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Steven Hayward:
It’s hardly news any more that mainline Protestant denominations (Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc) have been shrinking fast in proportion as they’ve become politicized adjuncts of leftism, transforming themselves into the Church of What’s Happening Now instead of ministering to the horizon of eternity. Meanwhile, evangelical denominations continue to thrive and grow rapidly, not just here in the U.S., but around the world.
But what about the Catholic Church? Many parishes have also become politicized, while many have resisted. I used to say that you could tell a Catholic parish to avoid by one simple screen: find out if it offers a “guitar mass.” There seemed to be a reasonably robust correlation between guitar mass and tracts on “liberation theology” (aka, Marxism with salsa).
The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported on how evangelical denominations, especially Pentecostals, are booming in Latin America, and may soon outnumber Catholics, which would have been unthinkable even 20 years ago.
The story includes this delicious detail that I think is a large part of the cause of this shift:
The rise of liberation theology in the 1960s and ’70s, a time when the Catholic Church in Latin America increasingly stressed its mission as one of social justice, in some cases drawing on Marxist ideas, failed to counter the appeal of Protestant faiths. Or, in the words of a now-legendary quip, variously attributed to Catholic and Protestant sources: “The Catholic Church opted for the poor and the poor opted for the Pentecostals.”
And this, from John Hinderaker: Woke capitalism, Unilver edition
Unilever is a massive international conglomerate headquartered in London that predominantly sells food products. Like many other companies Unilever has gone “woke,” as its web site reflects. Unilever claims to be all about its “values,” a company that “take[s] action on the issues affecting our world.”
But many observers are not convinced. The Telegraph headlines: “Investment star Terry Smith attacks Unilever for ‘ludicrous’ focus on social and environmental issues.”
One of Britain’s best known investors has attacked Unilever for its “ludicrous” focus on sustainability, in a sign of growing City frustration at blue chip companies championing fashionable causes.
Terry Smith, manager of the £29bn Fundsmith Equity fund, said that the consumer goods behemoth has become “obsessed” with its public image and mocked its efforts to imbue brands such as Hellman’s mayonnaise with a higher purpose.
He said this overzealous focus on environmental and social issues has proved a distraction at a time when the £101bn maker of products from Vaseline to Marmite is struggling with a falling share price.
This line deserves to go down in history:
In a letter to investors in his fund, Mr Smith said: “A company which feels it has to define the purpose of Hellmann’s mayonnaise has in our view clearly lost the plot.
“The Hellmann’s brand has existed since 1913 so we would guess that by now consumers have figured out its purpose (spoiler alert – salads and sandwiches).”
And this stands as a monument to cluelessness:
In 2019, its chief executive Alan Jope vowed that “in the future, every Unilever brand will be a brand with purpose” and said he would offload those that “are not able to stand for something more important than just making your hair shiny, your skin soft, your clothes whiter or your food tastier”.
Unilever also supports the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement against Israel, but that comes with the package.
