Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 55

Inter Communion with Lutherans? A Convert Comments

Once again Pope Francis, in being pastoral and kind, has muddled things up and confused the faithful. His answer to a Lutheran woman married to a Catholic about receiving communion at Mass is ambiguous. Edward Pentin gives a full account here. The reason the pope’s comments are fuzzy is that, on the one hand he [Read More...]

Should We Accept Syrian Refugees?

Everywhere I turn the talk is about the Syrian refugees and why we should take them or why we shouldn’t. What I’m not hearing is much common sense or Christian charity. Why all the idiocy about the refugee crisis? I’m talking about the stupidity and lack of common sense by those who want to throw open [Read More...]

Why Don’t Catholics Read the Bible?

My latest article for CRUX examines the  different approaches to the Bible among Catholics and Protestants The truth is simply that Catholics and Evangelicals use the Bible in different ways. Therefore they have different kinds of Bible knowledge. Evangelicals use the Bible as a source book for doctrine and right moral teaching, and that’s good. 2 [Read More...]

Is Islam Divisive and Violent?

My latest blog post over at National Catholic Register reminds readers that historically, Islam was viewed not so much as a major world religion in its own right, but as a Christian schism. The ninth ditch of Maleboge in Dante’s Inferno holds the schismatics. In his usual vividly appropriate imagery, Dante portrays the torture of the schismatics [Read More...]

Vive la France!

Paris Attacks: How Should One Respond?

One of the things which secular Westerners find so mind blowing about Islamic terrorist attacks is the irrationality of the evil. We cannot understand a religion that drives young men to such mindless barbarism. We don’t have the tools in our toolbox. We simply cannot understand their culture, their mentality, their religion or their reasoning. [Read More...]

The Paris Attacks: The Consequence of Goodness Without Truth

Why are the so-called Christian countries so spineless in the face of the Muslim terror? Because for over fifty years we have gradually come to value goodness without truth. What I mean by this is that we have become complacent about our Christian faith. We have drifted into either lax unbelief, hedonistic agnosticism and finally [Read More...]

The Cloister Garden

Today’s first post at The Suburban Hermit is a meditation on the meaning and beauty of the monastic cloister. From the outside the monastery is imposing like a fortress. The walls rise up and the windows are small. When you enter the feel at first is like a great old school or university. It is [Read More...]

Joyful Catholic Apologetics

  My latest article for Aleteia outlines some of the basic principles of apologetics. Some Catholics get apoplectic about apologetics. They argue with atheists and pick fights with Protestants. They not only need to win, they want to bash the enemy. Valiant warriors for Catholic truth, they shout down the unbelievers and shoot Bible verses [Read More...]

African Catholics: Future Church

Stephen Beale writes here on the solid stance of the African bishops at the recent synod on the family. In an excellent article he chronicles the youth, strength and vigorous orthodoxy of the African bishops in contrast to the aging, moribund and weary progressivism of the Kasperite-Daneels coalition. On the whole, the some 54 African [Read More...]