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By His Fruits You Shall Know Him: A Defense of Christopher West

by Matthew Pinto

Over the past few weeks, I have watched a friend and fellow soldier in the Church get assaulted by his own troops, ironically due to his breakthrough appearance on ABC News’ Nightline, the kind of program we in the Catholic media have long been targeting as an instrument for communicating Catholic teaching in general, and Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB) message in particular.

As one of his publishers (along with the Daughters of St. Paul and Servant/St. Anthony’s Messenger), I have witnessed firsthand the dynamic impact Christopher West is having on people worldwide, both married and single.  Few Catholic authors/evangelists can match his track record of eyes opened to Truth and hearts turned to Christ. Fewer still have shown the courage to battle the colossal dragon that is modern society’s dissolute sexual culture, a beast that threatens to devour the souls in its path, including those of our children.

When Archbishop Sheen would be told by agitators back in his day that they had left the Faith, he would reportedly reply, “Oh, what was your sin?” Most, undoubtedly, were sexual in nature, for the Church’s message of sexual restraint has never been an easy teaching. But here Christopher comes forward with an urgent message of sexual healing and renewal from the very heart of the Church, and he is vilified by certain quarters of the Catholic apostolate. All one can do is marvel.

Breathtaking Results

Christopher, to a degree far greater than any other Catholic evangelist I have known in my 19 years of full-time ministry, is helping to heal people’s sexual wounds and correct their errors and misinterpretations of Church teaching. To read the testimonials we at Ascension Press receive each week in response to his books and conferences is to understand how positive an impact this man is having on people’s lives. The principles of Pope John Paul’s texts that Christopher is popularizing are stimulating vocations to consecrated life, strengthening youth, saving marriages, and saving babies worldwide.

Each year, more than 55,000 engaged persons in over 40 dioceses are being introduced to the authentic Catholic vision for marriage contained in Christopher’s marriage preparation program. Of the 91% who have entered the program sexually active, more than half of these couples said they will forego ongoing sexual relations until they are married. Nearly a third of these couples state that they will employ “Natural Family Planning” methods once they are married. And fully 61% made a deeper commitment to Christ because of the program. This is powerful evangelization.

Moreover, tens of thousands of college students on both Catholic and secular campuses have heard, perhaps for the first time, what “sexual freedom” really means! Cardinals and bishops from around the U.S. have invited Christopher to address the priests in their dioceses, and as a result, more than 3,600 priests in 31 dioceses have been given new tools to minister to a Catholic community that has, by and large, jettisoned much of the Catholic sexual ethic. The most consistent comment in surveys of these priests has been: “This was the single best continuing education day I have experienced in my entire priesthood.”

More than 25 bishops have taken time from their busy schedules to attend day-long seminars given by Christopher. One Midwestern bishop said after a seminar – and in front of a crowd of 600 – that Christopher is simply “one of the best Catholic evangelists in the Church today.”

Beyond that, more than 1,100 lay church leaders have attended Christopher’s weeklong course at the Theology of the Body Institute – and have given him an approval rating of over 96%. These leaders emerge substantially equipped to run TOB studies at their parishes, spreading John Paul II’s urgent message even deeper into the Catholic grassroots.

And these statistics do not even include the tens of thousands who have undertaken a personal or group study of the TOB via West’s books and workbooks – which bear Imprimaturs from bishops such as Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, Sean Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, and Justin Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia.

As we know from the Acts of the Apostles, if a work is not of God, it will fail (5:38-39). Yet in this time of historic sexual anarchy, Christopher’s critics remain disinclined to attribute his overwhelmingly positive results to a blessing by God.

Distinct Mission and Voice

Christopher gets criticized by some for focusing too much on “sex: the verb,” though most who intimately know his work recognize that it focuses on the entire catechetical breadth of the TOB. For most of the Nightline interview, at which I was present, Christopher shared the pope’s vision about “sex: the noun.” But he was stung by hyper-aggressive editing in the final product, and has surely learned a lesson for future broadcast interviews. Despite the incoming fire, he should not avoid these television opportunities going forward. Any occasion to introduce millions of souls to Pope John Paul’s sublime teaching during this time of crisis simply must be seized.

