Fr. Longenecker on Comedy as a Mark of True Christianity.

"I've got this theory that one of the great signs of authentic Christianity is comedy. I'm reading the letters of Flannery O'Connor at the moment and one of her great gifts is a razor sharp wit. She's funny, and one of the reasons she's funny is that she makes fun of herself. She takes herself lightly…even when she knows she dying of lupus.

"On the other hand, it is also a sign of the ideologue and heretic that they take themselves extremely seriously, and not only that, they insist that everybody else take them seriously. Think about it for a moment and consider all the po-faced, pious, self righteous ideologues out there of every religious and political variation. . . . 

"There are two reasons why  comedy is a mark of true Christianity. The first is because the Christian takes the wider view. He knows that 'all things work together for good for those who love God'. In other words, everything will be alright in the end, and if it is not alright, then it's not the end. A trust in divine providence means one can treat even the heaviest of times with a light heart. This wider view puts things into perspective. . . .

"The second reason comedy is a mark of authentic Christianity is that, at the heart of authentic Christianity is this absolutely genius concept of repentance. Think about it. What other religion has as its very first step the radical idea that a person should stop and say, 'I'm wrong.'? Surely every human instinct is just the opposite. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Greenville, SC) reflected on a number of reasons why comedy is a mark of true Christianity.

To access Fr. Longenecker's complete post, please visit:

Fr. Dwight Longenecker: Christianity and Comedy (25 AUG 20)

Background information:

Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author