Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 179

Good Red Wine in the Vatican

The Religion News Service reports that the Vatican has the highest per capita wine consumption in the world. So that explains the photograph… Remember Hilaire Belloc’s hilarious line: Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!” Meanwhile this article gives us the [Read More...]

Celibacy and Cardinal Keith O’Brien

The Scotsman reports here that disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien is still facing pressure from his accusers. Three priests in the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh have asked Leo Cushley, the new archbishop, to pass on to the Holy See their written complaints which characterise O’Brien as a “sexual predator” who used his authority to [Read More...]

Living Out the Romance of Religion

Here is my latest article for National Catholic Register in which I explain what I mean by the Romance of Religion and why it is so important for us to live out our faith stories. The story of my grandfather’s death has passed into our family history. I explain that this story works on us [Read More...]

Was the UN Right to Attack the Catholic Church?

John Zmirak in this article paces around in a feisty mood and asks why we should get all upset about the UN attacks on the church if we’re not going to put our own- child abusing house in order. The Church and other opponents of the UN’s children’s rights agenda, sees clearly that it is based [Read More...]

Pope Benedict: Francis’ Secret Weapon

History was made again on the weekend when two popes appeared together at Pope Francis’ first consistory. With the first Pope from the Americas creating an unprecedented number of cardinals hailing from the developing world, we are seeing the continued shift in the Catholic Church away from the old world and towards the new world. [Read More...]

Arguments from Ed the Internet Atheist

  This webpage neatly unpicks some of the most popular, false and ignorant atheist argument on the internet. Ed the Internet Atheist–one of my alter egos would be so mad… Here’s one of Ed’s entries from the archives I think once again the theist is trying to find ways to attack atheists, and as there [Read More...]

Give and Live!

Here is my latest article for Integrated Catholic Life. It is a shorter version of an article first published at National Catholic Register. It explores the need for Catholics to give sacrificially–not just because the church needs the money, but because we need to give in order to live! During this season of Lent we [Read More...]

Myth and Truth and Truthful Myth

Go here for my latest article for The Imaginative Conservative–discussing how stories work mythically and why myth is important in modern culture and religion. With some insouciance the internet atheist pronounces that all religion is a “myth”. His bravado is understandable. He has been taught that a myth is a story that is fanciful and [Read More...]

More Red Hats in Rome

Rocco Palma has a good and full report on today’s consistory in Rome. Go here. To kick off his introduction of the new cardinals Rocco quotes Pope Francis: In the days following the unprecedented election of an American Pope, the choice’s explanation of the name he picked ricocheted in the church and beyond alike…. Francis of Assisi. [Read More...]

Tony Palmer – the New Face of Anglicanism

Yesterday, in the midst of a busy day as a parish priest I hammered out a post about Tony Palmer–Pope Francis’ friend who presented the Pope’s message to American Pentecostals. I pointed out the problems with Palmer’s credentials and message, and also pointed toward some potential ways forward. I hope the post did not come [Read More...]