I decided to take the initiative. I wrote to
Brewer and to Bill Jackson, head of Christians Evangelizing Catholics,
which is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. CEC is the chief group
behind the AFEC meetings.
I knew each man from long-ago debates. Brewer--to whom I devoted a chapter
in "Catholicism and Fundamentalism"--was the first anti-Catholic I ever
debated (that was in 1986), and Jackson and I engaged in several debates
over the years, the last one in 1993 during World Youth Day in Denver.
I have seen neither man during the last decade; they do not come to my
attention much any longer. Their ministries are less active than they once
were. Brewer, who suffered a stroke a few years ago, no longer makes the
rounds of independent Fundamentalist churches, and Jackson too seems to
have reduced his workload. Both men are in their seventies, I believe.
I wrote to them on March 1. Here is the full text of my letter:
"Dear Bart and Bill:
"I see that the Association of Fundamentalists Evangelizing Catholics will
hold this year's meeting in the San Diego area. Your web sites list no
address, but I presume some of the sessions will be at the Charles Way
property, which is only four miles from the Catholic Answers office.
"I would like to attend a portion of the AFEC meeting, and I offer to make
a presentation to your attendees. I do not wish to discuss doctrinal or
biblical disagreements, but I think the attendees would profit from getting
a Catholic's take on how they go about their work. I propose to talk about
techniques rather than beliefs.
"Your reason for holding the meeting is for your people to become more
successful in their various ministries. My interest in speaking to them is
to explain how they can present their position without mischaracterizing
the Catholic faith, whether accidentally or otherwise.
"I propose something further. Given the nearness of Catholic Answers to the
Charles Way property, I invite your group to take a tour of our facility
and to meet some of our staff. This would not be a proselytizing event for
either side, but it would be an opportunity for your attendees to get a
better sense of Catholic apologetics and to see that people on my side of
the divide have no fangs.
"Long ago you and I met in public debates and had other encounters. I
always have considered you not enemies but opponents. I hope you appreciate
that distinction and share that feeling. I look forward to hearing from you
about my proposals.
"Best wishes in Christ,
"Karl Keating"
When I returned from vacation two weeks ago, I found a reply from Bill
Jackson. It was handwritten on the back of the letter I had sent him:
"Dead Karl,
"Sorry I have to use this, but I am in Texas away from my computer.
"I talked this over with another AFEC member, and we both feel, although we
appreciate your suggestions, neither would be profitable.
"You are welcome at any of the sessions, as they are open to the public. It
would be good to see you.
"We'll mention your idea at our business meeting, and it may be one or more
members might like to visit your headquarters. If so, we'll phone and set a
date.
"Sincerely,
"Bill"
So much for my being a keynoter this year!
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