“We are scared that if we admit our weakness that we are somehow admitting a weakness in our Church”  While it definitely doesn’t mean WE are weak, when you are debating someone, they almost always take it too mean you are, and therefore our Church is.

I only have one….

if you meet me in person, you will not be able to tell the difference! I am, who and how I am, both online and off!

+++ Bro Jer

You are so right that this is not always easy, especially when one frequently interacts, as I do, with non- and even anti-Catholics. In which case, my mantra has become more and more Hans Urs von Balthasar’s notion that “Love alone is credible.” The rest is too often just tribalism in the form of Culture War.

Well considered Matthew. I think that anyone serious about evangelization has to consider - and seriously consider - the audience they’re connecting with. If I’m preaching a sermon on Sunday, my style and content will be different than if I were preaching at a rally or speaking with friends.

I think, too, we have to seriously consider that there are some forums - digitally and physically - in which we may not be suited to be present. Of course, the Gospel has power and we should use it as St. Paul commands in Eph 6… But trying to evangelize a heated political forum or a “Gay Pride” website is almost always going to be fruitless and cause more animosity than good.

Of course, I agree 100% that humility and genuine charity (aka “I want to save souls”) is the 1st principle of evangelizing!

Great point of view. I think it summarises mostly what I think about that subject.
I only want to ask you if I can share this translated into Spanish.

Great post Matthew!  One of the things that you said that really stuck out to me was, “Evangelism is about relationships. Don’t use your online platform (be it large or small) as only a megaphone…” and “Being 100% Catholic is about walking the walk, not just talking it. Unfortunately, social media is far more focused on the talking than the walking.”  I am finding more and more that if I use social media to share with others my walk, then this takes care of the talking part. I created the hash tag #churchmoments to help Christians share just one aspect of our walk, but in a cute and informal way.  I think seeing others humbly sharing their faith experience is much more inspiring than someone telling you this is how it is.  For instance, I am much more encouraged to go to Reconciliation when I see other faith-filled Catholics tweet that they are on their way to confession, than if they tweeted something like, “Good Catholic go to Confession” (I like your analogy of the guy standing outside of the Bar).

If we live our faith and share our experiences and form genuine relationships with others on and offline, then we can leave the rest up to God.

I think your third point is the one that stands out. We should always be 100% Catholic but how we present ourselves is important. I think too often we interpret opposition to the truths of the Faith as opposition toward us personally because it means so much to us. Therefore, we want to win because we’re defending our honor.

When I first started working in RCIA, I had a tendency to get defensive when someone had a struggle with stuff I was teaching and they argued the point. I would get a little perturbed and think, “If you only knew what I knew, you wouldn’t be asking this question.” But that was the point…they didn’t know what I knew, and it was my job to bring them to that understanding. I had to train myself to step back, consider what they were saying, get to the heart of what they had a problem with and try to address it. That paid off much greater fruit than bashing them over the head with arguments.

I think there’s a tendency online to want to bash because it’s harder to convey the emotions behind an argument. However, we really have to try even harder on this medium to lovingly convince others of the truth.

@erik
When debating, one should always make clear the distinction between ‘this is what I believe’ (which is fallible) and ‘this is what the Church teaches’ (which is not). When presenting the latter, have your sources (Scripture, Catechism, etc.) within arm’s reach.

Debate, however, is only a tiny part of evangelizing. The love and joy in Christ and in others that you show on-and off-line, is far more important. Where you are weak, God will be strong. I"ve found that some ‘debaters’ will claim you are weak, at just the moment they feel weakest against you. Don’t let negative feedback faze you. Learn what you can from it, and remember to love them right back.

I myself am very Catholic, and present myself the same, on- and off-line. My Twitter and Facebook accounts show it. Even on the boards where I write fiction, the other writers know where I stand - and they appreciate knowing someone who can explain their faith without anger. Sadly, for some, I am the only one they know who can.

This was a wonderful article, thank you! May God bless your work and those who read it!

“Be genuine. Love boldly. Be 100% Catholic.”

