Decades before secularism and atheism wrested control of our institutions and took to the streets, the late Cardinal Jean Danielou foresaw their ominous ascent. While most of the Church was reveling in the optimism of Vatican II, Cardinal Danielou courageously sounded the alarm over the rise of these twin evils and the damage they would inflict on the Church and culture.
Christianity, he argues, is in grave danger of being overwhelmed by the concurrent rise of seductive technologies, secularist doctrines, and atheistic ideologies. Modern society is allowing less and less space for the religious dimension of man, which is creating conditions that place the survival of the Christian people very much in doubt.
But the surging secularism of privileged elites is not what concerned Danielou the most. Rather, he feared the de-Christianization of the masses and the effect that would have on society — and on civilization itself. Why? Because when a Christian people is subverted and destroyed, it can be built back up again only through a long, painstaking effort.
In Prayer as a Political Problem, Danielou explains the conditions that are necessary to build and maintain a Christian people. He explains why civilization requires that the Catholic Faith be truly rooted in society, with her teachings and sacraments available to all.
He argues that we must make great strides now to change the shape and pattern of society if we are to preserve the common good of mankind. And if this fails, how our last remaining option will be to create oases of Christian communities where faith and vocations can develop and survive.
There is much work to be done before the flower of Christendom can bloom once again. This little book provides an indispensable primer on how it can be done, as well as the impetus to begin doing it.
