Fulfilling the Great Commission: An Overview of the New Evangelization in the Catholic Church in Comparison with Other Evangelical Movements
Abstract
This paper explores the New Evangelization movement in the Roman Catholic Church in comparison with evangelization movements from other Christian faith traditions and their various means in responding to the rising secularization of the culture. A broad overview of the history and origins of the New Evangelization is included using information from Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI, as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, the study examines specific examples of methods used within the Catholic Church to evangelize. Some of the factors in modern society that have necessitated such a large evangelization movement within the Church are also investigated within the study, including phenomena such as secularism, materialism, and individualism. Comparisons between this movement and movements from other Christian evangelical movements such as Fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, and Neo-evangelicalism are also included. Similarities and differences in theological doctrines and evangelism techniques among the various denominations are explored. Finally, a comparison is made between FOCUS and Cru, two organizations that evangelize primarily to college students, to specifically show how an organization developed out of the New Evangelization compares to a Protestant organization with similar goals and methods of evangelization.