A Close Encounter with a French Evangelical

One result of trading an apartment for a house has been the dropping of a barrier I was only vaguely aware of.  A typical French apartment complex has codes to enter the residence and/or the buildings and that discourages drop-ins.  Our house has none of that;  just a bell that can be rung from the street and is loud enough for me to hear in the back garden.  Oh and do I get callers.  Last week it was the pompiers (firemen) selling calendars and the éboueurs (garbage collectors) asking for donations. There are also a number of craftsmen and laborers (usually, but not always, immigrants) who swing by and offer their services.  "Madame, you really need a new roof."  Well, yes, I probably do, Monsieur, but not right this minute.

It's a whole new world and honestly I don't mind a bit.  The "sell" is never unpleasant or pushy and most of them are delighted to stand around and chat for a bit.  If they are local, the gossip is loads of fun and I've managed to glean from it a lot of information about my house and the surrounding neighborhood.

But the other day one of these chats turned into something else.  This fellow was a bit pushier than usual and I pushed back by explaining that I was unemployed and had some serious health problems and that I was in no position to pay for a complete redo of the exterior of my little maison ouvrière.

 His face changed completely and he began to preach.  "You know who can help you, Madame? Jesus."  Took me a few seconds but I finally realized that I was standing in the presence of a French evangelical - a creature I had heard existed but thought was a myth or an over-reaction of the French to the idea of religious diversity.  And I have to say that he was eloquent and passionate and had his spiel down pat.  Clearly, this was not the first time he had witnessed to a complete stranger.  The only sour note came when he saw the statue of Mary in the niche on my porch and informed me,  "She can't help you, Madame, only Jesus can."  (Note to other evangelicals - If you can't say something respectful about Santa Maria to a woman with a statue of her, don't go there).

I thanked him for his words and he left saying, "I will pray for you, Madame, and so will our church."  I liked that very much.  The past couple of years have taught me to be very grateful to have people pulling for me and prayers are always deeply appreciated.

That encounter sparked a latent curiosity in my mind.  Protestant Christians are definitely a minority here. The few I have met were luthérien (Lutherans) and that was only because there is a Lutheran church near the Eiffel Tower in Paris that collaborates with a Catholic church in the same area for the annual Stations of the Cross on the Champ de Mars.  From what I could tell these folks were mainstream Protestants (or at least I think that's what they would be in the American context).

The evangelical movement is actually something separate from denomination (established Christian churches).  Though it is usually associated with Protestant Christians - in fact it originated in England in the 18th century - nothing in theory stops Orthodox or Roman Catholic Christians from being evangelicals in spirit as well - spreading the Good News being something ALL Christians are called to do and it says so right there in the Bible.  The latest word from Pope Francis is all about evangelization - Evangelii Gaudium - the Joy of the Gospel. (And to the American conservatives who think the whole thing was an attack on capitalism, well, they might try actually reading it.  It's NOT the economy, idiots.)

However, in most people's minds the evangelical movement is associated with a particular strand of Protestant Christianity and churches and refers to people who have a particular set of beliefs about spreading the Gospel (among others).  Some evangelicals find a home within established churches, others belong to independant Christian churches - ones that are not affiliated with a particular denomination.  In France my sense is that there is great discomfort with this lack of structure and hierarchy.  When the French government wants to talk to, or has an issue with, the Catholic church, they know who to call.   But who do they talk to (or fight with) when they want to communicate with this loose network of evangelical churches?

Well, I did find this organization called the Conseil National des Evangéliques de France (CNEF) which was established in 2003 and became an official legal entity in 2007.  Their site is a goldmine of information about Evangelical churches in the Hexagon: numbers, beliefs, mission and so on.

I find it very interesting that they define the core beliefs of evangelicals as:

"Un profond attachement à la Bible. Elle est la Parole de Dieu. Elle représente l'autorité pour toutes les questions relatives à la vie." (Bible-centered)
"C'est par une conversion personnelle et délibérée à Jésus-Christ que l'on devient véritablement chrétien. C'est l'idée d'une « nouvelle naissance » par un acte de foi libre." (Personal conversion)
"Chaque évangélique entend répandre l'Évangile autour de lui." (Spreading the Gospel)

All of the above can be found to a greater or lesser degree in many Christian denominations.

But in the very next paragraph they place themselves firmly within the Protestant tradition:

"Oui, les évangéliques adhèrent pleinement aux principes théologiques de la Réforme protestante du 16e siècle. Aujourd'hui ils restent fidèles à ses principes : la foi seule, la grâce seule, la Bible seule."
(Yes, the evangelists adhere fully to the theological principles of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Today they remain faithful to these principles: Only faith, grace and the Bible.)

