Gallagher, Gerard
(1994)
Evangelisation and the New Age:
A Challenge To The Church?
Other thesis, Pontifical University, St Patrick's College, Maynooth.
Abstract
The Church has always been faced with the problem of having to
adapt to new problems and controversies. At significant periods in
its history, the Church has been forced into making its opinion on
new ideas known. The Church has been continually focussing what it
has been about for years. In its earlier years it was missionary,
and evangelical. In later years it became institutionalised
and yet again had to face problems related with that.
As we move towards the end of the second milenium, the Church
is again is having to refine its answers. The Gospel was supposed
to be preached to the ends of the earth, yet the reality is that
many who have heard of Jesus Christ have turned against what He has
said. Popular atheism has come and gone. Spiritualism is now one of
the modern trends. People are beginning to become more spiritually
aware of themselves, out-side the Church.
I propose to look at the whole area of evangelism in the
Church. Rather than being institutional, the Church needs to
remember that it is evangelical at its core. From its conception,
the apostles have been sent out to preach the Good News. Somewhere*
the power of this message has diminished due to various
challenges. I intend to look then at why people favour ideas such
as the New Age, which we are apparently living in, to the
Gospel. Many Christians and Catholics have been influenced by the
New Age. Confusion exists around what it exactly is and stands
for. Christians are divided on the subject of what it is; some
reject it, others welcome it and in so doing sometimes reject the
Church. The Church has therefore been forced into coming to an
understanding of what people are drawn to. I intend to look at some
of the pastoral responses made by the Church and the relevant
advice offered.
| Item Type: |
Thesis
(Other)
|
| Keywords: |
Evangelisation; New Age;
Church; |
| Academic Unit: |
St Patrick's College, Maynooth > Faculty of Theology |
| Item ID: |
5164 |
| Depositing User: |
IR eTheses
|
| Date Deposited: |
11 Jul 2014 13:47 |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
Repository Staff Only(login required)
 |
Item control page |
Downloads per month over past year
Origin of downloads
Altmetric
Altmetric