Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 170

Christianity Without Christ

This Lent I’ve gone back to basics and not only read Mark’s gospel, but have posted a daily Bible study here on the blog. In reading the gospels again what strikes me is the radical, bare bones, rock solid, bottom line approach of Jesus. He is not cluttered up with lots of extraneous stuff. He [Read More...]

Read, Mark and Learn – Day 21

Today is the turning point in the gospel story. The ministry of Jesus transitions towards Jerusalem and his coming passion. The Blind Man of Bethsaida. 22When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.23He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the [Read More...]

Read, Mark and Learn – Day 20

The Feeding of Four Thousand. 1In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said,2“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.3If I send them away hungry to their homes, [Read More...]

New Movie Panders to Pedophiles

John Zmirak reviews a new movie called Bad Words here and traces in the film the classical tactics of a pedophile. That’s right. That is what happens in “Bad Words,” as anyone knows who has read the real life accounts of teachers, counselors, or priests who have been convicted of sexually abusing young teen boys: In narrative after narrative, [Read More...]

Read, Mark and Learn – Day 19

Welcome to the fourth week of Lent and we continue our journey through Mark’s gospel. I hope you are enjoying learning more about the Lord in this way and are getting a fresh vision of the person of Jesus Christ. Today’s passage follows a long section in which Jesus is in conflict with the scribes [Read More...]

Did You Receive Absolution or Not?

Some time ago I was in a parish visiting for a Lent mission and they had a penance service. I went to confession and after I made my confession I listened to a very long, rambling piece of advice from the priest. This doesn’t really appeal to me because a strange priest has no idea [Read More...]

Noah Problem

I tried to see Noah last night, but got there too late to get a seat. However, I’ll review the movie later, but here are some general comments on why we shouldn’t be too upset when Hollywood does the Bible. As I prepare to see the movie this weekend, I find myself wondering about Hollywood’s [Read More...]

What Do You Need to Do?

Here is my latest article for Integrated Catholic Life–on the two commandments to love God and love your neighbor. It is a quirk of human nature, however, that most of us fall into one of two categories. We are either God lovers or people lovers. If you like, all of us have a natural preference [Read More...]

Movies, Masks and the Mass

Here is my latest article for The Imaginative Conservative website in which I compare the art of drama to the worship of God. Like ancient classical drama, the actor in a superhero film wears an outlandish, ornate costume. He acts out the huge themes of guilt, redemption and the fight against evil in a lavish, [Read More...]

Read, Mark and Learn – Day 18

After the astounding signs of the feeding of the 5,000 and walking on the water, Mark bounces us back to Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees and Scribes. The contrast is remarkable. In chapter 6 Jesus shows through amazing signs and wonders who he really is and now the Scribes and Pharisees get all petty and [Read More...]