Revealing the Truth about Renew 2000

Original Renew Program Analysis (from 1986)

Information about the original Renew program in 1986. Please read this Bishops critique before proceeding with the Renew 2000 analysis material which follows. As will be shown, not only has the Renew 2000 failed to substantially improve on the original points made by the Bishops, but degrades into proposing dissident pagan-oriented beliefs and Magisterium-condemned material.

Renew 2000 Analysis - General and Leaders Manuals

Title	Author	Topics
Background Check of Renew 2000 Contributors Reveals Renew 2000 Texts Laced with Call to Action Names	A faithful Catholic	This article was also published in the September Wanderer magazine. See also our Dissident Organization page for more on Call to Action.
Review of 'Book 2 of the Leader's Manual'	Regis Martin, S.T.D., Professor of Theology, Franciscan University Of Steubenville	Analysis of the Leaders Manual from a theological perspective. This manual is not given to participants but only to the leaders of the program in the parish.
Comments on Renew 2000 'Called to Lead Manual'	Mary Constance	Brief analysis of the season 1 materials.
Renew 2000 - A Synopsis of Some Errors	Kathleen Brown	Comparison of Leaders Manual to Church doctrine and dogma.
An Analysis of the "Prayer of Directions" in Renew 2000	Bruce Sabalaskey	Learn if pagan / Wicca / witchcraft "prayers" are in the Renew 2000 program.
Comparison of Original NCCB Critique of Renew and Renew 2000	Kathleen Brown	Learn what changes were made in Renew 2000 from the original Bishops critique of the original Renew program.
Renew 2000 - a Vehicle for the Protestantization of the Catholic Church	Members of Our Lady's Warriors	Learn how RENEW 2000 is introducing Protestant theology as something for Catholics to believe.
Alternatives to Renew 2000	Helen Hull Hitchcock	Good advice for alternatives to the Renew 2000 program.
Buried in the Fine Print: An Inside Look at RENEW 2000	Mary Jo Anderson	Is RENEW 2000 a godsend for the harried pastor? Not really, as it turns out. The program is the subject of a mounting controversy; for example, it is "not recommended" by Catholics United for the Faith (CUF), which has "raised a red flag" pending further study.

Renew 2000 Analysis - Season I - Faith Sharing Booklet A

Renew 2000 Analysis - Season II

Renew 2000 Analysis - Season III 

Renew 2000 Analysis - Season IV

Renew 2000 Analysis - Season V

HOW TO DISCERN about Renew 2000. A process for proof that Renew 2000 contains an unconscionable number of extreme dissident contributors:

1. Get the 4 leader's manuals. The manuals are called 'Small Christian Communities' and 'Called to Lead' books 1, 2 and 3. If you have time, go through the other books but only these 4 have big Bibliographies and are easy to cross-check. There may be only one set per parish. Ask Priest to borrow the set.
2. Turn to the bibliographies and endnotes. Also check Forwards and inside front covers. Any time you see a name in Renew 2000, write it and check it. Photocopy and mark up your photocopies, to show others later.
3. Get a copy of UNGODLY RAGE by Donna Steichen, available at low cost from Ignatius Press, 1-800-651-1531, even though it is not in their catalog. (2nd day mail is only $10 extra.) UNGODLY RAGE is like a catalog of dissident writers and sample texts. Another book to use is CALL TO ACTION OR CALL TO APOSTASY? by Brian Clowes, from Human Life International, 540-635-7884 or e-mail to hli@hli.org or http://www.hli.org. You can substitute the Clowes book for the Steichen book if necessary. Both are very good.
4. Look up the Renew 2000 Bibliography names in the back of UNGODLY RAGE. Then turn to the UNGODLY RAGE pages and read the excerpts from each Renew writer's name.
5. Experience total dismay as you see the unbridled dissidence that has been published by these writers and when you see that many of the Renew 2000 writers are dissidents and heterodox.
6. Go online to the Renew 2000 web page at http://www.renewintl.org/RENEW2000/index.htm
7. Look up the names of the authors and the commentators in the section which promotes the books. Look those up in UNGODLY RAGE, too. (note: this seems to have been removed now)
8. Here are some quick starter names from Renew 2000 Bibliographies that you can check in UNGODLY RAGE: Diane Neu, Mary Hunt, Monika Hellwig, Thomas Berry, Sandra Schneiders.
9. Don't forget that Anthony DeMello, S.J., whose writings are in Renew 2000 (see his name in Bibliography) was subject of a very recent Notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stating '[DeMello's writings] are incompatible with the Catholic faith and can cause grave harm." This document was released on June 24, 1998 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect. The full document can be obtained here.
10. This is the shortest way to convince even the toughest skeptic absolutely that Renew 2000 contains an unconscionable number of dissident authors. The Lord tells us in Scripture that a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. It is more than a little ironic, then, that the image for Renew 2000 is that twisted, fruitless tree (perhaps a devilish pun?). Our Lord teaches in Holy Scripture that the blind cannot lead others and that those with a beam in their own eye cannot help others to see. It is not possible, then, that dissident, defiant, heterodox or heretical authors could teach anything holy to the Catholic faithful.

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