This said, it should be noted that Christopher’s mission is different from others who teach and evangelize within the Catholic world. He is endeavoring to reach the vast majority of Catholics, including those who have not darkened the door of a church for years, the group comprising the “walking wounded” who have made bad choices in the past, or those who have grown up secretly thinking that their bodies or sex are somehow bad. This is an important part of West’s audience and reaching them is not easily accomplished. The sexual apologetics offered by many who have criticized Christopher will simply not reach, to any measurable degree, the wife who feels used by her husband, the man who has allowed impure habits to dominate his life, or the millions who view Catholicism as hopelessly repressive.

Given the sensitivity of the topics he addresses and the sheer volume of words he expresses in public, it is only natural that Christopher will occasionally answer questions or communicate ideas in ways that he will later need to refine. But he has never, and will never, reject a single teaching of the Catholic Church. The alleged “problems” in West’s presentations amount to issues of style, not doctrine.

A highly respected Catholic bishop and scholar once counseled Christopher with these words: “They will expect perfection of you.” This has certainly proven to be the case. But combating it by standing at podiums with scholarly paper in hand is not an option for a man who wants to connect with the vast audience of Desperate Housewives. As Jules Van Schaijik of The Personalist's Project, said, “Attempting to anticipate all objections and prevent all possible misunderstandings would sap the life and sparkle from his talks. What he might gain in precision and clarity would be lost in effectiveness.” 

There is no question that many in the Church are still very uncomfortable discussing the subject of sex. But while millions are drowning in a sea of filth advanced by our sexually-twisted media culture, Christopher is one of very few hazarding a high seas rescue mission and giving people a hand into the boat. Never has such a mission been so badly needed. Within the next 10 years, probably half the states in the U.S. will have embraced same-sex marriage. Already, most Catholics of child-bearing age have rejected Church teaching on contraception. And on this very day, more than 3,600 children will be killed in their mother’s womb. Yet some of our fellow Catholics have felt it important to spend their energies publicly lancing one of their own.

It is a fact that many of the Church’s most exalted figures also encountered their greatest resistance from within Church ranks. A comforting thought for a man carrying very heavy water in the cultural wildfire that threatens us all.

Matthew Pinto is the president of Ascension Press and the author, co-author, or editor of 11 books.

Please note that all comments are moderated.

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Where's Waldo

Now that we have heard from West's publisher, who is next? His literary agent? His copyright attorney? Or his Public Relations firm? Where is HIS response.

Al

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Which Fruits Shall We Pick?

For years, people defended the now disgraced pedophile and father of at least one illegitimate child Fr. Marcial Maciel by claiming that he couldn't possibly have led an immoral life because "the fruits" of his work were so good. No less a Catholic intellect than the late Richard John Neuhaus made this explicit claim in an article still available at Catholic Exchange (a site Matt Pinto helped found). The article, available here http://catholicexchange.com/2002/05/14/93167/ bears a startling resemblance to Pinto's current piece "By his fruits you shall know him."

(I am not equating West to Maciel, but rather pointing out that an inadequate defense from 2002 makes a poor model for today).

It should serve as a cautionary tale to Pinto and all those who make the "fruits" argument. To them, I would caution - pardon the obvious pun - that you cannot pick your "fruits." Are the fruits of those scandalized by West any less valid than the fruits of those who have seen benefit? How shall we weigh these obviously contradictory consequences?

Pinto, a publisher of West's books and a colleague from West's Institute has written an interesting response to David Schindler, but at the end of the day, I have a fundamental problem with his premise.

From the long-running discussion, and many people who have commented that West makes them uneasy, or worse, it is clear that there's an abundant harvest here, at least some serious portion of which is not nourishing. Not all fruits are good. Perhaps those who make the fruits argument should remember Maciel, and, of course, the Garden of Eden...

Tom

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Wow

I am aghast at the two comments published thus far.

The first poster is ignoring the fact that West has already responded to these critics. The second by mentioning the rapist Fr. Maciel, the disgraced founder of the Legion of Christ, and Christopher West in the same sentence is engaging in ad hominem attacks and straw-man argumentation that is offensive to say the least. Fr. Maciel was a sociopathic and evil man. Chris West is being criticized ONLY because he speaks about sex in ways the current generation can understand.

