Why hasn't the Catholic Church been more successful up to now in realizing the Second Vatican Council's call for the evangelization of secular culture? Why hasn't the gospel been preached more forthrightly to the modern world? The most important reason, as well as the least recognized, may be clericalism: the attitude, widely shared by Catholic lay people as well as many priests, that clerics make up the active, elite corps in the Church, and lay people are the passive mass; that clerics alone have intrinsic responsibility for the Church's mission while the apostolate of lay people comes to them (if it comes at all) only by delegation on the part of the clergy. To Hunt, To Shoot, To Entertain probes the theological and historical roots of this clericalist mentality as it has affected the Catholic laity, along with contemporary expressions of clericalism- the over-involvement of some clerics in secular politics, the sometimes exaggerated emphasis given to "lay ministries," and certain aspects of the feminist movement in today's Catholicism. This is not another revisionist attack on the priesthood, not one more alienated voice from the pews. Instead the book offers a prescription for authentic ecclesial renewal based on new, healthier lay-clergy relations in light of the teaching of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II, and other voices of the Magisterium. It presents a positive vision of a Church in which lay people and clergy regard one another with mutual respect as partners in her mission to the world, with indispensable, complementary tasks arising from their own special vocations. "Shaw has performed a worthwhile service for priests by exploring in depth the difference between clerical dignity and clerical arrogance. He correctly defines the role and status of Catholic laity in the Church."
Msgr. George Kelly
Author, Keeping the Church Catholic With John Paul II Russell Shaw is author or co-author of twelve books and has contributed articles and reviews to many periodicals in this country and abroad. He is the former Secretary for Public Afairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, and since 1987 has been Director of Public Information of the Knights of Columbus.