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Nonviolent Direct Action to Change the Church When most of us think about nonviolent direct action, we envision movements to promote social justice or peace “out there,” in the world. But what about direct action “in here,” to change the Church itself? Dick Taylor, a Philadelphia Catholic activist, has just published a 91-page handbook to do the latter, and he wants to get CPF members’ reactions to it. It’s called Love in Action: A Direct Action Handbook for Catholics Using Gospel Nonviolence to Reform and Renew the Church. It’s written as a “first edition,” with the hope that the feedback he receives will make for an even better “second edition.” To get a copy, send a check for $10.00, made out to
If you have questions about it, you can call Dick at (215) 248-3178 or e-mail him at rktpbt@att.net. The handbook’s premise is that most Catholic reform groups find themselves up against a brick wall. None of us really have achieved our long-term goals, e.g., a Catholicism with a broad, deep, active commitment to peace, a Church where gifts rather than gender or marital status are the criteria for ministry, a hierarchy that treats lay Catholics as adults, a Church where the gifts, talents, experience, and intelligence of the laity are no longer squandered, etc., etc. We’ve kept the faith and done a lot of wonderful things over the years, but, in spite of our best efforts, our Church leaders don’t really feel that they need to respond to our proposals. Often it feels like we’re spinning our wheels. This has made some of us wonder whether Catholic reformers may need to draw upon the kind of nonviolent movement-building expressed in the work of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, and others. “Love in Action” tries to do just that. It describes a nonviolence that is powerfully effective, yet deeply loving. It outlines a step-by-step method for building a Gospel-based nonviolent movement for change. It describes 82 direct-action methods and gives 190 examples for them, drawn from ancient history to modern times. It suggests 40 ways that such methods can be used for Church reform. What do you think? Is nonviolent direct action an appropriate way to work for Church reform? Richard Taylor Richard is a member of St. Vincent’s Parish |