schools of liberalism

Like several commentators, I struggle to define what constitutes ecclesiastical liberalism ie. what makes someone "liberal" in the church. I used to understand the core to liberalism as "minimalism"; seeking to answer the question, "What else can I get rid of" or "How can I make this smaller/shorter".

I've discerned a new type of liberalism. It's not pure minimalism but does being by seeking to take out the permenant and make it all transitory. So, it begins in minimalism and then replaces it with something different. I experienced the height of this type of liberalism when I visited St. Joan of Arc parish in the Twin Cities. When I went there five years ago, the priest appeared in a tweed jacket and sat in an inconspicous place. The first reading was a poem. Then we heard the second reading of the day. Then there was a "happy song" that didn't really say anything about God at all. Then, the priest strolled over the pulpit for the gospel right before introducing the speaker of the day. Oh, the James Taylor songs we sang! I think you get the picture.

The first type of liberalism kills a parish by simply removing all the elements that people find comforting and, in its place, leaves a vacuum. There is no vision, let alone the vision of the church, so either the individual has to develop a deep personal spirituality or they will leave the church.

The second type of liberalism kills a parish by removing those elements and then replacing them with something a committee/staff memeber believes better expresses the "spirit of the church/vatican II" thus imposing one person's whim on a congregation and turning a parish into more of a fast food restaurant than the worship of the body of Christ (as in, "I like to go to St. X parish because it makes me happy/has great music/is child friendly)

I wonder if the John Paul II generation will learn from this or if we will simply turn into simple maximalists.