Furthermore, I am pretty disgusted with this debate thus far. I think the only thing for good Catholics to do is simply remember that Humane Vitae is a prophetic and true document, and we need to live our lives accordingly. Outside of that, I think this entire debate can be safely ignored. 

cathguy

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need balance

I think "cathguy"'s comment is a little unfair. As far as I know, West has not issued a response to Schindler (which he's said is forthcoming). He's only made a statement about the Nightline interview. Likewise, the Maciel comparison isn't comparing West to him; it's comparing Pinto's defense of West to that of Maciel.

Clearly, West has done a lot of good; no one's denying that. We need people like him making the Church's teachings accessible. But it disturbs me to hear people reduce the current discussion to splitting theological hairs over West's work. Theology matters, especially when treating such a profound and sensitive issue such as theology of the body. We should be able to objectively, and maturely, weigh the merits of West's interpretation/style, as well as his flaws (did he ever explain how he can justify describing the Song of Songs as the Bible's "centerfold"? -- I don't think it's exaggeration to say that scandalized more than a few viewers).  The content of his work is separate from who he is a person -- that's what this discussion should focus on.

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Thank you and God help Christopher

Matthew expresses my sentiments exactly. We use Christopher West's enaged program at our parish and the impact has been nothing less than phenomenal.

Thank you for writing this.

Jeremy Rohr

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Christopher West isn't preaching to the Choir

Matt, I've followed you through the Journey Home and various appearances for years.  It's good to see you writing in defense of Christopher West.

I think you sum it up quite correctly with <blockquote> "The sexual apologetics offered by many who have criticized Christopher will simply not reach, to any measurable degree, the wife who feels used by her husband, the man who has allowed impure habits to dominate his life, or the millions who view Catholicism as hopelessly repressive."</blockquote>

It isn't about how many people Christopher West  has in the audience, or even how many priests and Bishops endorse him. 

What is important is Who is listening to Christopher West.  Although there are Christopher West 'groupies' who already know and head the message, there are also men and women in the audience who really haven't ever heard this message before.  And Christopher West does talk to them in a way that gets past their defenses. 

Christopher West isn't perfect.  He's probably not a Saint.  He may not say everything absolutely correctly ever time.  But the important thing is that he is teaching the truth.  He is opening doors to people's hearts and bedrooms and getting them to seriously consider actually trying to live a Catholic life in their marriages.

Thanks again

GNW_Paul

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In style?  

Kudos to defending the many good fruits of West's labors. I laud his courage to reach out to the average person. I laud his compassion to look beyond people's errors and to see "what people have it in their hearts to say", to borrow from Paul VI.

But Pinto is naive to simply dismiss the problems with West as "issues of style, not doctrine." Even if doctrine is sound, style matters. Because media thrives on style: style sells programs; doctrine does not. And problematically, West's primetime appearance highlighted moments when his chosen pedagogical style gets in the way of conveying doctrine.

Unfortunately, his style depends on some rather questionable soundbites that, while attention-getting and memorable, can lead to rather questionable theology. They're soundbites too loaded with history to give a clear path for the truth about dignity.  

Granted, many (but not all) Christians easily swallow his style and overlooking inadequacies; much good has come of that. But interviewing for an indiscriminate audience of 3.5 million is different from talking at your local St. Maria Goretti's parish hall. Background and expectations are different. "Completing the sexual revolution" means different things.

Regarding Pinto's point of "lancing one of their own": going on primetime, West put the spotlight on his style. What once might not have been worth making a fuss about was given primetime's megaphone. The momentum given his emotive, catchphrase, chest-thumping style deserves, in my opinion, some clarification. Most groups call such communication "dialogue." It's good for everyone to see it happening within the Church - and to see that we don't defend the bait just because we like the guy who wields the rod.

Carrie

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There is an issue of doctrine  

Pinto has not addressed a single issue that Schindler has presented.  All he has done here is say that West has done a lot of good work for the Church, a point which no one is arguing.

Schindler has real theological issues with West's work.  This is the third article that says, essentially, that Schindler is out of line.  But no one seems to want to actually answer Schindler.  That's what needs to be done here.

We know that West is a really good guy, we agree.  Now answer the objections raised, not an ad hominem that doesn't exist.