That sums it up right there. Great article, Matthew.

It was because someone was not afraid of offending me with “orhodox Catholicism” that I am a Catholic today.
It was because of people who “talked the talk” but did not “walk the walk” that it took me so long.

By reading the church fathers and the conversion stories of people who had wrong ideas about Catholicism such as Scott Hahn and many other converts to Catholicism that the lights finally came on.

The posts above reflect my experience re what brought me into the Catholic church after many years of being an “anti-Catholic” Protestant! Thank you for your sensitivity!

Thanks for this post, Mr. Warner.

“Catholicism,” as we well know, is synonymous with “universal.” It should be able to speak to and love sinners (just as Christ was able to speak to and love sinners).Yet too often I hear and see Christians taking the bizarrely anti-Christian practice of hating others in the name of Christ. If you are unable to speak to sinners, you are unable to contribute a genuine Catholic voice. Similarly, on the other end, too many Catholics today have stopped hating the sin. They act as though they know better than Christ and his teachings as transmitted through the Church.

The balance between loving sinners and not budging an inch from facing sins is a great challenge to all Catholics. But without this ability we shall fall short of indeed being the “universal” Church…

(See my own Catholic online identity at: http://catholic-commentary.com/ )

Great article Matthew! I’ve had people “unfriend” me on Facebook because of my posts or my comments, but that gives me more strength and gives me the feeling that I’m living my life according to truth. Being Catholic means living your faith and doing so wherever we are. I take great responsibility raising young children in today’s world and I am proud to be a Soldier of Christ in the battle for their souls. You can walk into my cubicle, or my home, or see my car driving down the road and know I’m Catholic, so why not visit my Facebook page and no I am as well.

While I agree with the overall message of this article, for me, being CHRISTIAN is who I am, and I merely worship as a Catholic-Christian.  Although I’m a cradle Catholic with 12 years of Catholic education, and I never left the Roman church for another denomination, or any other religion, since I read the Bible in context, and believe it is the Holy Spirit inspired, inerrant Word of God, some fellow Catholics have told me I “sound Protestant”.

So I just am what I am - I believe what I believe (Scripture is the gold standard of measure in my faith, and if anything differs from what is in the Bible, God’s Word trumps everything, including ‘tradition’, and Catholic or Eastern Orthodox ‘tradition’ too.

What is truth?  I have had fellow Catholics tell me, “You have your truth and I have my truth” - and we were discussing same sex marriage, which I am against, because of Romans Chapter 1, etc.  Some people feel attacked, and get angry, when they don’t hear what they want to hear. 

Blessed are those that are persecuted for “My sake” - if everyone thinks we’re great - we may not be on track.  Jesus is the Truth and His Word is our guide.

If religion or beliefs are part of the subject, I don’t hesitate to mention “Catholic”, but I also don’t limit myself to only mentioning “Catholic”.  The following is what I sent to The Sacramento Bee a few days ago in regards to a discussion on homosexual marrage: ‘“The Mormon Church”?  You think the proposition came from the Mormon Church (which by the way is also in California, check your telephone book for LDS - Latter Day Saints) but I think it came from the Catholic Church, and the evangelical churches, and the Lutheran—Missouri Synod, and . . .’

When I first started blogging (and debating and arguing) for both pro life and Catholicism, I found myself on the computer for 6 or 7 hours a day.  It was cutting into my family life, and yet I felt called to do it.  I ended up moderating at Jill Staneks for 3 years til I finally had to take a break…which meant starting my own blog…lol.  (actually, I share it with another woman…it’s Catholic and Prolife and everything in between)

When I first found myself devoting hours and hours fighting for LIFE, I had to ask my husband how he felt about it.  Was he okay with it?

He said he was going to ask me a question, and depending on my answer he’d let me know if he thought I should continue.

He asked “Why are you doing it?”

