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Beheading Hydra: A Radical Plan for Christians in an Atheistic Age
Never before has humanity existed in a culture that rejects belief in a transcendent power. Previous cultures � even when rent by bitter disagreements � shared a common belief that a greater force stood above the material realm. But when one side acknowledges an ultimate source of truth while the other side denies it, debate is dead, and mutual understanding is impossible. So claims Fr. Dwight Longenecker in his most captivating book yet, Beheading Hydra . Longenecker shows how, like the mythical serpentine beast with myriad writhing and venomous heads, atheism manifests itself today through sixteen “isms� that cloak the actions of the antichrist, who seethes with pure hatred of God and His truth. Because any good battle plan calls for a thorough knowledge of the enemy, Fr. Longenecker boldly exposes the philosophies behind scientism, materialism, utilitarianism, sentimental humanitarianism, and more, explaining how they became the core assumptions of our culture and how they are, in turn, corrupting the politics and power structures of the world. Beheading Hydra brilliantly catalogs the alluring and seductive deceptions of each ism to help you see how they are corroding the very foundations of Western civilization and entrapping countless faithful Christians. Best of all, the book lays out a plan of action to behead the Hydra that calls for neither direct conflict nor even dialogue, but creative subversion. You’ll discover what this means along with the powerful and practical actions you and your friends can take now. You’ll also learn how to acquire the grace needed to see clearly the problem � and the solutions. It is ordinary men and women who become extraordinary heroes in this battle against Satan, explains Fr. Longenecker. Only by the light of our lives will we defeat this darkness. Debate and dialogue are now pointless. Our lives are our only remaining argument.
203 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2021
47 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Dwight Longenecker
44books80followersDwight Longenecker was brought up an Evangelical, studied at the fundamentalist Bob Jones University, and later was ordained an Anglican priest in England. After ten years in the Anglican ministry as a curate, a chaplain at Cambridge, and a country parson, in 1995 Dwight was received into full communion with the Catholic Church. He has published in numerous religious magazines and papers in the UK, Ireland, and the USA, writing on film and theology, apologetics, Biblical commentary and Catholic culture.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 17, 2021
Good Read
Father Longenecker does an excellent job in describing the corrosive ideologies impacting our culture and outlining the ways to battle them.
Father Longenecker does an excellent job in describing the corrosive ideologies impacting our culture and outlining the ways to battle them.
November 29, 2021
Fr. Longenecker powerfully explains our ongoing struggle with the "isms" of our lives. Starting with the central theme of materialism, the book walks through a variety of moral and social issues stemming from several hundred years of shifting thought around God, morality, and self. Longenecker loves to begin by walking through all of the issues and then closing with specific solutions.
His call to a return to "radical" Christianity and a focus on God is not new but his fire for it brings renewed urgency, particularly amid the new and insidious forms of atheism he exposes as having already permeated so many of our social institutions.
Convicting, concerning, and hopeful.
His call to a return to "radical" Christianity and a focus on God is not new but his fire for it brings renewed urgency, particularly amid the new and insidious forms of atheism he exposes as having already permeated so many of our social institutions.
Convicting, concerning, and hopeful.
January 4, 2023
Dwight Longenecker is the pastor of the parish we used to attend. He's a prolific author, and the title of one of his books caught my attention. It purports to be a "radical plan" for believers in an age of atheism. As a once-Catholic-now-atheist, I thought it would be interesting to see how Longenecker defines the problem and what this radical solution might be.
The problem of what Longenecker seems to see as a predominately atheistic society is a "perfect storm" which is "the culmination of five hundred years of devious philosophies, half-truths, godless ideologies, false religions, and rebellion against God, his Church, and His timeless truths" (7). That's quite a list of problems there, but what's key to me is the five-hundred-year timeframe. What really began happening then? Modern science was slowly emerging from the mix of alchemy, philosophy, and superstition that had been used to explain the world in the past. The rise in atheism tracks closely to the success of the scientific method. Granted, what I'm suggesting here is one of the "-isms" that Longenecker claims is problematic, namely scientism, which is the claim "that science alone can render truth about the world and reality" (Source). I certainly don't believe science is the only source of truth in our world, but when it comes to the physical world itself, it is certainly the most successful. Science continually knocks at religion's door and says, "Here, we'll explain that now," whereas religion never offers explanations that supersede previously accepted science.
