Catholicism Pure and Simple: Fr Dwight Longenecker Discusses with Catholic Online the Challenges of the New Evangelization

By Catholic Online
12/3/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

We need good catechetical materials that are up to date in both style and method of communication

We have a problem in the developed world that we have never experienced before. You might call it a "post-Christian mentality". Many of the atheists, agnostics and nonbelievers are former Christians. They say the second largest religious affiliation in America is "lapsed Catholics!"

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GREENVILLE, SC (Catholic Online) - In addition to running a parish, Fr Dwight Longenecker is an author, blogger and broadcaster. Catholic Online caught up with him for a quick interview about his latest book and his thoughts on the New Evangelization.

CO: Fr Dwight, you were brought up as an Evangelical Christian. What eventually brought you into the Catholic faith?

DL: I first moved to the Anglican Church and served as a priest in the Church of England for ten years. It was the question of authority which brought me into the Catholic Church. When faced with the difficult questions of the modern age, the Catholic Church spoke with an authority that was both ancient and modern--an authority that was rooted in the ages, but relevant for today.

CO: Evangelicals are known for being zealous to spread the gospel. How well do you think the Catholic Church does in evangelizing?

DL: It's easy for Catholics to be somewhat intimidated by the Evangelical Protestants when it comes to Evangelization. But I think we underestimate the powerful witness of Catholics in the world today. We hear so much about bad priests and hypocritical Catholics, but there are wonderful, radiant examples of saints active in the world today, and it is these shining Catholic examples who are the best evangelists.

CO: What do you think are the greatest difficulties in sharing the gospel today?

DL: We have a problem in the developed world that we have never experienced before. You might call it a "post-Christian mentality". Many of the atheists, agnostics and nonbelievers are former Christians. They say the second largest religious affiliation in America is "lapsed Catholics!"

This means that we are trying to reach people who already know something about the Christian faith but, for a whole range of complicated reasons, have rejected it. They are harder to reach because they believe they know it all already.

CO: So how do we reach them?

DL: Good question! Most often those who have rejected the Catholic faith or God are rejecting a false understanding of God or the Catholic faith. They have been taught badly, or they have only ever known a bad example from those who professed the faith, or they have been taught a form of the Christian faith which is faulty, stupid or incomplete. In a way, if they have rejected a false version of the Christian faith we can't blame them. In fact, they are right to reject it.

CO: But how do they find an authentic expression of the faith?

DL: I think there are several good ways of getting through. First of all, we need good catechetical materials that are up to date in both style and method of communication. Fr Barron's Word on Fire video work is fantastic, and there are an increasing number of Catholics working hard in the new media to get the message across. I'm thinking of Tom Peterson's video work with Catholics Come Home, Grassroots Films and a whole range of blogs, websites, e-newsletters, podcasts and more.

CO: You've been pretty busy in this area haven't you?

DL: I guess so. My blog, Standing on My Head was recently voted one of the top religious blogs in the country, and I'm busy on Twitter and Facebook trying to spread the gospel. I've also started a new weekly e-newsletter on practical Catholicism called FaithWorks.

CO: Do you think all these media messages really get through? Are people converted by them?

DL: You have to remember that people are on a continuum of beliefs from committed Catholics right through to ardent atheists. Conversion is rarely the sudden dramatic moment when a great sinner turns to God. Instead it is more often a gradual drawing closer to the truth. Every time we declare the truth a little bit more light is shed in our darkened world, and someone somewhere is helped.

CO: Have you had people say that they were converted by your writings?

DL: Of course! Yes! People have written from all over the world thanking me for my writings and a good number of them have said that my work has helped to bring them back to the church or to convert to Catholicism or to consider God again.

CO: What is your latest project?

DL: Some years ago, when I lived in England, the Catholic Truth Society asked me to write a series of booklets for primary evangelization. These brief was to write in simple, straightforward language for people who were considering Christianity for the first time. This project was called Christianity Pure and Simple.

CO: Did it work?

DL: I think so. The books sold out, so I suppose that's good going! Now I've put the books together into a single volume and re-written ...

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1 - 2 of 2 Comments

Anna A.
6 months ago
Thank you, Father!
I'm in a Bible study at school and the other day we got into a conversation about about angels and other understandings the Church holds, but in the course of it I believe I said too much. One of the boys said he was kind of drawn away from the complication of the Church teachings and another then said, "yeah, sometimes I believe the Catholic Church complicates things too much and that is why I believe I am drawn to a more simple Christianity at times." A lot of the others agreed with them! It just kind of made me sad that they did not actually understand what they were rejecting or "complicating" themselves. They are all Catholics themselves. However, it opened my eyes yet again to the stages of evangelization (slowly moving more deeply into things) and how I can't just open up with so much at one time. Sometimes we just need to start slow with things and gradually express things. I am always so surprised how little people actually know about the Catholic Faith and how they "reject a false view of Catholicism" as you said. It was my fault that I shared too much for them to think about, but at the same time I did not realize entirely that they did not have the same background as I do. It only moves me to want to find a way to express what the Church actually teaches and in a clearer way! Especially to express how simple it actually is Itself and how beautiful and true it is. Your work could really help me! God bless you and thank you again!
mike robertson
6 months ago
I think we need to start with education. Advocate parental and local control of education and freedom to choose religious schools as opposed to the NEA-democrats' idea of nationalizing the schools and forcing everyone to use public schools. We should teach children morals instead of self-esteem, God's laws instead of how to use condoms and basic courses in economics so when our children grow up, they will no longer vote for candidates supported by Catholic democrats. When these children grew up they would have more devotion to God and less arrogance. These children, when they became adult voters would, after receiving true economic education, support a free-market economy with lower taxes across the board, entitlement reform, less government spending and less regulation. Now we have Catholic democrats voting for brutal "social justice" economic policies with high unemployment, high poverty, lower incomes and lower real wealth. We need to encourage creation of wealth instead of the Catholic democrat "compassionate" idea of arousing envy of our wealthy neighbors (in violation of the Commandments) and a clamoring for government theft and redistribution of that wealth. That leads to Catholic democrat "equality", alright, everyone getting poorer and miserable. Instead we need creation of new wealth and work requirements for those receiving taxpayer-funded welfare. After these changes, our children, when they became adult voters, could never vote the way Catholic democrats vote now (i.e. for a candidate who advocates legal killing of children even after they survive the attempt to kill them in their mom's womb, for a candidate waging war against the Church under the guise of health care, and for a candidate who calls sexual immorality the equivalent of Holy Matrimony as defined by God).

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