I went into a 20 minute explanation of how these girls (most of them were in the early twenties/late teens) were just begging for someone to “show” them the Truth and that I had grown to care about each and every one of them.  I felt like their surrogate mother!  I offered them up on the altar every Sunday at Mass (carried around a tattered piece of paper with all of their names on it), brought “them” to Adoration with me, thought about them all day long…the bottom line was that I had come to love each of them…

He stopped me right there and said “If you had given me any other answer I would have asked you to stop…Love is the only reason to do this, and if you really love them, then DO IT”.

I never forgot that and now when I am online debating this doctrine or defending the unborn, I always take the time to get to know the people I am sharing with…and I will myself to LOVE them.  I promised myself that if I ever found myself blogging without LOVE, I would stop…Praise God, that has not happened yet.  I even have some new friends that I met right here on your site…and yes, I LOVE each one of them.

So to me, being Catholic Online is all about loving.  Even and especially, the least lovable characters that I encounter.  And as I’m sure you know, there are a LOT of unlovable folks on the internet… ;)

Perhaps the reason is flawed, but sometimes I post my Catholic views (especially on CNN), just to make a point about being anti-abortion, anti-gay.

And I must admit nothing makes me happier than getting under someone’s goat.

You can never be “too Catholic.”  You can be too fervent, too zealous, too pious, too sanctimonious, and too judgemental, etc.  But you can’t be “too Catholic.”

I remember a time ago when I disapproved of the language being used in discussions wwith young members of my old college service frat.  I was called all sorts of names for being too correct.  Needless to say, I no longer follow or participate in those discussions.  I am Catholic, very Catholic.  I pray before every meal regardless where served.  I pray and discuss my faith because that is whom I am.
Be Catholic only.  There are times when our beliefs may make us uncomfortable, but that is good. I would rather be uncomfortable than lose my faith.  Finally, if you are really strong in your beliefs, you are not going to be uncomfortable at all.  I am still working on that part.

I would have thought that debating about God was going to be just another “point/counterpoint” argument with a good chance of offense to both charity and grace, or that posting on the internet was just another post among millions of others making God’s Grace in me seem like just another opinion, or that the Church’s Magisterium couldn’t function without my voice like the last noise added in the Dr. Seuss book “Horton Hears a Who”... all this I thought until I heard about the apparitions at Fatima and the Angel saying “Twitter, Twitter, Twitter”, and Our Lady exhorting the faithful to “Facebook and offer up your opinions”.

Quite simply, my blog is not the place for evangelization, as it would be consumed by pride. It’s about saving the evangelized.
badcatholicblog.blogspot.com

A couple of things that I don’t like, and try not to do: (a) post a “Catholic image” as “my” profile picture: I would think it more genuine to post my own picture, or some landscape, or a geometrical shape/painting…, and (b) post a “Catholic prayer” as my “status” update: I would rather post a quotation from an interesting author -of course, preferably Catholic, but also others which can be “read” from a Catholic point of view- with the corresponding link -if available, of course!
I would hope to see more of these ordinary Catholics online.

All the best!

Wendy, from Caracas - Venezuela

I think that letting everything you do have a Catholic worldview, e.g. Tolkien, without having to plaster “Catholic” in blinking neon overhead is the way to most likely lead to conversions of a secular world.

It’s the “What do you have that makes you so happy about life?” attraction.

I would like to jump in just one last time. There have been some great responses here and it is obvious that the Lord is moving different in different peoples lives! That is one of the greatest things about the Catholic Church, we have it all! Some, may be very reserved, while others are more like a bull in a china closet. Yet, if we are using the charisim that the Lord has given us, all will bear fruit. What I have learned in my short 25 years of evangelizing is that I am the MC, the master of ceremonies so to speak, it is my responsibility to do the introduction, it will be the Lord who touches or changes a heart.
There are as many ways to evangelize as there are people responding! There is no set formula that works in any or all circumstances, online or off, and what works for one may be a disaster for another. There is however, a need for common sense and humility in any venue. May the Lord Bless us all as we share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. May we lead many to Him and to Holy Mother Church!
In Christ, Bro Jer

Amen!!!

