Journals Information
Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 5(7), pp. 503 - 510
DOI: 10.13189/sa.2017.050701
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New Evangelization Practices? Devotional Prayer, Meetings, and Christian Service
Michael J. McCallion *, Sacred Heart Major Seminary , Detroit MI
School of Theology, Rev. William Cunningham Chair in Catholic Social Analysis, USA
ABSTRACT
Conscious of the disciplinary turn away from examining predominantly cognitive, belief, and rational factors to examining emotional, bodily, and ritual factors this research focused on what people were 'doing' in relation to the New Evangelization (NE) and less on what they were saying. Consequently, three general categories of doings/activities are described that are associated with the NE. Although associated with the NE, can these doings actually be called NE practices per se? Or, is the NE retrospectively theologically legitimizing Catholic practices already in place? Focusing on 'practices', therefore, Rawls [1] raised not only the question, are there NE practices, but also the Durkheimian epistemological question of the relationship between enacted practices and beliefs/ideas. Although this is not the place to address the Durkheimian epistemological question, it was found that the NE was retrospectively legitimizing Catholic practices already in place rather than creating new practices. Moreover, this research has revealed over time that the NE in its initial stages (2005-2012) infused a more individualistic and emotional emphasis to the Catholic practices of devotional prayer and NE parish meetings to emphasize a more communal/ecclesial dimension in Christian service practices. Although further research is needed, it appears that Christian service/communal practices already in place are receiving the same fueling of emotional vigor that the more individualistically oriented practices of devotions and meetings received from the theology of the NE.
KEYWORDS
New Evangelization, Durkheim, Enacted Practices, Christian Service
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Michael J. McCallion , Sacred Heart Major Seminary , Detroit MI , "New Evangelization Practices? Devotional Prayer, Meetings, and Christian Service," Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 5, No. 7, pp. 503 - 510, 2017. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2017.050701.
(b). APA Format:
Michael J. McCallion , Sacred Heart Major Seminary , Detroit MI (2017). New Evangelization Practices? Devotional Prayer, Meetings, and Christian Service. Sociology and Anthropology, 5(7), 503 - 510. DOI: 10.13189/sa.2017.050701.