The Catholic Book Club discussion

7. In Chapter IV (In Search of the Church), Cardinal Sarah refers to the "heresy of activism," but he doesn't define what he means. How do you understand him?

I think it's the temptation for clergy and lay believers alike to focus on what they can do (preaching, administration, alleviating poverty...) without grounding it in deep union with Jesus Christ.

Relatedly, did anyone see EWTN's 'A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing'?

I have watched both parts of EWTN's "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" and highly recommend both parts to anyone who has access to it. EWTN has repeated Part I many times, especially leading up to the Presidential elections. It is a stunning documentary about how the Church has been infiltrated for decades and Part II is about the origin and development of the feminist movement and the present LGBT agenda. Both are disturbing, but highly valuable. We cannot do much about evil if we fail to acknowledge it.

Jill wrote: "I think it's the temptation for clergy and lay believers alike to focus on what they can do (preaching, administration, alleviating poverty...) without grounding it in deep union with Jesus Christ."

That brings to mind a note I read in a scripture commentary to the effect that you had to address the material needs of the poor before you could talk to them about Jesus. I thought that was exactly backwards. I did cease using that commentary.

In my opinion the activism when you dedicate to the lay causes and you give Up to the Dogma and to preach the gospel and the Evangelion. In my opinion It was to the cause of the decline of the anglican Church.

Jill wrote: "I think it's the temptation for clergy and lay believers alike to focus on what they can do (preaching, administration, alleviating poverty...) without grounding it in deep union with Jesus Christ."

In some of his later comments (in Chapter IV) Sarah says exactly this. That any action, regardless of how morally good it might be, undertaken without being based on a deep union with Christ is not truly Christian.