origins - Talking About Faith to a Skeptical World in a Secular Age - Bishop Cupich

Sep 21, 2026

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“Origins” features “Talking About Faith to a Skeptical World in a Secular Age” by Bishop Blase J. Cupich, including the Dom Helder Camara Lecture context and a speech focused on how the church should engage skeptics in a secular age. It discusses avoiding the limited results of a “cultural warrior” approach and offers practical suggestions for witness, unity, social justice and peace, respectful engagement, collaboration with shared values, and serious attention to the role of women in the church.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

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Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Talking About Faith to a Skeptical World in a Secular Age

The New Evangelization: Speaking God to Multicultural Secularism

Speech at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Assembly

Datebook / On File

origins Nc 0OCUmentary SerVICe “We should aim at witnessingto that kind of beauty in ourministry which comes in sharingthe pain of the other.” Talking About Faithto a Skeptical Worldin a Secular Age Bishop Cupich The church must find“points of contactthat will invite people living in this secularage to take a second look at what we haveto say and allow them to see that we havesomething unique to help them untie theknots that are part ofall ofour human lives,"Bishop Blase J.Cupich of Spokane,Wash.,said July 2 in a speech on presenting thefaith in a secular age.He delivered the DomHelder Camara Lecture at Newman Collegeat the University of Melbourne in Australia.Bishop Cupich noted that due to the aggres-sive nature of the New Atheists,"the culturalwarrior approach may seem to some to be”the church's best response,"but in the end it brings little results other than giving us atemporary feeling of self-satisfaction.But,even more so,it is not the way of the Gospel."Bishop Cupich gave suggestions about howto engage skeptics ina secular age,includingseeing how the Gospel speaks to the deepestlongings of the human heart,promotingunity within the church so that it becomes awitness ofjustice and peace,treating electedofficials with respect,witnessing to the socialgospel through collaboration in areas inwhich we share values with people who maynot be interested in religion and seriouslyaddressing the role of women in the church.On this last point,he said,“The church mustgive very serious thought to the peril it willencounter if having lost the workers and theintellectuals in the 19th and 20th centuries itloses youth and women in the 21st century."Bishop Cupich’s lecture follows. want to begin with a story.Beingthe grandson of immigrants,I havealways been interested in hearing thestories of how people left their homes, security,families to begin a journey into theunknown,to make a new life,a new home. One day sitting across a kitchen tablefrom an elderly immigrant woman,I asked,"Tell me the story of how you came toAmerica." "I don't want to talk about it,"she snappedback,which of course made me all the morecurious. So I pressed,"I really would like to know." After a bit more coaxing,she began.It was continued on page 214 CNS contents 213 Talking About Faith toa Skeptical World in aSecular Age by Bishop Blase J.Cupich219 The New Evangelization:Speaking God toMulticultural Secularismby Archbishop GéraldCyprien Lacroix225 Speech at EvangelicalLutheran Church inAmerica Assemblyby Bishop Denis J.Madden228 Datebook228 On File September 5,2013 Volume 43 Number 14 The Don Helder Camaraannual lecture series com-memorates ArchbishopHelder Caniara of Olindaand Recife,Brazil,who wasfamous for lis tireless workin assisting and defend-ing the rights of the poor inBrazil and throughout theworld. He also was instrumentalin creating the first bishops'conference and the LatinAnerican Episcopal Council(CELAM.He played aprominent role at the SecondVatican Council. He was a forceful critic of themilitary governinent thatruled Brazil in the 1960s and1970s,leading to attemptson his life and a goverimentban on all references to him. In 1972,Origins publisheda speech by ArchbishopCamara on human miseryand var.Following areexcerpts fron that speech:"Let us get together,Catholic,Protestant,Orthodox andJewish brotlrers,and let ustry to enlist tlhe supportof all those who believe inGod,and also those athe-ist humanists (since,to theextent that they love men,perhaps without realizing it,and even unwillingly,theylove the Creator and Father,who made men to his ownimage and likeess);let'sjoin together,in our effort tomake everybody see,ponderand feel the insanity of con-tinuing to prepare for warswhich are,and always willbe even more so,the synonymof collective suicide for allhumanity. "This will not be an easycampaign.The producers ofarmaments and wars havecolossal interests at stake.Tluey do not believe that warindustr

FAQs

What does Bishop Cupich say the church must do to engage people in a secular age?

He says the church must find points of contact that invite people to take a second look and see something unique the church can offer to help untie knots in human life.

Why does Bishop Cupich criticize the “cultural warrior” approach?

He argues it may seem like the church’s best response, but in the end it brings little results beyond a temporary feeling of self-satisfaction, and it is not the way of the Gospel.

What suggestions does Bishop Cupich give for engaging skeptics?

He highlights seeing how the Gospel meets deep longings of the human heart, promoting unity for justice and peace, treating elected officials with respect, collaborating on shared values through the social gospel, and addressing serious challenges involving women and youth.

Sep 21, 2026

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