Catechesis in Contemporary Culture: Tolerance

The General Directory for Catechesis tells us that inculturation, ‘is a profound and global process and a slow journey. It is not simply an external adaptation designed to make the Christian message more attractive or superficially decorative’ (GDC 109). Unfortunately, in our contemporary culture, the first principle of inculturation is often simply to make an external adaptation of the Christian message to make it more attractive, more pleasing. In order to achieve this, an attempt can be made to strip the message of Christ of everything that might offend. We might say that what is operating in this cases is a ‘primacy of plausibility’, or a ‘primacy of tolerance’. It is not so much that we are seeking ways of tolerating others, so much as that we are seeking ways of making the Gospel tolerable to others. The popular name for this principle of plausibility and tolerance is ‘political correctness’. When plausibility or tolerance is given this primary place in our thinking other things suffer. There is frequently no longer a concern for what is true, but for merely what is pleasing. In contemporary culture if one knows something is right or wrong, true or false, and one tells someone this is so, this can be considered to be simply ‘intolerant’ and even ‘hateful’. It is seen as an attempt to impose one’s morality and beliefs on someone else. What are some of the consequences of this way of thinking for catechesis?