And take exception to churches that call themselves "evangelist" but really aren't in their eyes:

"Cette fidélité aux principes du protestantisme permet de distinguer les Églises évangéliques d'églises qui se nomment abusivement « évangélique » sans appartenir au protestantisme évangélique. Lorsque dans un groupe la parole du « pasteur-gourou » compte plus que la Bible, que le marketing remplace la simplicité évangélique et que le credo s'éloigne de l'exemple de Christ et promet à tous richesse et santé... il ne s'agit certainement pas d'une église protestante évangélique."
(This fidelity to Protestant principles allows us to distinguish evangelical churches from those who wrongly call themselves "evangelical" without belonging to Protestant evangelicalism.  When in a group the word of the "pastor-guru" counts more than the Bible, when marketing replaces evangelical simplicity, and the credo distances itself from Christ's example and promises riches and health...this is surely not a Protestant evangelical church.)

CNEF lists about 2300 churches in France that they consider to be authentically evangelical.  (To put that in perspective there are over 40,000 Roman Catholic churches in the Hexagon.)  Still, that is enough to raise eyebrows.  This article in Le Monde is a good example of the general reaction.  The title alone - How the Evangelical Church is Conquering the French - says volumes.  It's not one church, folks, it's many and the use of the verb "conquerir" in this context is a bit ticklish since it can mean "to win by force of arms" or "to pursuade or seduce".  In a country where freedom of conscience is the rule  it is clearly the latter - no one is forcing anyone to convert here.  If there are French in those churches (and there are) then it is because they want to be there.  

I would like to find a local French evangelical church so I can learn more. Religious pluralism was my "normal" when I lived in the U.S. and I miss it.   It's not about shopping for another belief system, it's about being around something that is rather rare these days: "the person (of whatever faith) who takes religion seriously." (Grace Davie, 2000)

Second Sunday of Advent

Yesterday was busy busy here at the Flophouse.  First thing in the morning after coffee was a trip to the wood guy in Viroflay for another half stere of big logs. The second was a trip to the big market in the center of town to pick up a Christmas tree.

Unfortunately all the other Versaillais had exactly the same idea and it was impossible to find a place to park.  So we trusted the universe and turned a No Parking spot into a Temporary Parking for Christmas Tree Pick Up zone.  The season was with us and we didn't get a ticket.

Picking out a tree turned out to be very simple.  My spouse looked at the first one the tree vendor showed us and said, "How about this one?"  I thought for a moment and replied, "I'd like one a little taller..."  The vendor (an agreeable sort) led me down the row to look at ones he thought I might like and I was happily chatting with him when I looked behind me and there was my spouse still holding on to the first tree looking wistful.  Was it because he really liked that tree or because he wanted to get the hell out of there?  Who knows.  I turned around, gave the vendor a wry smile and said, "Monsieur a choisi." (Sir has chosen).  He looked at my spouse, looked back at me and just cracked up.  He was still laughing when he handed us our ticket and told us to pay at the counter.  (I realize the dialogue here sounds like something from a BDSM novel but what can I say, sometimes life really does imitate art.)

Why did I give in so easily?  Well, it occurred to me that in our house green growing things are my domain and since I have a very fine set of sharp and expensive pruning tools, any tree we bought could be transformed into the tree I wanted with a few snips.

Back home for yet more coffee and the mail which yielded the first of the Christmas cards.  They were from Canada and that reminded me that I need to get mine out soon.  If there are any Flophouse readers out there who might be interested in exchanging cards this year, just send me an email (v_ferauge@yahoo.com) and I will add you to my list.

The rest of the day was spent processing the last of the pumpkin from the garden, making pies, making a cake (I had four leftover eggs whites in the fridge and I'm way too cheap to just throw them out), and watching the Mad Max movies (I still think Road Warrior is one of the best films I've ever seen).  Late in the day we got in the car again and headed out to Parly II (the nearest mall) to get lights for the outside of the house.  Mission accomplished but it was so crowded and so overwhelming that I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack.  Never again.  I'll order on-line instead.

Today promises to be almost as busy as yesterday.  At the Mass this morning I am on as a greeter (welcome people as they arrive and pass out the parish newsletter and the song sheets).  Then we are off to Paris to take my mother-in-law to lunch for her birthday.  For those of you not in the know, it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  The churches in Lyon have organized an event around this feast  and they are asking us to put candles in Mary's honor in our windows tonight around 6 PM.  There is also a lovely tool on their website where you can light a virtual candle.  It's called Allumez votre bougie and when you enter your address, a light will appear on the map at your location.  There is one from Seattle and another from Sacramento up so far which represent my family back in the US and, of course, one from me here in Porchefontaine.

I'll end this post with a few pictures of our Christmas decorations.  Bon dimanche!

Clear white lights outlining our living room window

Lights on the front porch

Xmas tree discreetly pruned to fit a very small space

The creche illuminated with lights draped around the vase I bought in Tokyo.
And thank you, Lynne, for the cards!