Alex

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fruitfulness and growth

It is a great mercy to go into the mud and assist those who cannot assist themselves.  This is what I see Christopher West doing, and it is a great mercy indeed.  I have used his presentations in the past, seen him speak, and felt encouraged and and built-up by his words, and often, his reverence for the Church and for JPII.

I am a student at the JPII Institute.  I just want to offer that in my time studying I have been humbled and thrown into a deep education and contemplation of what the Church is, who the human person is, and the nature of sexuality.  It is an ETERNALLY rich matter - it cannot be exhausted - there is always more to see, to receive, to contemplate.

In our culture, we have a hard time hearing affirmation and criticism together.  We tend only to hear the critique as "attack."  I do not know to whom Mr. Pinto refers, but I have been following the theologians (Schindler, Smith, and Waldstein) and find the exchange to be something both loving and necessary to anyone who is serious about serving the Church and proclaiming the truth, as I know Mr. West is.  I encourage Mr. West to keep loving the Eucharist, the Lord, and the Church (the flock he serves) as much as he does and to take all of the critique to prayer.  Only more good fruits can come from the pruning the Lord does, sometimes through his other loving servants.  (1 Cor 12).  

In Christ with Love,

humble

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money

I continue to think that all of us who have had problems with Christopher West, OR have been blessed by his work, need to turn to the Lord in prayer.  There are souls at stake, and the Truth needs to be sought.  I hesitate to throw this into the fire, but there is a lot of money being make by the books, workshops, etc. that make up the promotion of TOB.  I personally tend to recoil from things in our culture that are  money making successes. I think it must be hard to rethink your approach to anything when it is so lucrative.  In other words, how can you be objective about the fruits of these programs when you have so much to gain monetarily? As Matt P. has said, we are certainly in a cultural wildfire and do need to support each other, but part of that cultural wildfire involves our culture's obsession with sex, as well as rampant materialism.  May Jesus lead all of us who seek to evangelize, and may we as a Church continue to promote the Culture of Life.  May the Lord fill us with love for Dr. Schindler, Christopher West, and those defending both!!  Lord heal us and lead us to Truth!

mary

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Response to Pinto

As I wrote over at the Ignatius Blog:

Pinto's defense is really inadequate.

First, do people get that Dr. Schindler is not vilifying West? He is offering a substantive theological critique. It was also charitable as David Schindler is. He offered space in Communio for West to engage the question. Pinto and the other West defenders have offered no real response to this at all. Furthermore, as Schindler said in both his pieces, he wasn't criticizing West based on the ABC News piece. Schindler is arguing, if I have him righ, that West's theology is flawed and thus, arguably, not flowing the from the heart of the Church. It isn't that his intentions are bad; it is that West's thinking is and that has consequences.

The numbers cited in this piece are very great to hear. I hope they are true. But what they do not take into account are the numbers of Catholics who give up on the high and noble road that West proposes precisely because West provides an overly romantic account of marriage and sex. I would guess -- and I think we should find out what these numbers are that -- that such numbers are not insignificant. What about all the couples who have given up no NFP because the reality doesn't come close to matching the rosy scenario that West and groups like the Couple-to-Couple League propose?

I don't think Dr. Schindler does "sexual apologetics," but he does do sound and good theology, anthropology, and philosophy. The question is whether West does, not whether he reaches people. You can reach people with crap or you can reach them with the truth. (I am not saying West's approach is crap, but I do believe it has flaws.) If there are errors, foundational and fundamental errors, in West's approach, then he isn't setting people up for freedom, he is setting them up for frustration and failure.

Yes, some people in the Church feel uncomfortable talking about sex. Perhaps Christopher West could do well to feel a little more uncomfortable. But is Pinto trying to suggest that the criticisms of West stem from a comfort factor issue? Please. They have to do again with sound theology, sound understandings of the person, a full understanding of the TOB. Someone above writes, "TOB is what he does. It's how he makes his living. Of course he is going to enthusiastically drag TOB into all of his public remarks." The problem of course, that Schindler points to, is that TOB isn't just about sex. That is the impression that I and others had before we started actually talking to those who study at JPII. TOB isn't primarily about sex. It is about the person. I think one of the criticisms of West is that he has gotten out of focus.

Cheeky Lawyer

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