By Regis Martin, Crisis Magazine, June 7, 2025
Regis Martin is Professor of Theology and Faculty Associate with the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Public expression of the faith is ordered to the evangelical imperative to convert, not just this or that person, but all peoples
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series on Catholic culture.
As necessary as the evangelical imperative is to the life of the Church, since without it the Gospel withers and dies, it is not enough simply to proclaim the Good News. For all that the world needs to hear the message of Jesus Christ, merely doing so does not exhaust the possibilities of bringing Christ to the world. There is another way, which is not at variance with planting the Gospel seed one row at a time but entirely complementary to sharing Christ with others. And that is to engage the larger dimension of human culture, which is the effort to give public expression to the things we believe.
The aim here is not simply the salvation of this or that person but the salvation of an entire world, which God is equally eager to welcome and wishes thereby to include in the overall economy of redemption. And the reason for this is surely obvious, which is to make it easier for men and women to be good, to grow and to thrive in an environment that not only allows for a life of sanctity but positively encourages it. …
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