But the book is not about just scientism but a whole bunch of "-isms"
* atheism
* materialism
* historicism
* scientism
* utilitarianism
* pragmatism
* progressivism
* utopianism
* relativism
* indifferentism
* individualism
* tribalism
* sentimentalism
* romanticism
* eroticism
* Freudianism
That's a whole lot of "-isms" to tackle in a book just a bit over 200 pages in length, but Longenecker plows through them all, explaining how they're problematic for Christians and how they contribute to this "atheistic age" he sees us in.
But how can this be? How can we live in a largely atheistic society when most atheists point out the number of elected officials who are Christian is many times larger than the number of elected officials who are atheist (to use one simple metric)? It's simple: "most atheists are blind to the fact that they are atheists" (21). I read that and immediately realized where he was heading: if you're going to call yourself a Christian, you'd better act like a Christian and a Christian as I define it. He frames it by saying that this tide of atheism can be slowed with people living authentic Christian lives, but suffice it to say his definition of "atheist" would leave most atheists scratching their head.
"But I'm not an atheist!" I hear you say. Really? Then why do you live like one? If you do not pray, if you do not tithe, if you are living without a real relationship with God, then your belief in God is only a theory (144)
That's the answer: prayer, tithing, and creating a close community.
While the book is not an effort to disprove these "-isms" definitively, he does take some time to point out what he sees as flaws in them. Regarding atheism and materialism, for example, he makes the argument that miracles "remind us that weird things happen," and then gives us examples: "Friars float. Dead saints smell like flowers thirty years after they were buried. Seventy thousand people said they saw the sun spin and plummet to earth at Fatima" (30). This short list he makes refers to
* St. Joseph Cupertino, who had "the gift of levitation" (27).
* St. Bernadette's body, which smelled like flowers thirty years after her death.
* The appearance of Mary at Fatima.
Cupertino lived from 1603 to 1663: this was a time when people were burning witches, so that Longenecker takes these fanciful claims that he could levitate seriously suggests to me a naivety that I would not have expected. Bernadette's body does indeed look lovely, but that's because of the efforts of the faithful: she's not that way natural. And Fatima? It's just as hard to take that seriously.
It's easy to understand why Longenecker might willingly accept these things: "The spiritual person sees miracles--divine interruptions--all around him, and and through his everyday experience" (31). If you're looking for it, you'll find it. That might be advice he's giving believers, but I think it's a double-edged sword: when you go so far as to believe in 17th-century floating friars and someone else says, "Wait a minute," you're creating a crack in your belief system that doesn't have to be there.
What are his suggestions for dealing with all these "-isms"? It's to develop a "creatively subversive alternative." Real Christianity. Deep Christianity. Prayerful Christianity. After all, it's happened before: "Every five hundred years, there seems to be a major crisis in the Faith, and at each juncture, a new wave of witnesses rise up." First there was ancient Rome, but "the first Christians simply lived a graced life of charity and peace, and the pagan world was drawn to their example and converted." Then, in the sixth century, "St. Benedict stepped out and established simple communities centered on prayer, work, and reading," which served as a bulwark against the "listless and corrupt" church. By 1000 CE, there was more corruption and crime but the "Benedictine Order surged forth in the great Cistercian renewal." Finally, there was the Reformation and the Catholic Church's Counter-Freformation which "brought renewal simply by living out the creatively subversive alternative" (133).
Yet Longenecker's suggestion that this same kind of solution (returning to a prayerful traditional Christian life) will work in 2023 is almost laughably naive. The forces at work now are much more powerful than the forces at work in the previous periods, and they're driven by one thing: the internet. Subversion and alternate views can reach even the most sheltered people now, and the amount of material available that simply picks at thread after thread in the tapestry of Christian belief is overwhelming. Skeptics have methodically taken apart argument after argument and shown how the arguments simply don't make sense. They constitute an ever-present "yeah, but" to everything Christian apologists say, and no amount of praying is going to make that go away.
