Sonnie Ekwowusi
20 January 2009
Lagos — With the death of Father Richard John Neuhaus aged 72 on January 8 2009, another chapter has been closed in the literary world of robust religiously-informed dialogue. Until his death, Neuhaus was many things to many people.
He was an associate of Martin Luther King Jr. in championing the civil-rights movement in America ; an indefatigable champion of ecumenical dialogue; a dedicated promoter of perennial values that give authentic meaning to life; outstanding orthodox Catholic priest; a towering theologian; human rights activist and a protector of the rights of the unborn.
But in the literary and scholarly world, Father Neuhaus is best known as the founder and editor-in-chief of First Things, arguably one of the most respected and authoritative New York journal on Religion, Culture and Public Life that articulates and shapes variegated world views in the market place of ideas today. In an overwhelmingly secular world, Father Neuhaus, in the fashion of G.K Chesterton, C.S Lewis, Fulton Sheen, John Cardinal Newman, Christopher Dawson, Jacques Maritain, Reinbold Neibuhr, Russel Kirk, Robert T, George and others, simply demonstrated that public life is mainly about culture and at the very foundation of culture are those moral and religious values which keep the society together. As Lord Devlin puts it: "If men and women try to create a society in which there is no fundamental agreement about good and evil, they will fail: if having based it on common agreement, the agreement goes, the society will disintegrate. For society is not something that is kept together physically: it is held by invisible bonds of common thought. If the bonds were too far relaxed the members would drift apart. A common morality is the part of the bondage. The bondage is part of the price of society; and mankind which needs society, must pay its price"
Father Neuhaus taught that even though Western civilization was achieving its greatness in material success and technological advancement, it was losing contact with the spiritual sources which gives it vitality and creativity. He did this masterfully in his column dubbed The Public Square in First Thing. The Public Square was unbeatable. According to Times Literary Supplement: "The Public Square is witty, learned, and intelligent; serious yet always readable commentary". The Public Square attracted the attention of the crème de la crème in the world. Whether he was writing on theology, philosophy, law, politics, bioethics, culture of life or any subject matters, Father Neuhaus was always at his best. Journalists, literary giants, opinion-makers and policy makers looked forward to reading him. His exceptional intellectual versatility, lucidity of thought, fecundity of mind endeared him to the hearts of many. Neuhaus, simply, was a consummate wag. His great learning and wisdom were laced with admirable sense of humour. He conceived the "Neuhaus Law" or what could be termed "Neuhausim" which states that "where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed". Although Neuhaus promoted ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue for more than four decades, true ecumenism, to him, was not watering down the truth to make it acceptable to one's hearers: true ecumenism was stating the truth and nothing but the truth, albeit wit and charity. It pained Father Neuhaus that some American Catholic Bishops were compromising the truth and embracing all sorts of strange things. Under several insightful articles, he adduced powerful arguments in defence of the truth.
Born in Pembroke, Ontario , Canada on May 14 1936, Neuhaus who came from a family eight children, was a man who treaded several unfamiliar paths. Even though he was born in Canada he later moved to the United States where he got naturalized as an American citizen. Even without graduating from a High School, he was ordained a Lutheran Minister. He subscribed to the teaching of the conservative wing of American Lutheranism. He later decamped and joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church . In 1984 he established the Center for Religion and Society. In 1990 he founded First Things journal. On September 8, 1990, Neuhaus dramatically converted to Catholicism. The following year, he was ordained a Catholic priest by John Cardinal O'Connor. In his piece entitled: How I became the Catholic I was, Neuhaus recalls his boyhood days and his tortuous journey to Catholicism. Neuhaus has authored several books including The Best of THE PUBLIC SQUARE, which is a collection of some of best articles that had been published in First Things. His other books include Religion and Democracy; The Catholic Moment: The paradox of the Church in the Post Modern World; To empower People: From State to Civil Society; Death on a Friday Afternoon
Father Neuhaus articles broach subject matters like the conscience of the politician, public morality and so-called private morality, scandalous public behaviour, the bastardization of the American Heritage, politicians and sexual morality, etc
My first and last physical encounter with Father Neuhaus was in September 2008. It was not a pre-arranged meeting. I was in New York for something else. Perusing through a book one day I stumbled upon Neuhaus' telephone number. I quickly rang him up. On learning I was a Nigerian lost in the heart of Bronx he wasted no time in inviting me for a cup of coffee at a modest restaurant somewhere near Brooklyn . Who was I to refuse to honour such an invitation? Chatting with Neuhaus for fifteen minutes was most rewarding. He was a very calm, unassuming person. He was also a good listener. Having been to Nigeria in the 60s, he wanted to know many things about Nigeria . But time was short. He needed to go. But before that he gave me a coded number that would give me free access to all the publications of First Things on-line. I thanked him and we left the restaurant. Since then Neuhaus and I had been exchanging mails. But when his mails stopped coming a few weeks ago I decided to telephone him. When the voice came it was mournful and cold. "Please pray me. I am really very sick" he said. "I will pray for you, Father", I quickly responded. Little did I know I was speaking with him for the last time.
Death remains a thief. It strikes when the living least expects it. Writing on death in his enthralling piece entitled: Born Toward Dying (First Things, 2002) Neuhaus wrote: "We are born to die death is the warp woof of existence in the ordinary, the quotidian; the way things are. It is the horizon against which we get up in the morning and go to bed at night, and the next morning we awake to find the horizon has drawn closer "
There is no doubt that in the death of Father Neuhaus, the literary world has lost a rare gem and a good brother in the pen fraternity. With the death of Father Neuhaus, First Things has become an orphan. Neuhaus' colleagues at First Things will really miss him. Joseph Bolton, editor of First Things, has beautifully recaptured it by saying that the space left by Father Neuhaus, no one can fill. But the only consolation is that Father Neuhaus has left an enduring legacy that will stand the test of the time. He remains a role model both in sound reasoning and in his profundity of thought for succeeding generations.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
