Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 181

Katherine Shori to deliver C.S.Lewis Lecture?

Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri announces that Presiding Episcopal Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori will give the annual C.S.Lewis Legacy Lecture. Whaaat? Katherine Jefferts Schori exemplifies just about everything C.S.Lewis mocked and deplored in the Anglican Church. I wonder if she will take Lewis famous essay, Priestesses in the Church? for her topic, or maybe she [Read More...]

What is a Marriage Annulment and Should it be Easier?

John Allen writes in the Boston Globe here suggesting that Pope Francis and the cardinals, when facing the question of whether divorced and remarried Catholics should be able to receive communion, might come up with a compromise. Here’s the problem: It’s hard to overstate how important the issue is at the retail level. A 2007 study [Read More...]

The Fellowship of Peter’s Ring

Here is a whimsical article which I wrote for Aleteia the last time Pope Francis met with his “Group of Eight” cardinals. It will help you learn who they are and what they’re like….with apologies to J.R.R.Tolkien Yesterday Pope Francis’ advisory council of eight cardinals met for the second round of meetings. Media commentators have [Read More...]

Renewal and Reform

The news services are buzzing today with Pope Francis’ schedule this week. Everyone smells real reform in the air, but what “reform” means to some is not what “reform” means to others. Sandro Magister predicts nine days of fireworks here. The second half of this month of February is characterized by a startling series of [Read More...]

Integrate Your Catholic Life

Have you discovered and bookmarked the website Integrated Catholic Life? My latest article for them is about being good rather than just doing good. You can read it here. So much of the Catholic faith for so many Catholics is a matter of checking the boxes and believing the right things and doing the right things. [Read More...]

Anglican Church in Meltdown

In 1992 I was an Anglican country vicar on the Isle of Wight. The Church of England was debating the question of women’s ordination. After due consideration I had come down on the side of those opposed to this innovation. As we discussed the matter in my parish council it emerged that most of my [Read More...]

Love Song

Here is one of my poems. It is appropriate for Valentine’s Day I think. Love Song If this world should end with a small crash in the universe, who would take notice? To the stars it would be just a distant handclap. For the vast space of darkness it would only mean more sacred silence. [Read More...]

Traditional Christians are Segregationists Now

Rod Dreher comments here on the implications of several recent court rulings on the same sex marriage issue. Federal judges in Virginia and Kentucky have struck down their states’ ban on same sex marriage, and in Kentucky the judge ruled that Kentucky had to recognize same sex marriages that have taken place in other states. [Read More...]

It’s a Small World

WORLD is the Christian magazine where Bob Jones IV (yes THE Bob Jones) is the editor. Bob Jones IV is the son of BJIII. He decided he did not want to be president of his namesake university and works as a journalist. His brother Stephen took the helm at BJU, but resigned in December for [Read More...]

Valentine’s Day: Vile or Virtuous?

Here is my latest article for Catholic Online:  Reflections on Valentine’s Day and turning lust to Love. Have you looked into the card shops for Valentine’s Day? Killing time at the mall the other day, I was surprised how vulgar the cards were. Some featured explicit nudity. Most of them were suggestive and rude. Among [Read More...]