I study history and archaeology. I have long since finished my history major, but I decided to take a unit on historiography as an elective in semester one, in the absence of more interesting units. In the first week of June I was frantically trying to finish my last assignment: an essay on the historiography of Stuart Macintyre. For those unfamiliar with Macintyre, he is a well known Australian intellectual and historian from the Melbourne school of history. He is the Ernest Scott Chair of History at the University of Melbourne and has held a senior teaching position there since 1984. He was a member of the Communist Party of Australia in his student days but he allowed his membership to lapse and later joined the Australian Labor Party. He has published many marxist histories of the labour movements in Britain and Australia.
What does this have to do with Christopher Pearson? In the 1990s Macintyre entered the 'History Wars', a debate about the treatment of Australian Aborigines in our country's past that pitted the ostensibly left-wing 'black armband' historians against their conservative 'white blindfold' contemporaries. Macintyre is often shoehorned into the 'black armband' mold for his condemnation of conservative politicians, journalists and historians for their inability to recognise that reconciliation can only come from the acknowledgement of past wrongs. John Howard was perhaps one of the most outspoken critics of Macintyre and other 'black armband' historians and, during his term as Prime Minister of Australia, Pearson was his speechwriter. In the early hours of the morning I dissected speeches he had penned for Howard in order to examine the counter-arguments to Macintyre's position. When the essay was ready to hand in at 6am (yes, I'm one of those 'night before' people), I saw the shocking news that Pearson had just been found dead in his Adelaide home. Perhaps he died even as I was reading the words he had written.
Many people ignorant of the Catholic Faith, both inside and outside the church, view being both Catholic and homosexual as oxymoronic. Christopher Pearson was a testament to the contrary. He converted to Catholicism from a Protestant background in 1999 and, on the tenth anniversary of his conversion, wrote an opinion piece in the Australian about how he reconciled his sexuality with Catholicism. Pearson knew that he could never be happy as a gay Christian "with or without the rainbow sash" because it seemed a contradiction in terms. In his article he wrote: "There was no getting around the fact the New Testament said we were all meant to be chaste or monogamously married and I had reluctantly concluded that St Paul was right about homosexual sex."
What does this have to do with Christopher Pearson? In the 1990s Macintyre entered the 'History Wars', a debate about the treatment of Australian Aborigines in our country's past that pitted the ostensibly left-wing 'black armband' historians against their conservative 'white blindfold' contemporaries. Macintyre is often shoehorned into the 'black armband' mold for his condemnation of conservative politicians, journalists and historians for their inability to recognise that reconciliation can only come from the acknowledgement of past wrongs. John Howard was perhaps one of the most outspoken critics of Macintyre and other 'black armband' historians and, during his term as Prime Minister of Australia, Pearson was his speechwriter. In the early hours of the morning I dissected speeches he had penned for Howard in order to examine the counter-arguments to Macintyre's position. When the essay was ready to hand in at 6am (yes, I'm one of those 'night before' people), I saw the shocking news that Pearson had just been found dead in his Adelaide home. Perhaps he died even as I was reading the words he had written.
Many people ignorant of the Catholic Faith, both inside and outside the church, view being both Catholic and homosexual as oxymoronic. Christopher Pearson was a testament to the contrary. He converted to Catholicism from a Protestant background in 1999 and, on the tenth anniversary of his conversion, wrote an opinion piece in the Australian about how he reconciled his sexuality with Catholicism. Pearson knew that he could never be happy as a gay Christian "with or without the rainbow sash" because it seemed a contradiction in terms. In his article he wrote: "There was no getting around the fact the New Testament said we were all meant to be chaste or monogamously married and I had reluctantly concluded that St Paul was right about homosexual sex."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts [sex et al] are "acts of grave depravity" that are "intrinsically disordered" and contrary to the natural law (CCC 2357). However, sexual attraction towards persons of the same sex is not in and of itself sinful. The Catechism states: "Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection" (CCC2359). This attraction constitutes for those persons a trial (CCC2358). Indeed, the cross of chastity is one that we all must bear according to our state in life.
Why exactly did Pearson convert? In his article he wrote that what he wanted the most was "immutable doctrine and valid sacraments". There is only one place on earth where these things can be found: the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Church has not, will not and cannot change her moral teachings because they are the teachings of Jesus Christ, and He is "yesterday, and to day; and the same for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). Our Lord promised us that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Christ established the Church and appointed St. Peter as the first Pope. There is an unbroken line of apostolic succession from St. Peter through to Pope Francis. This apostolic succession is what validates the Sacraments of the Catholic Church [and the non-Catholic Orthodox churches, but that's another blog] and invalidates those of other denominations. The mass apostasy of the majority of the Protestant churches is as disturbing today as it was for Pearson in 1999. Their approval of homosexual relationships is irreconcilable with sacred scripture. Pray for the Protestant churches, especially for the faithful within them who remain true to the teachings of Christ.
G. K. Chesterton said that "A Catholic is a person who has plucked up enough courage to face the incredible and inconceivable idea that something else may be wiser than he is". Like the courageous Pearson, we must continue to turn our eyes beyond ourselves to the Eternal God and away from this culture that relentlessly asserts the primacy of man to their own destruction. Read his article here.
Requiescat in pace, brother.
Why exactly did Pearson convert? In his article he wrote that what he wanted the most was "immutable doctrine and valid sacraments". There is only one place on earth where these things can be found: the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Church has not, will not and cannot change her moral teachings because they are the teachings of Jesus Christ, and He is "yesterday, and to day; and the same for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). Our Lord promised us that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Christ established the Church and appointed St. Peter as the first Pope. There is an unbroken line of apostolic succession from St. Peter through to Pope Francis. This apostolic succession is what validates the Sacraments of the Catholic Church [and the non-Catholic Orthodox churches, but that's another blog] and invalidates those of other denominations. The mass apostasy of the majority of the Protestant churches is as disturbing today as it was for Pearson in 1999. Their approval of homosexual relationships is irreconcilable with sacred scripture. Pray for the Protestant churches, especially for the faithful within them who remain true to the teachings of Christ.
G. K. Chesterton said that "A Catholic is a person who has plucked up enough courage to face the incredible and inconceivable idea that something else may be wiser than he is". Like the courageous Pearson, we must continue to turn our eyes beyond ourselves to the Eternal God and away from this culture that relentlessly asserts the primacy of man to their own destruction. Read his article here.
Requiescat in pace, brother.