What is Crucialism?
“Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
Third millennium Catholics are enmeshed in a confusing maze of relativism and escapism enabled and enhanced by material abundance and technological advances. Our culture has distorted the truths of the Catholic faith and obscured the most essential Gospel mandate: to embrace the Cross.
Crucialism is a guide to living out this Gospel mandate in an anti-Christic culture. Crucialism is an ethos theology that specifically explicates and exhorts the lived out dynamics of faith, truths, morals, and values as they apply to a person or people's in relationship with our contemporary culture. Crucialism is dogmatically rooted in the ancient, immutable Deposit of the Faith and thus it is catechectical. Furthermore, crucialism is an application of that dogma, and hence it depends on the Church's moral theology. But crucialism's specific difference is neither being a compendium of dogma nor a manual of specific moral laws. Rather Crucialism is an enunciation of the most fundamental truths of the Faith, a preaching of Christ Crucified, and a moral exhortation to the deepest spirit of the law, specifically tailored towards the courageous and intentional celebration of the Christian life in this third millennium.
The Christian life must indeed be courageous, for what is vital to it is embracing Christ Crucified. And the Christian life must indeed be celebratory, for it is full of infinite vitality. Today's hostile milieu requires nothing less than such a courageous and celebratory personal commitment to Christ. Crucialism (in accord with the Christian principle of subsidiarity) recognizes that the locus of Christian inspiration and action to be most deep rooted and effective must be on the most fundamental level: within the heart of the believer. So too, this means that the family, as the most fundamental social unit, must take precedent as the locus of Christian life. Thus crucialism addresses quite specifically the ethos of the Christian individual and the Christian family in an increasingly hostile and anti-Christic 21st Century milieu.
"Grace builds upon nature," and thus grace is most efficaciously placed upon a firm foundation of nature. However, today there is a disconnect and rejection of both nature and natural law. The truths of faith and reason designated as crucial and highlighted herein, aim at challenging third millennium Christians to their courageous, countercultural, and militant implementation.
Serendipitously enough, crucial means both “cross-conformed” and “of vital importance.” And it is being conformed to the Holy Cross and to Christ Crucified that is of the most vital importance to the Christian. As such, crucialism aims to highlight those essentials of the Gospel that will most saliently mandate the Christian's embrace of the Holy Cross in the dawning third millennium, and thus most adequately ensure the perseverance in, and the promulgation of, the Holy Catholic Faith.
Crucialism is a guide to living out this Gospel mandate in an anti-Christic culture. Crucialism is an ethos theology that specifically explicates and exhorts the lived out dynamics of faith, truths, morals, and values as they apply to a person or people's in relationship with our contemporary culture. Crucialism is dogmatically rooted in the ancient, immutable Deposit of the Faith and thus it is catechectical. Furthermore, crucialism is an application of that dogma, and hence it depends on the Church's moral theology. But crucialism's specific difference is neither being a compendium of dogma nor a manual of specific moral laws. Rather Crucialism is an enunciation of the most fundamental truths of the Faith, a preaching of Christ Crucified, and a moral exhortation to the deepest spirit of the law, specifically tailored towards the courageous and intentional celebration of the Christian life in this third millennium.
The Christian life must indeed be courageous, for what is vital to it is embracing Christ Crucified. And the Christian life must indeed be celebratory, for it is full of infinite vitality. Today's hostile milieu requires nothing less than such a courageous and celebratory personal commitment to Christ. Crucialism (in accord with the Christian principle of subsidiarity) recognizes that the locus of Christian inspiration and action to be most deep rooted and effective must be on the most fundamental level: within the heart of the believer. So too, this means that the family, as the most fundamental social unit, must take precedent as the locus of Christian life. Thus crucialism addresses quite specifically the ethos of the Christian individual and the Christian family in an increasingly hostile and anti-Christic 21st Century milieu.
"Grace builds upon nature," and thus grace is most efficaciously placed upon a firm foundation of nature. However, today there is a disconnect and rejection of both nature and natural law. The truths of faith and reason designated as crucial and highlighted herein, aim at challenging third millennium Christians to their courageous, countercultural, and militant implementation.
Serendipitously enough, crucial means both “cross-conformed” and “of vital importance.” And it is being conformed to the Holy Cross and to Christ Crucified that is of the most vital importance to the Christian. As such, crucialism aims to highlight those essentials of the Gospel that will most saliently mandate the Christian's embrace of the Holy Cross in the dawning third millennium, and thus most adequately ensure the perseverance in, and the promulgation of, the Holy Catholic Faith.