Rest in Peace, John Allen, Jr.

I was sorry to see that John Allen died yesterday. I remember reading his All the Pope's Men and being impressed not only by the book itself but by his even-handed writing. I was truly impressed by the honesty with which he acknowledged his horror when his younger self was told by a respected mentor that he was a very biased writer. By the time I encountered him, Allen was someone I really respected. Even when I might not have agreed with all his conclusions, I respected him. And that's rare. 

I tend to agree with The Pillar's piece which says:

I think much of that came because John pioneered something in contemporary Church life: The idea that the Church could be covered in depth from a perspective that was neither cloying piety nor dismissive skepticism; that it could be considered the proper subject for proper journalism, understood and evaluated on its own terms, and by its own self-understanding, rather than by the imposition of ideologies or by broad and unoriginal presumptions about religion and religious people.

As a convert from secularism I appreciated that quality a lot.

Eternal rest grant unto John Allen, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul,

through the mercy of God,

rest in peace.

Amen