It can be hard to pin down what this label means, as centrists have no parachurch advocacy organization, no newsletter or web site, not even a booth at General Convention. There is bound to be formed a scattered left, captivated by now this, now that development . . . But what will count is a perhaps not numerous center, big enough to be at home in both the old and the new, painstaking enough to refuse half measures and insist on complete solutions even though it has to wait. While he is hopefully wrong about centrists being few in number, Lonergan puts his finger on the essence of centrism.
Centrists know that change is often necessary to be more faithful to the mission of the church.
They believe that authentic change usually grows from rational affirmation of intelligent inquiries into the tradition of the church. So, for instance, considering the ordination of women, today's centrists would favor it as a necessary change, but would probably not argue for it from a concern for women's civil rights. After all, no one has a right to be ordained. Rather, they would argue from the Scriptures containing numerous examples of women leaders in both testaments. Furthermore, they would point out that refusing women ordination because Christ was male violates the Definition of Chalcedon.