The best advice I have had is, “remember the goal is to win a soul for Christ, not an argument.”

I don’t know a Saint that didn’t respond in defense of their Faith. We are to be ready to answer - some, however have the wrong answer or the wrong way by which they answer. Jesus no matter what he said or how he said it was attacked even by those he healed. The Truth doesn’t usually bring out the best in people - the Truth brings “out” the worst which it is supposed to. Once the little monsters surface than the person can realize “Heah” why am I disgusted with the sign of the cross, or Mary’s virginity or confession? If they say “oh that person is so nice the way they explained it” the little monsters stay right where the little monsters are - hidden. So I don’t agree with Pride as an issue - Jesus and come to think of it even Mother Teresa cut to the chase and didn’t just try to put a smile on someones face.

People who are Catholics or identify themselves as Catholic are required to tell the TRUTH in accord with the teachings of the Catholic Faith.
If there is any doubt on any topic regarding Faith and Morals - use the “CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition” as a reference.
When we write on the internet or elsewhere, we are acting as journalists using the “Communications Media”.  The responsibility of Journalists is covered in the CCC 2248-2499.

Whoops -
For the responsibilities of those communicating with others the required CCC reference is: CCC 2488 through 2499.
Sorry for error.

Yes,that is true.To be a catholic online is to always speak of the truth and in line with our catholic faith,and as a whole to listen and understand others belief but stand on what is the truth.Thank you for sharing this..

We can’t be scared to offend people though. We can tip toe around issues such as abortion and gay ‘marriage’, or we can use online networks such as facbook to tell society that not everybody think it’s ‘alright’. For far too long Catholics have kept quiet about issues such as these because of a fear of being unpopular and outcasts among friends and co-workers. We can use places like facebook to stand up and tell the world that we do not support these issues and that we are not scared to be martyrs. Be kind and do no judge people, but stand up for what is right and tell it like it is!

Amen, Patrick! I agree that we have taken the back seat far too long, because we feared others might disagree. But we must share the truth we know - always in a kind and respectful manner - as Jesus’ disciples here on earth. It takes plenty of courage!

“Joy is the net by which we catch souls” is Mother Teresa’s plan,so I try to share the joy of my faith at every opportunity.

when we catholics join hands 2 deepen our faith our belief becomes united in faith
surely the effort of catholics to be united in FB is surely worth the consideration
all the best
God’s blessings

Should I take down the bloody, gory picture of the crucified Jesus I put up as my profile picture?

 
YES, immediately. Such casual use of the most sacred of sacred images is highly inappropriate, if not actually blasphemous. Christianity is not a thing to be advertised like a fast food product.

“Should I take down the bloody, gory picture of the crucified Jesus I put up as my profile picture?”
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 1161
All the signs in the liturgical celebrations are related to Christ: as are sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as well. They truly signify Christ, who is glorified in them. They make manifest the “cloud of witnesses"29 who continue to participate in the salvation of the world and to whom we are united, above all in sacramental celebrations. Through their icons, it is man “in the image of God,” finally transfigured “into his likeness,“30 who is revealed to our faith. So too are the angels, who also are recapitulated in Christ:
Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (for we know that this tradition comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in her) we rightly define with full certainty and correctness that, like the figure of the precious and life-giving cross, venerable and holy images of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, our inviolate Lady, the holy Mother of God, and the venerated angels, all the saints and the just, whether painted or made of mosaic or another suitable material, are to be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on sacred vessels and vestments, walls and panels, <<<<in houses and on streets.>>>>
It depends. If someone is posting teaching,  or having a discussion about the crucifixion on “their” wall, it may very well be an appropriate image to have up. Maybe, it is just one of their favorite images. I do not know the circumstances, but as a general rule I would not tell anyone to remove it, unless it was indeed being displayed in a “blasphemous” way.
I have pics like that in my office and living room. Most of us do. I am not ashamed to display pictures, images, of things that are an important part of my faith, at work, home, FB, blogs, etc…those places are where I can and do share through images.
Again, common sense and humility should be our guide.
IMHO Bro Jer

