THE KNUCKLEHEAD
'
S GUIDE TO COVENANTAL THEOLOGY
173
claims, charges, and agendas to this, its key, its most persuasive, and
its most fearsome charge against the faith of Catholics. That charge is
most fearsome because it is fundamentally theological, or at least anti-
theological, as has just been seen. Of course, in addition to making its
central charge, the New Class quite obviously chooses its own time-
less gods, and applies its power to enslave itself and others to them.
However, it is worthwhile to separate the current power of the New
Class from its central intellectual theological challenge. Men can make
mischief. Men who make mischief can tell themselves that they are
fine fellows. Men with power can make more mischief than powerless
men. What is unusual about that?
We need to get beyond the sheer power of the New Class in the
present age to its central charge against the faith of the Church. Most
often, the charge is less presented than hurled by the New Class, either
with smug condescension, or with -- it ought to be said -- outright
contempt and hatred. However, we need to look beyond this, to the
utter pessimism and despair just underneath the surface of that charge.
In presenting its strongest brief against the faith of the Church, the
New Class must unavoidably also consign itself to Cause and Chance,
with no place to hide, and no hope of refuge.
[ Cause ]
[ ]
[ Chance ]
Admittedly, many members of the New Class -- however 'educated'
they are -- will choose to be idiots. They simply won't ever face the
implications of their own charge: that, by their own fundamental
intellectual commitments, it simply doesn't matter whether they live or
die, and saying differently puts themselves right into Mr. Minsky's
middle box. Regrettably, besides New Class idiots, there will no doubt
continue to be many New Class devils as well, who will continue to
accumulate power and to seek control, even though intellectually they
fully understand that to do so is completely pointless, by their own
fundamental commitments.
But what of the millions of New Class members who would not
wish to be either idiots or devils? At the present time, Catholic
theology can offer them nothing.
Although Catholics must certainly confront the power of the New
Class in all its guises, whether Catholic theology can do anything with
the peripheral intellectual maneuvers of the New Class is almost beside
the point, for the fact is that Catholic theology in the present age can
do little more with the central theological charge of the New Class than
to sputter incoherently, either in incoherent outrage or in incoherent
denial, and that is a true scandal, with the gravest consequences.
No New Class Catholic theologian gives any coherent response to
the central New Class claim, nor does any traditional Catholic
theologian.
Catholic theology can not at present
give any coherent answer to the
central New Class charge.
N.B. This is an html-ized copy of a page from the pdf file, The Knucklehead's Guide to Covenantal Theology.