My grandmother's Angel Chimes

Evangelisation

Evangelise:

1.  to preach the Christian gospel or a particular interpretation of it (to)
2.  intr to advocate a cause with the object of making converts

Collins English Dictionary

A word loaded with meaning and sparks all kinds of controversy.  When people talk about getting religion out of the public space, this is one of the things they are talking about.  In the minds of the non-religious it conjures up images of being accosted on the street or being called in the middle of dinner by someone wanting to convert them.  Even some very benign forms of this like talking to a friend or co-worker about the Good News can rub people the wrong way.

Christians are divided over this activity.   All Christians are called to do this but there is a broad continuum of how different people and institutions spread the Gospel.  

In some churches they do so very publicly by using mass media, passing out tracts on the street, going door to door, or witnessing at every opportunity.  This is especially true of those who are described as Evangelical - a Protestant Christian movement that began in the 18th century. Other Christians denominations do not - it just isn't part of their culture or history- though they may do missionary work in non-Christian countries.

I belong to the Roman Catholic church which is in the latter category.  Furthermore, I am what is known as a "cradle Catholic" which means I was baptized as an infant, went to catechism, went to Catholic school, got married in the Church, etc.  I fell away for a few years but it is fair to say that for nearly all my life the Church has been to me what water is to a fish.  As for the years I spent outside the church, think of a minnow on the bank of a river uselessly flopping about gasping for breath while what she needs to breathe is right there.  

But in all my 40+ years in the Catholic church I never heard the word "evangelize" in connection with my own faith.  Until now.

It's called The New Evangelisation and the call to do it is something I'm hearing almost every Sunday when I go to Mass at my parish church.  In the beginning I just didn't get it.  This is France, for heaven's sake, "la fille ainée de l'église" (the eldest daughter of the church).  You can't walk half a kilometer in any direction from my house without hitting a church, convent or chapel.  Even many of my atheist friends are still getting their children baptized and sending them to Catholic school.  So why is this trip necessary?  What more is there to say or do?

I found the answer to that in a small book by Father Stephen Wang (UK) called The New Evangelisation:  What it is and how to do it.  In his words:

"The New Evangelisation, according to Blessed John Paul II, concerns another situation. It involves the mission of the Church ‘particularly in countries with ancient Christian roots, and occasionally in the younger Churches as well, where entire groups of the baptized have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider themselves members of the Church, and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel’ (Redemptoris Missio, Para 33). The New Evangelisation, on this first definition, involves the re-evangelisation of former Christian cultures and of Christians who have become disconnected from their faith. Pope Benedict explains very simply that it is the need for a renewed missionary impulse in territories that have traditionally been Christian."

What the Church is saying is that there are two form of Christian witness:  example (living it) and proclamation (or what AA calls attraction, not promotion).  We Catholics are fine with the first and very uncomfortable with the second.  In fact, we aren't very good at it.  At all.  

Some of it is because we are unsure of what to say. We are not exactly on solid ground when it comes to our faith.  In spite of years of Catholic school and regular attendance at Mass when I was asked about what the Church had to say about torture, I had to go look it up.  And I was very surprised by the answer. (And I shouldn't have been because it stems directly from teachings about human dignity.)

Another way to put it that a lot of Catholics like me lack the Beginner's Mind.  We think we already know it all (or the most important parts) and so our cup is full and any new knowledge spills over and is lost.  For those of us in countries where Catholicism is still part and parcel of the culture, we may even have the illusion that just living in such an environment means that we've soaked up all there is to know through osmosis.

So among other things the New Evangelization is about deepening our faith and not taking it for granted.  To live it we have to know what it is first and that requires that we drop our know-it-all attitude and be ready to learn something new.

What about proclamation?   Does that mean that our non-Catholic friends need to be wary about inviting us over for dinner now? 

No.  Nothing I've read in Father Wang's book or heard at church involves annoying people or boring them to tears.   On the contrary, a lot of thought has gone into figuring out the best way to convey the message (the Gospel).  His book has some superb examples of very creative forms of evangelization.  Each initiative takes a different approach but the one I found most interesting is called Catholic Voices.  It's a group of lay people who got together to think about how to talk about the faith in a positive way.  The goal is not to pick a fight or give up one's beliefs.  It's about how to talk to people with confidence, knowledge, empathy and understanding - also known as the lost art of conversation.

As I was reading their book (and I highly recommend it) it occurred to me that a lot of what they have to say can be applied to any situation where there is controversy and contention.    

In particular, their 10 Principles of Civil Communication are good solid principles to follow whether you are evangelizing in the first sense of the word (spreading the Gospel) or the second (advocating for a cause).

Ten Principles of Civil Communication

(How to Defend the Faith without Raising Your Voice by Austin Ivereigh)

1.  Look for the positive intention behind the criticism.

2.  Shed light, not heat.

3.  People won't remember what you said as much as how you made them feel.

4.  Show, don't tell.

5.  Think in triangles (three important points)

6. Be positive.

7.  Be compassionate.

8.  Check your facts, but avoid robotics.

9. It's not about you.

10. Witnessing, not winning.