Really, the only answer is complete sequestration, and that is in essence what Longenecker is suggesting.
The problem of what Longenecker seems to see as a predominately atheistic society is a "perfect storm" which is "the culmination of five hundred years of devious philosophies, half-truths, godless ideologies, false religions, and rebellion against God, his Church, and His timeless truths" (7). That's quite a list of problems there, but what's key to me is the five-hundred-year timeframe. What really began happening then? Modern science was slowly emerging from the mix of alchemy, philosophy, and superstition that had been used to explain the world in the past. The rise in atheism tracks closely to the success of the scientific method. Granted, what I'm suggesting here is one of the "-isms" that Longenecker claims is problematic, namely scientism, which is the claim "that science alone can render truth about the world and reality" (Source). I certainly don't believe science is the only source of truth in our world, but when it comes to the physical world itself, it is certainly the most successful. Science continually knocks at religion's door and says, "Here, we'll explain that now," whereas religion never offers explanations that supersede previously accepted science.
But the book is not about just scientism but a whole bunch of "-isms"
* atheism
* materialism
* historicism
* scientism
* utilitarianism
* pragmatism
* progressivism
* utopianism
* relativism
* indifferentism
* individualism
* tribalism
* sentimentalism
* romanticism
* eroticism
* Freudianism
That's a whole lot of "-isms" to tackle in a book just a bit over 200 pages in length, but Longenecker plows through them all, explaining how they're problematic for Christians and how they contribute to this "atheistic age" he sees us in.
But how can this be? How can we live in a largely atheistic society when most atheists point out the number of elected officials who are Christian is many times larger than the number of elected officials who are atheist (to use one simple metric)? It's simple: "most atheists are blind to the fact that they are atheists" (21). I read that and immediately realized where he was heading: if you're going to call yourself a Christian, you'd better act like a Christian and a Christian as I define it. He frames it by saying that this tide of atheism can be slowed with people living authentic Christian lives, but suffice it to say his definition of "atheist" would leave most atheists scratching their head.
"But I'm not an atheist!" I hear you say. Really? Then why do you live like one? If you do not pray, if you do not tithe, if you are living without a real relationship with God, then your belief in God is only a theory (144)
That's the answer: prayer, tithing, and creating a close community.
While the book is not an effort to disprove these "-isms" definitively, he does take some time to point out what he sees as flaws in them. Regarding atheism and materialism, for example, he makes the argument that miracles "remind us that weird things happen," and then gives us examples: "Friars float. Dead saints smell like flowers thirty years after they were buried. Seventy thousand people said they saw the sun spin and plummet to earth at Fatima" (30). This short list he makes refers to
* St. Joseph Cupertino, who had "the gift of levitation" (27).
* St. Bernadette's body, which smelled like flowers thirty years after her death.
* The appearance of Mary at Fatima.
Cupertino lived from 1603 to 1663: this was a time when people were burning witches, so that Longenecker takes these fanciful claims that he could levitate seriously suggests to me a naivety that I would not have expected. Bernadette's body does indeed look lovely, but that's because of the efforts of the faithful: she's not that way natural. And Fatima? It's just as hard to take that seriously.
It's easy to understand why Longenecker might willingly accept these things: "The spiritual person sees miracles--divine interruptions--all around him, and and through his everyday experience" (31). If you're looking for it, you'll find it. That might be advice he's giving believers, but I think it's a double-edged sword: when you go so far as to believe in 17th-century floating friars and someone else says, "Wait a minute," you're creating a crack in your belief system that doesn't have to be there.
What are his suggestions for dealing with all these "-isms"? It's to develop a "creatively subversive alternative." Real Christianity. Deep Christianity. Prayerful Christianity. After all, it's happened before: "Every five hundred years, there seems to be a major crisis in the Faith, and at each juncture, a new wave of witnesses rise up." First there was ancient Rome, but "the first Christians simply lived a graced life of charity and peace, and the pagan world was drawn to their example and converted." Then, in the sixth century, "St. Benedict stepped out and established simple communities centered on prayer, work, and reading," which served as a bulwark against the "listless and corrupt" church. By 1000 CE, there was more corruption and crime but the "Benedictine Order surged forth in the great Cistercian renewal." Finally, there was the Reformation and the Catholic Church's Counter-Freformation which "brought renewal simply by living out the creatively subversive alternative" (133).
