Thursday, January 08, 2009

Richard John Neuhaus 1936-2009

Lutheran pastor turned Roman Catholic priest, Richard John Neuhaus died this morning. While I’m on the other end of the theological and political spectrum from him, his was an active theological mind. I would read his offerings on the intersection of politics and faith when I was looking for reasoned alternative opinion (or sometimes, not so reasoned, such as his Christian defense of preemptive war and the torture of so-called “enemy combatants”).

He saw his move from Lutheranism to Roman Catholicism as a natural one, in that he believed that the Lutheran Confessions are catholic at their core. While such a perspective can be debated, I certainly don’t doubt his sincerity, and admire his willingness to follow his conscience even though it caused him considerable personal and professional injury.

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