Posted on 12/14/2011 10:41:59 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Amid the hubbub surrounding the Gingrich surge, this is one question that has perplexed commentators of all religious and political persuasions. There’s no consensus about where to find the Catholic in Newt.
At this point, the question is not where it is exactly, but where to begin looking.
So, let’s review speculation about the Catholicity of Newt Gingrich. I’ll also advance my own hypothesis and give it a professorial flourish by using a suitably big word.
Hypothesis number one: The new Catholic Newt is simply being American.
Playfully characterizing Gingrich as a “religious flip-flopper” draws attention to how Gingrich, like many other Americans, has seemingly changed his religion to suit prevailing fashion. Perhaps there’s also an ironic part to this interpretation in that Gingrich has supposedly made use of the religious market place to embrace a religion that would take umbrage if treated as a “commodity.”
It might be reasonable enough to see Gingrich’s Catholicity as a kind of epiphenomenon reflecting American cultural propensities--after all, Newt is indeed American. But conversion as “flip-flop” seems to preclude understanding conversion as a turn toward something; it’s not just a lurching back and forth from one view to another. It also makes the Catholic in Newt hard to locate.
Hypothesis number two: Professor Newton Leroy Gingrich has recognized Catholicism’s intellectual appeal.
Reading oneself into Catholicism has a long and venerable history. For some generations, it was Karl Adam’s The Spirit of Catholicism or Ronald Knox’s The Belief of Catholics that opened up a new intellectual vista. For later generations, it was Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain or Malcolm Muggeridge’s Something Beautiful for God that made Catholic spirituality accessible and real.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Tell that to Christ at the moment of your death. You won’t be happy with his answer, BTW.
Hypothesis number one: The new Catholic Newt is simply being American.
A flip-flop to please his most current wife.
Who said you were going to hell?
Try not to bring up strawmen. Try reading the Catechism on the subject. “Proddies” are imperfectly linked to the Church.
Teddy Kennedy is the dead kind. RIP but lol!
The first article on Obama criticizes anyone who says Obama is a Muslim. The second article praises the Obama’s and repeats without question Michelle Obama’s statement that Barack supposedly carries around a holy card everywhere he goes. The third article praises Obama and says he “thinks like a Catholic”. This could not be more false, and is clearly a public relations article trying to get Catholics to vote for Obama.
None of the articles question the character or faith of Obama and/or Rev Wright.
My point stands.
Newt is an unsaved man that uses religion for his own purposes.. I do not think he was ever really a baptist except around election time..
He has no fruit to to demonstrate his salvation ..his spiritual fruit has always been demonstrated as rotten ..
Newt converted this time for his wife.. that is a common experience for the unsaved.. they want to please the religious wife (that was having an affair for years with a married man)
To the unsaved all the tradition and pomp make them actually feel holy...
So what kind of a catholic is newt ?An unsaved one like most of the others going to church with him ..
“What kind of Catholic is Newt Gingrich?
A rather convenient one.”
I kind of agree with you. I would, however, like to know if Newt is allowed to receive Communion. He became a Catholic after his divorces. Do they not count now? I know too many Catholics who are divorced and cannot receive. Just curious about the before and after Catholic.
You brought up hell and ascribed a belief to another group that is not an accurate representation of that group’s belief.
Who’s the bigot?
For the record, it’s not my place to judge individuals. All I can say is that some Protestants may indeed receive enough grace for salvation. It wouldn’t bother me if they did.
That’s not to say that their beliefs are without error.
Doubt it. Converts are usually devout. Could be wrong in this case.
P.S. Check out post 33 if you want to see people being bigoted and judging the souls of others wholesale.
Dear Vice President Vellaccio,
I am most upset by an article published in today's Washington Post by one Mathew N. Schmalz who claims to be a "Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross ". The article, which may be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/what-kind-of-catholic-is-newt-gingrich/2011/12/14/gIQAvKC2tO_blog.html is the most cynical, un-Christian, bigoted piece of writing I can imagine, It beggars belief that such an article could be written by a person who, apparently, holds a position of responsibility at a Jesuit institution of higher learning.
It is, of course, Mr. Schmalz's right to publish whatever he likes. However, his use of credentials from Holy Cross cast a very bad light on the College, for which I previously had had great respect. If this is the sort of politically biased, cynical attitude being adopted by your faculty, I wonder at how you can refer to yourself as a Catholic Institution at all!
I hope you will publically disavow these comments and prevent further damage to Holy Cross by insisting, in the future, Mr. Schmalz not rely on his connection with Holy Cross as a credential in his personal writing.
His email is: fvellacc@holycross.edu
Just wow....
For all the speculation and criticism on and about the lack of works in the lives of the non-Catholics on this RF simply because we don't talk about it and NOW someone is saying a person's private life is none of any one else's business but God's?
Or does it only count when it's someone associated with Catholicism and everyone else is fair game?
I am choosing to answer your post by saying, “I did not ping those other people and do not wish to talk with them.” The habit of pinging your like-member comrades is irksome to me.
Have a blessed day and Good-bye.
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