Sunday, May 24, 2020

Fr. Dwight Longenecker's Immortal Combat


Immortal Combat

Confronting the Heart of Darkness

Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, NH 2020

 


I’ve been familiar with Fr. Dwight Longenecker for several years. I enjoy his online columns and articles, finding him quick-witted and incisive in the style of C.S. Lewis and Peter Kreeft. Thus, I was excited to hear that he had a new book coming out, Immortal Combat. I ordered a copy as soon as I could, and eagerly awaited its arrival, even though I was a bit unclear as to the focus of the book. Would it be about spiritual warfare, or address the moral sickness which plagues our culture, or some other topic? Understandably, I was expecting something along the lines of what I’d seen in his columns.

When the book arrived, I found that it was not what I’d expected – but it turned out to be just what I needed. I had anticipated something catechetical or apologetic in tone, and while Immortal Combat contains elements of these, that is not its major focus. This is primarily a pastoral work. In it you meet not Fr. Longenecker the scholar or the articulate writer, but Fr. Dwight the pastor (though not without scholarship or articulation.) He follows in the tradition of priests like Bishop Fulton Sheen, whose pastoral heart showed through in every show and talk he made, despite being a prelate of the Church and a media sensation in his day. For me, this was the foremost attribute of Immortal Combat: it is pastoral, and I felt pastored as I read it.


What, then, is Immortal Combat about? Drawing on classical scholarship, theological training, and a lifetime of pastoral experience, Fr. Dwight lays bare the root of the world’s problems, which is precisely what G.K. Chesterton identified: myself. Me. Us. Using images and stories from sources as diverse as classical mythology and modern movies, Fr. Dwight illustrates our condition: the monsters that lurk beneath our personalities and the toxic, destructive ways in which they manifest themselves. He draws on divine revelation to explain how we got where we are, what it means to have a sin-damaged nature, and the implications of having an ancient enemy prowling around. From images such as the Minotaur, Cerberus, and the Gorgons, Fr. Dwight makes clear that the problem is as universal as it is hideous. While reading these grim descriptions, I found myself saying things like, “That’s me! He’s describing me!” and “I do that all the time.” Furthermore, Fr. Dwight doesn’t write from a position of academic detachment – he puts himself squarely in the middle of the circumstances he describes. It isn’t “They” who have these problems, or even “You”, it’s “We” – all of us, every Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve.


But Fr. Dwight doesn’t leave us as hopeless sinners in the hands of an Angry God. We may be tainted but we are dearly loved. Again making use of imagery from tales ancient and modern, he presents the story of salvation in a fresh light. Using an imaginative style reminiscent of Bunyan and Lewis, he sets the tale of redemption against the dark background of the opening chapters, so we can see the reality in sharper contrast. It turns out I’m not Nice. I am a Bad Person. I’m as much in need of salvation as that pimp or cartel hit man or abortionist. The root of my problem isn’t “Them”, it’s me. But I am not left forgotten or forsaken. The Secret Son, the Hidden Hero, comes for me. What He did for the Sin of the World, He can do for my personal sin – if I’ll cooperate. Fr. Dwight sites my primary battlefield right where it belongs: at the center of my will.  Before I can fight the dragons Out There, I must battle the monsters that lurk beneath the surface of my personality. I won’t do this alone, the Hero will assist me, but the fight is mine. Yes, I have the victory, but it’s victory amidst struggle as long as I draw breath. I am loved, but it’s up to me to not be a wandering sheep or a foolish virgin. Life is a battle that calls for constant vigilance.

Fr. Richard Neuhaus once defined optimism as a matter of optics, that is, what we choose to look at. Too often in our time and culture we think we’re being hopeful when actually we’re just being selective about what we’re viewing. “This will all pass and things will get back to normal.” “Our best days are ahead!” Fr. Dwight strips away our rose-colored glasses and forces us to gaze on the stinking sewers of our own sinful natures, not because he hates or wants to distress us, but because he loves. He’s like the doctor who must deliver the grim diagnosis. Once we understand our condition, the condition we all share, we’ll be able to truly cooperate with the treatment, and to explain it to others.

Fr. Dwight closes the book with some advice, based on his description of the problem and the solution. Most of these tips involve shifting our perspective on our own attitudes and motivations, but there are many practical hints as well. They reminded me of the principles I had to learn while living aboard ships, which weren’t there to bind or oppress me, but to keep me constantly aware that I was living in a different, and somewhat more precarious, environment than what I’d been accustomed to. Fr. Dwight is trying to warn us: given that the world isn’t what our senses and conditions would have us believe, we need to be aware of the peril and live accordingly.

From beginning to end, I found this book very pastoral. Yes, Fr. Dwight wants his readers to be educated and mentally agile, but mostly he wants them home. He has the heart of a shepherd who knows that there are hungry wolves and rocky gullies out there, and that sheep will wander. He wants everyone to make it safely home to the fold.  If he had time, he’d surely want to sit down with every one of his readers for spiritual counsel and prayer. Since that’s impossible, this book is the next best thing. It’s not only useful for our own spiritual nourishment, but also for giving to someone seeking answers. There are too many lost, despairing people out there who don’t know they need good news. Immortal Combat isn’t written in religious jargon, but uses themes and imagery common to all human experience. It’s a good book to give to a friend, even one who isn’t Christian, when you don’t know how to speak to their struggles.

Immortal Combat belongs on many bookshelves, probably including yours. I plan to order many copies to hand around, being sure to keep a copy nearby to review from time to time. The Lord has blessed His Church with many wise and experienced pastors like Fr. Dwight. We’re fools if we don’t avail ourselves of what they have to offer.