Yet Longenecker's suggestion that this same kind of solution (returning to a prayerful traditional Christian life) will work in 2023 is almost laughably naive. The forces at work now are much more powerful than the forces at work in the previous periods, and they're driven by one thing: the internet. Subversion and alternate views can reach even the most sheltered people now, and the amount of material available that simply picks at thread after thread in the tapestry of Christian belief is overwhelming. Skeptics have methodically taken apart argument after argument and shown how the arguments simply don't make sense. They constitute an ever-present "yeah, but" to everything Christian apologists say, and no amount of praying is going to make that go away.
Really, the only answer is complete sequestration, and that is in essence what Longenecker is suggesting.
July 25, 2024
Father Longenecker provides a very clear summary of the "hydras" he believes that our modern world has fallen victim too, and provides both literary and real world examples to demonstrate and elaborate on these "hydras".
For anyone reverting to their Catholic faith, this is a must read in order to understand that the faith is incredibly difficult to keep under pressures from the modern world.
However, Father Longenecker provides good examples on how to keep this faith, namely recommendations to grow in prayer and holiness.
For anyone reverting to their Catholic faith, this is a must read in order to understand that the faith is incredibly difficult to keep under pressures from the modern world.
However, Father Longenecker provides good examples on how to keep this faith, namely recommendations to grow in prayer and holiness.
November 30, 2021
Good read. I’m not smart enough to not have gotten lost at points, but I know more now than I did 🙌🏻
June 20, 2024
Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s "Beheading Hydra: A Radical Plan for Christians in an Atheistic Age" offers a profound strategy for living a holy life amidst the challenges of a secular world. Rather than engaging in futile debates, the book advocates for creative subversion through holy living and evangelism.
Key points include:
- Combatting Materialism: Tithe to counteract materialism and pray to affirm the transcendent world.
- Subverting Scientism: Embrace and promote the sacraments, recognizing their transcendental nature.
- Opposing Historicism: Read the Bible to understand history's divine culmination.
- Challenging Utilitarianism and Pragmatism: Prioritize evangelism, radical trust in God, and living the Gospel.
- Embracing Traditionalism: Uphold traditional values through liturgy, the lives of saints, and moral choices.
- Advocating Subsidiarianism: Support local communities over large central governments to combat utopianism.
- Countering Relativism: Encourage personal encounters with Christ and respect the Church’s authority.
- Rejecting Tribalism: Foster obedience to Christ, repentance, and service to others, especially within family and parish.
- Real Education: Promote classical education rooted in logic and philosophy to combat sentimentalism and romanticism.
- True Love: Love your neighbor genuinely, valuing others� needs, promoting marriage, and practicing chastity.
Fr. Longenecker’s work is a vital guide for Christians seeking to navigate and transform an atheistic society by living out their faith authentically and courageously.
Key points include:
- Combatting Materialism: Tithe to counteract materialism and pray to affirm the transcendent world.
- Subverting Scientism: Embrace and promote the sacraments, recognizing their transcendental nature.
- Opposing Historicism: Read the Bible to understand history's divine culmination.
- Challenging Utilitarianism and Pragmatism: Prioritize evangelism, radical trust in God, and living the Gospel.
- Embracing Traditionalism: Uphold traditional values through liturgy, the lives of saints, and moral choices.
- Advocating Subsidiarianism: Support local communities over large central governments to combat utopianism.
- Countering Relativism: Encourage personal encounters with Christ and respect the Church’s authority.
- Rejecting Tribalism: Foster obedience to Christ, repentance, and service to others, especially within family and parish.
- Real Education: Promote classical education rooted in logic and philosophy to combat sentimentalism and romanticism.
- True Love: Love your neighbor genuinely, valuing others� needs, promoting marriage, and practicing chastity.