BroJer,
 
Thansk for the reply. I’m certainly not saying anything against the use of sacred images in general, or that they shouldn’t be publicly displayed. I’m not comfortable with their use as profile pictures, though, for several reasons. For one thing, almost certainly your Facebook activity will not be limited to discussing the picture or even discussing religion, and this picture will be attached to everything you say on Facebook on any subject. Spurring discussion is a good thing, but this might be considered unnecessarily provocative or even rude and repellent by some people, and we want to avoid portraying Christians as people who plaster irrelevant gory crucifixes everyhwere. In addition, we need to be careful to avoid implying that everything we say is backed up by Christ, or expresses the mind of the Church. That’s one concern. Another is that a profile picture is generally supposed to be a picture of yourself, and with that presumption, using a picture of Jesus smacks of a too close identification between you and Him. Yes, people who do this probably do not intend to imply any such thing, but still it seems presumptuous.
 
My biggest concern, however, is simply that such use is too casual - more so, it seems to me, than displaying a holy picture in your house or yard. To my mind, displaying these images where we know or can with high probability predict that they will not be taken seriously is like desecrating them. The pictures in your house are one of the formal, carefully constructed parts of your environment, and people expect that they will or can express a lot about you. Profile pictures, it seems to me, aren’t on that level, but are intrinsically a more frivolous item. That’s why I’m highly doubtful about using for such a purpose the same image that I might kneel and kiss the feet of on Good Friday.
 
PachyD

Matthew, this is a great article. It is the much-desired mid-course between cracking fanaticism and cold-blooded conservatism in evangelism.It is as accommodating of others as it is defensive of the core tenets of catholicism.Call it the “Carrot and the Big Stick” method but it is the best.Great article, great ideas, Matthew!
RoyE

I was driving the kids to school this morning and began contemplating on this article and the responses. What really hit home was the “passion” that many of us have for the Church, ministry and for evangelism.Praise God that He is leading such a diverse group of HIS people together to share ideas, that passion, and our differences as well.
Again, the great thing about our faith, our Church, is that we can all have different passions, ideas and ways to evangelize, yet still be in unity in our differences.
PachyD, I really respect that passion, your drive and love for the Church and things sacred. That is a wonderful gift and I can find no real disagreement with where you are coming from. You are a blessing! Thank you for sharing that passion here.
My calling is not to try and change anyone’s mind. Only to try and live in a way that may change hearts. If I look at the hearts here…they are all different and they are all good! :-)
In Christ, Bro Jer

Thanks very much, BroJer! It’s always good to have a chance to clarify my thoughts on such subjects. I find nothing to object to in your comment…except a reminder that conversion is a change of mind as well as heart. Either can follow the other.

Thanks Matthew insightful and honest. Love wins the day, many people have status’s we can lovingly comment on and begin dialouge with May God bless u!

We are all commanded by Jesus to love our neighbors.
If we love our neighbors, we will want them to get to Heaven for all eternity.  This is TRUE love.
We must NOT tolerate sin.
“Blessed be the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” - Jesus (Mt 5:7)
Four of the Spiritual Works of Mercy are to:
Admonish Sinners;
Instruct the uninformed;
Counsel the Doubtful;
Be patient with those in error.
Use the CCC to keep us free from our own error, free from the error of others, and free from the purposeful errors from the enemy within.
* * * *“Let us preach Jesus Christ with all the energy of our lives.  And let us support each other — whatever the cost — so that when we make our accounting to the Lord, we will be numbered among the faithful and courageous, and not the cowardly or the evasive, or those who compromised until there was nothing left of their convictions; or those who were silent when they should have spoken the right word at the right time.  Thank you.  And God bless all of you.” - Archbishop Chaput. * * * *

HA, I am a little different in person then when I am online, but I think it is mostly because I have more time to think of what I want to say. When I am posting statuses, I try to think about the Scripture passage where Christ tells us not to put our pearls before swine. We don’t want to see the beauty of our Faith get dragged through the mud online.

