What If… Progressive Catholics Got Their Way?

In my articles, I aim to articulate the Church’s magisterial teachings in relation to current and recent cultural movements. Given the recent attack on the Church’s moral teaching on the human person, many of my writings veer into topics of human sexuality and ethics. My critics (mainly from the progressive camp) lament this focus as “culture war” rhetoric and accuse me of using Church teaching to “bully” marginalized people.

Recently, Henry Karlson, a progressive Catholic, published an article titled Accepting Change: The Journey of a Faithful Christian. In it, he made the following claim:

It seems many follow the Christian faith, not out of love or devotion to God, but out of selfishness; it is a mercenary faith… This is why they have no problems promoting and engaging all kinds of evils, such as promoting and establishing laws which harm others – be it someone who is poor, or someone who is a different gender, different sexual orientation, a different nationality, or even, a different religion.

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Karlson goes on to label “Christian Nationalism” (a clear swipe at conservative Christians) as a form of “pseudo-Christianity.” The types of “evils” this so-called pseudo-Christianity promotes (referenced in the linked article) include the Catholic dioceses of Bismarck and Fargo opposing North Dakota’s House Bill 1386, a pro-LGBTQ bill.

In this and many of his writings, Karlson treats progressive Catholicism as the most authentic expression of the faith. While he doesn’t explicitly say this, anyone familiar with his work can see this is the underlying assumption. In this, he aligns himself with others at America Magazine and the National Catholic Reporter.

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