Fr. Longenecker’s work is a vital guide for Christians seeking to navigate and transform an atheistic society by living out their faith authentically and courageously.
March 9, 2022
Father Longenecker, a Catholic convert from Anglicanism, catalogues a long list of contemporary “isms� that have captured and influenced the cultural life of the nation and the lived experiences of ordinary human beings. These sixteen pernicious philosophies � materialism, atheism, pragmatism, eroticism, etc. -- feed off one another, and each them retards and ultimately destroys the spiritual well-being of Christians. In fact, these “isms� are all lies of one stripe or another and distortions of reality. Deceitful believers in these philosophies attempt to cover up their lies by simply conjuring up new lies. This imitates the lopping off of one Hydra head only to have the beast grow two more. Father Longenecker bemoans the inroads these “isms� have made against Christians and their often oblivious leadership, and he each meets each lie head on by proposing a viable Christian response. This short book offers thoughtful insights into the decline of American culture, and a glimmer of hope for rebirth.
April 11, 2022
A magnificent nonfiction read for all Christians. Fr. Longenecker walks us through all the "isms" that have taken over our culture and why they are so destructive. Then he gives us some practical advice on how to defeat them. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read. All I can say is "Amen! Father" and I'm not even Catholic.
July 31, 2023
NICE ANALYSIS
In this book, Fr Longnecker looks at relativism, individualism, materialism, and several other "isms" that are turning our culture to atheism. He offers up practical solutions that can be carried out on the local level. I recommend this to anyone interested in the state of our culture and how we got here.
In this book, Fr Longnecker looks at relativism, individualism, materialism, and several other "isms" that are turning our culture to atheism. He offers up practical solutions that can be carried out on the local level. I recommend this to anyone interested in the state of our culture and how we got here.
November 27, 2021
5 Excellent job calling out the culture
-1 Strongly disliked the anti-Protestantism hostility
-1 Some of the solutions cannot work due to the overly Catholic emphasis
Protestants, read deeply in parts; skim in parts. Glean what is useful; discard what is not.
-1 Strongly disliked the anti-Protestantism hostility
-1 Some of the solutions cannot work due to the overly Catholic emphasis
Protestants, read deeply in parts; skim in parts. Glean what is useful; discard what is not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2022
Nothing really new or groundbreaking, but an enjoyable approach to the topic. Lonagnecker’s “spin� allowed for a different angle or perspective. Definitely a cheerleader for Catholicism, but solid on gospel / salvation issues
September 26, 2022
I think this is a great book as an overview of our world for the layperson!
It is easy to understand and digest! I enjoyed it!
I'm not Catholic, and he definitely shows favoritism towards Catholocism (which I don't blame him for), but just be aware of that.
It is easy to understand and digest! I enjoyed it!
I'm not Catholic, and he definitely shows favoritism towards Catholocism (which I don't blame him for), but just be aware of that.
February 15, 2025
A must read for all serious Christians!! Diagnostic AND prescriptive.
July 9, 2023
It’s all right there in the title
August 30, 2021
‘Beheading Hydra� is a fascinating and lively compendium of relevant thoughts and real-life examples of how faith in God and living a Christ like life can transform the world in a positive way. Fr. Longenecker identifies and resoundingly rebukes the sixteen ‘isms�, such as pragmatism and relativism, that pose grave threats to an effective and viable Christian life. Though they might seem innocuous and even reasonable at first glance, these fallacies lead individuals into a realm of ‘shadow Christianity�, where their role in the Church is more of a pew warmer than a real emissary and representative of Christ.
In this impassioned and enthusiastic narrative, Fr. Longenecker employs all his years of experience as a wise and loving pastor to both warn and inspire his readers. Do not succumb to these faith compromising ‘isms�. They are like the many heads of the mythical and terrible beast the Hydra. You may lose your soul and be devoured as a result.
In this impassioned and enthusiastic narrative, Fr. Longenecker employs all his years of experience as a wise and loving pastor to both warn and inspire his readers. Do not succumb to these faith compromising ‘isms�. They are like the many heads of the mythical and terrible beast the Hydra. You may lose your soul and be devoured as a result.
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