This past Thursday Yale Divinity School hosted a one-of-a-kind event: The Future of Faith. This two-part event featured author and scholar Diana Butler Bass and New York Times Op-Ed columnist Ross Douthat. The first hour,"The Future of Faith: Two Views," was moderated by Bob Abernethy, host of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. The second hour, "Future of Faith and Church Life," was moderated by Lillian Daniel, a writer and United Church of Christ pastor. Bass' Read More …
Ross Douthat
Are You An In Between Christian? (#0800)
In a recent blog post, Rachel Held Evans included a bit of self-disclosure that warrants consideration by all who seek to lead the church into the future. After mentioning the recent article by Ross Douthat and response by Diana Butler Bass (something I have written about recently as well), she shares the disheartening reality that many with differing theological perspectives choose to attack the other's position rather than collaborate to craft a brighter future for Read More …
Saving Liberal Christianity (#0797)
Earlier this week, my post "Can Christianity Be Saved" considered Ross Douthat’s July 14, 2102, New York Times editorial “Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?,” and Diana Butler Bass's reply later that same day on the Huffington Post. During the course of the week I returned to the topic in online and in person conversations. The most encouraging part of the dialogue was the shared understanding about three interelated matters: There is a real Read More …
Can Christianity Be Saved? (#0793)
As I read Ross Douthat's latest New York Times editorial, "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?," I knew I had to respond. In short, he suggests that the end could well be near for progressive or liberal Christianity unless something changes rather significantly as a result of decades of decline. While not proposing that other forms of Christianity have all fared well, he suggests that they have by way of comparison to progressive denominations. (For more on Douthat's perspective, read my review Read More …
Review of Bad Religion (#0750)
Meet the Author Ross Douthat is an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, and the film critic for the National Review. Previously, he was a senior editor at the Atlantic. He is the author of Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class (Hyperion, 2005) and Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics (2012), and the co-author (with Reihan Salam) of Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream (2008). Book Basics Douthat effectively Read More …