ABSTRACT
The current tension between recent Popes and Innovative Catholics as to how the Church should be governed is illustrated by the way they respectively interpret biblical sources. Innovative Catholics like Pat, Sophie and Catherine extend their ideas about identity and morality in a revision of the governance of the hierarchical Church. From the anti-structural position, Innovative Catholics produce exploratory discourse, a prime example of which is articulated in A Democratic Church (2008) written by Max Charlesworth, to explore how the Church might integrate democratic elements. Through the anti-structural positions and in their rudimentary communities, Innovative Catholics advance democratic discourse, thus rejecting the assertions of Popes John Paul and Benedict that religion must be administered autocratically. In laying claim to democratic arrangements, Innovative Catholics represent the early Christian community as a progressive Jewish movement that took form in small communities with local administrations and a network of itinerant apostles.
