Newt the Catholic

I was listening to NPR this morning and heard a piece about Newt Gingrich’s “conversion” to Catholicism. I had some issues with this story, but maybe I’m off here. Here’s what I heard.

His wife has sung for many years in the choir of the largest Catholic church in Washington, D.C. Newt was previously a Baptist. He mentioned himself that he had gone to listen to her sing many times. They talked about how Catholicism has a deep history of philosophical tradition that appeals to Gingrich’s PhD intellect. He says the thing that sealed the deal for him was meeting the Pope in 2008 and finding him to be very radiant and joyful. So he “converted” in 2009 and talked about how he really knows he is going to be a better man now that he’s converted to Catholicism. Near the end of the piece the announcer said that his conversion to Catholicism has been playing well among Evangelicals because they like that he’s now softer on certain issues.

Here are some of the issues I have with this whole idea. First, why is it national news that someone decides to switch churches? And that is my second big issue - the fact that this wasn’t really a “conversion” as most people would understand it, say from Judaism to Buddhism. That would be a conversion. Christianity to Islam - that’s a conversion. Switching from Lutheran to Mennonite - not a conversion. You’re still a CHRISTIAN. They’re putting way too much emphasis on the denomination, which robs Christ of the emphasis that is rightly his.

Gingrich said that he knows he’ll be a “better man now.” I have a big problem with this too. And this is nothing against Catholics at all - I know plenty of Catholics who are better people than I am. This isn’t about that. Saying that you think you’ll be a better man now means that you are tying the change in you to the change in what church you go to - which kind of robs Jesus of His claim that He is the change agent in a person. Most people say they know they’ll be a better person now once they become a Christian. And regardless of what church you go to, what hymns you sing, or how the pew under you feels - God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and your faith - those are constants, and THOSE are what matter to your character, words, and life.

I would personally be comfortable in any church, Catholic or otherwise. In fact, I was raised in the Church of the Brethren, attended a Southern Baptist church for 10 years, worked at a Lutheran church camp full time for 2 years, have several good friends who are Catholic. I currently live in a region very heavily influenced by Mennonites and know many.  I would literally be fine going to church the rest of my life in any of those formats because I know that the most important thing about them - the thing that unites me with them is our belief in Jesus and our relationship to Him. And I could do that without having to say I “converted.” I would still be a Christian - so it’s not really a “conversion.”

And the whole, the pope was awesome so I joined his side thing is sketchy too. No offense to the pope at all - I’m sure he is radiantly joyful and an awesome guy. I’d love to meet him someday. But just because you really like someone who’s a Catholic doesn’t mean you have to become a Catholic. That’s relying more on someone else’s faith than your own. Hey, it’s working for that guy - I’ll join! What if he had met Gandhi?

Now, really - whatever Newt Gingrich does is his business and it won’t make me lose a wink of sleep. But the fact that this was made national news and they made such a big deal about it and kept saying “conversion” kind of got to me.

What I feel is the more likely back-story is that he went to the same place time after time to hear his wife sing, and got very comfortable there. Then he met the most important man of their tradition and liked him. And I’m sure he had a bunch of good conversations with the Catholics he encountered, and they told him how much they like him. Then he runs it by the staff, they say it might just gain him some street cred, so he “converts.” And now he claims he’s a better man, and of course evangelicals like him because they think he now agrees with them on more issues. It feels like there could very well have been some politics wrapped up in this decision. And furthermore - why publicize it? Why a news article on national radio about the fact that he switched unless they wanted it known?

I guess I have a tendency to dislike most of the ways that Christianity is dragged into politics in general, and to hear this today just… I had to get it off my chest.