I would like to invite you all, to consider taking this to a site that I have been working on, and keep the dialog going.  Really good things are being shared and I would love to see a few new relationships come out of it.Our life is an ongoing “conversion” and “conversation” with the Lord and with each other, hence the name http://www.conversionconversations.com/community/
We are in the infant stages, not really ready to go public, but there have been such great things shared here, I would be honored if any of you would consider sharing your ideas on CC and help us to set the stage for getting quality discussions going.
Thank you all! I have gained much from this post, and pray that what little I have shared, has been a benefit to someone as well.
In Christ, Jerry Kohlbrand aka Bro Jer
(who knows, if ya stop by Mark, ya may meet a few “Jollies” too) :-)

Never deny the truth.  Read the CCC, since it has paragraphs on TRUTH including 2468 & 2505.
There are sinners within the Church.  We are all sinners in different ways.
The Apostles were sinners too.
If there were no sinners in our Church, there would be no need to forgive sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
* * * * “In a world that often fails to discern the difference between what can change and what cannot, it is good to know that what we believe and are called to live in its essence has not and cannot change.
The Truth is a Rock, and we built our house upon that Rock who is essentially Jesus Christ, the chief Cornerstone upon which the Church is built the Truth himself.
The CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH articulates what Catholics believe and are called to live and celebrate.
With our house built solidly on this Rock of Truth we can say, let the rains of confusion come, let the storms of time and culture lash against our house, we shall not be swept away, for we have built our house upon solid Rock, not upon the shifting sands of mere personal opinions nor ideas that come and go with the passing of ages.” - Fr. John Corapi * * * *

Cradle,

I did think you were Protestant too. Tradition is not opposed to scripture.  The church was born at Pentecost, the Bible was compiled centuries later.

The Questions that brought me home, after doing to rounds of so- called Bible churches was this.

1. Why are Christians not united outside Rome.  Even the Orthodox are not in complete union with each other. On the other hand, both Western and Eastern Catholics are in union with Rome.

2. Priests, Bishops and others fall into heresy. So who decides how to solve theological disputes?

3. If the Bible alone is sufficient then why are there so many denominations that teach conflicting things? Why is there no evidence for Sola Scriptura in the early church?

Christianity would not have survived even the first six centuries without an authority to help solve disputes among various Christian groups.

Hey, Savvy:

Unfortunately, the HEBREW SCRIPTURES IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE(S) DO NOT SUPPORT YOUR CLAIMS
JUDAISM HAS never SUPPORTED THE CLAIMS OF CATHOLIC AND/OR LATER—PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS THAT THEY should CONVERT TO SO-CALLED ‘IDOLATRY’ AND WORSHIP A MERE HUMAN BEING THAT THE SO-CALLED ‘early CHURCH CLAIMED ROSE FROM THE DEAD—BUT, WHICH, THE CHURCH HAS yet TO PROVE HISTORICALLY…. JEWS HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED FOR CENTURIES FOR THEIR refusal TO CONVERT TO WHATEVER BRAND OF CHRISTIANITY
THAT HAS/HAD BEEN DEMANDED OF THEM IN WHATEVER SO-CALLED ‘CHRISTIAN’ SOCIETY THEY LIVE(D) IN…..
GHETTOS FORCED ON JEWS BY THE VARIOUS POPES COME IMMEDIATELY TO MIND… AS DOES THE SO-CALLED ‘JUDENSTRASSE’ THAT KEPT JEWS SEPERATED FROM THEIR CHRISTIAN NEIGHBORS…..............
PLEASE don’t SAY THAT YOUR PROTESTANT NEIGHBORS aren’t ENTITLED TO BELIEVE WHAT they WANT TO—UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE US CONSTITUTION, THEY CERTAIN ARE—OBVIOUSLY, THE MISOGYNIST CLERICS OF THE ROMAN CHURCH don’t HAVE A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PERSECUTE UNITARIAN-UNIVERSALISTS
FOR refusing TO ACCEPT CATHOLICISM…