Why Are CatholicsrnSuch Cowards?rnThe Vatican thunders against abortion, priestesses,rnsame-sex “marriage,” assisted suicide, illicitrnsex, consumerism, smutty sex education, defectiverntheology, and more. But walk into your averagernparish. Where’s the beef?rnAll we get are crumbs: balloons or clowns orrnliturgical dancers or banners with greeting-cardrnsentiments, but always platitudinous homilies. Werndon’t hear about the Church’s teachingsrnon abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality,rnpre-marital sex,rnpornography, birth control,rnthe indissolubility of marriage.rnHell, etc. Why not?rn”Too controversial,”rnwhines the cowardly pastor.rnPop psychology and feel-goodrn”theology” are all the go. Shackrnups and homosexual partnershipsrnare considered morallyrnequivalent to Holy Matrimony,rnfor Father Fluff doesn’t refer tornhusbands and wives as husbandsrnand wives anymore — nowrnhe calls them “partners,” just likernpeople in immoral unions, lest those living in sinrnfeel “marginalized” or, well, sinful. Indeed, sin andrnrepentance are passe, prompting one to wonderrnwhy Christ bothered to get crucified and why thernmartyrs chose death over compromising the Faith.rnWimpy clerics, deathly afraid of being PoliticallyrnIncorrect, keep the full Catholic message fromrnus. We’re being robbed of our history, doctrine,rnmoral resources, and intellectual heritage. No wonderrnmany Catholics, who don’t have a clue as tornwhat Catholicism stands for, fall for anything ourrndecadent culture entices them with!rnHow long are clerics going to censor thernFaith, bow down before the strange gods of anrnalien culture? We at the NEW OXFORD REVIEW, arnmonthly magazine edited by orthodox lay Catholics,rnsay to the double-dealing men (men?) of therncloth: “Stop cheating us, and get with thernMagisterium!”rnWe have an international audience, andrnwe’re published in infamousrnBerkeley, so we’ve seen fadsrnand frauds galore. We knowrndegeneracy when we see it.rnWe aren’t afraid to call a spaderna spade. No wonderrnNewsweek calls us “cheeky.”rnOrthodox Catholics in Berkeley?rnYes! Damn the torpedoes!rnAmazingly, we’re also ecumenicalrnin spirit — but we engagernnon-Catholics at the highest commonrndenominator of faith, notrnthe lowest. Many of the finestrnCatholic and non-rnCatholic thinkers havernappeared in our pages: Walker Percy, ChristopherrnLasch, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Peter Kreeft,rnJohn Lukacs, Sheldon Vanauken, Robert Coles,rnWilliam Marra, James Hitchcock. No wonder thernLos Arigeles Times calls us “influential”!rnIfyou’resickandtiredof Catholicism-Lite, disgustedrnwhen clergymen, nuns, and theologians actrnlike wind-up toys of the secularist media and thernforces of neopaganism, we’re for you. If you’re arnCatholic with guts, subscribe today!rn(Please allow 2 to 8 weeks for delivery of first issue)rn| – A SPECIAL DISCOUNT RATESrnD One-year subscription $14 (regularly $19)rnD One-year student, unemployed, or retiredrnperson’s subscription $12 (regularly $16)rnD Two-year subscription $23 (regularly $35)rnNAME (Please print or type)rnSTREET ADDRESSrnL CITY STATE ZIPrnFOR FIRST-TIME SUBSCRIBERSrnn One-year non-U.S. subscription US$24rn(regularly $29) Payment must be drawn in U.S. DollarsrnD Sample copy $3.50rnSend coupon or letter. Make check payable tornNEW OXFORD REVIEW. Mail to:rnNEW OXFORD REVIEWrnRoom 438rn1069 Kains Ave.rnBerkeley CA 94706rnPAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER Jrnrnrn