Little Scott Hahn Repeaters

Twice now, I have gone to events—one was a session of inquiry into Catholic theology, and the other was a study of the various mysteries associated with praying the rosary. The latter was more interesting than I thought it would be since it provided a reasonably comprehensive looks at the relevant events and those specific details that should come right to your mind when you meditate on, say, the annunciation.

That being said, the reason I bring this up is because at each of these events I left feeling like I was stuck at the kid's table. And not just me, but everyone was sort of browbeaten into sitting there. The presenters knew all, and we knew nothing. Questions were answered in a "this is how it is" manner without room for anything but Scott Hahn typology. Apparently Scott Hahn has answered all questions a protestant might have about the Catholic Church. And lo, it came to pass that all hope of having an interesting theological discussion was squashed under the enormous weight of the presenter's vast knowledge of Scott Hahn CDs.

This isn't necessarily a dig at Hahn. He's done a lot for Catholic teaching and instruction. But I do find the focus on his approach (which I doubt very much he would limit himself to) coming from very many lay-Catholic circles a bit stifling.

I'm not entirely sure if this complaint is valid since I'm sitting here trying to describe a feeling I had upon leaving both these sessions, but I think the problem comes down to treating typology like systematic theology. Suddenly the passage in Revelation where St. John sees the Ark of the Covenant and then sees the woman in the pains of childbirth is a kind of "proof text" for Mary being the new ark. And if you don't see it then you're apparently not reading what's clearly there? But the thing is, it's not all that clear. If you think that's a proof text for Mary being the new ark then it seems to me that you don't even understand what typology is ... and you're the instructor for goodness sake!

So while Hahn does a great job of drawing a fuller meaning out of scripture and helping Protestants see the fuller meaning inherent in the text, the incessant focus on typology seems to miss the point a bit. Or perhaps communicate to RCIA instructors that typology is the be-all and end-all of Catholic theology.

Perhaps once I have thought about this some more I'll have some clearer thoughts. I'm just getting a little tired of getting plowed over with pat answers from a Scott Hahn CD every time I have a legitimate theological question. I know there's more to it then what's being said.