Remembering Richard John Neuhaus
Thursday January 8, 2009
Categories: Catholicism
As the remembrances of America's most influential religious public intellectual pour in, I'll collect them in this space. Leading off: Commentary editor John Podhoretz writes a beautiful and truthful remembrance of Richard John Neuhaus, with whom Commentary had something of...
Filed Under: Richard John Neuhaus
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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As the remembrances of America's most influential religious public intellectual pour in, I'll collect them in this space.
This is nonsense. Murray, basically created Dignitas Humanae in Vatican II, immediately comes to mind as being in another league. A respected intellectual is easy enough to concede. I doubt even Neuhaus would describe himself as the most influencial.
I had the privilege to meet Fr Neuhaus when I was a graduate student, around the time of his conversion to Roman Catholicism and the foundng of First Things. I was his student host during his visit to the university, picking him up from the airport, etc. The highlight of his visit was the opportunity to share a meal - and lift a pint (or two) - and listen to his insights and comments into myriad issues of the day.
Sadly, he wasn't very well received by the crowd that gathered for his talk, especially during the Q and A that followed. He was clearly (and understandably) disturbed by the hostility and on the return ride to the airport, he probed me about "what went wrong" with his talk. I can't imagine I said anything that was helpful or that wasn't painfully obvious.
Nonetheless, I cherish the opportunity to have met him, however briefly.
May his memory be eternal!
But Baldy, Murray died in 1967, an entire generation ago. Surely a charitable reading of Podhoretz could allow you to consider that he might be talking of contemporaries, at least enough to make his proclamation something a little better than "nonsense," even if you can think of other candidates for the honor.
Or of Rod, actually, sorry.
Rod was writing in the present tense, and surely he was right.
John P. was characterizing matters post-1971, and surely he was right too.
That passage from Death on a Friday Afternoon is absolutely breath-taking. Thanks Rod, and thanks to Ramesh.
I was the poster at 1:58 PM. Not sure how I was reduced to "B" - though I guess that's better than a gentleman's "C."
And Death on a Friday Afternoon is a masterpiece, through and through. A Lenten must-read, to be sure.
I've been continuously updating the original post. Just added Damon Linker's bit.
How interesting that the two-faced fraud Damon Linker considers Fr. Neuhaus to be two-faced. I believe the doctors call this "projection." May he be quickly healed,through the intercession of the gentleman he so wronged in this life.
Rod, everthing about this post was great until the Damon Linker link. I appreciate your industry in pulling together on one blog these various remembrances from a variety of sources.
But the Damon Linker piece leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Fr. Neuhaus hasn't even been buried and yet this guy is already leaping out of the woodwork to recycle old grievances. Yuck!
Rod, all your "tributes" are written sideways. Your anti-Catholic bias is showing full on.
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