Ross Douthat

It's an interesting and fine theological debate, but the problem is that Douthat laughably misstates its importance. He credits the boom times of post-WWII America to the overflowing pews of Mainstream churches steeped in orthodoxy, fashioning a moral people, rather than to the unique positioning of America at that time in an economically advantageous situation within the world system, able to grow a dominant commercial empire in a way that saw most classes of American society benefit. Similarly he blames recent American decline on falling and failing Mainstream churches wandering off into unorthodox heresies, rather than to the problems of later American capitalism - the increasing insecurity and eroding of the middle classes due to unrestrained capital, decimated labor unions, the shift of workers into service sectors, trimming of a social safety net, tax codes rewritten to benefit the wealthy and capital, etc.

Thus Douthat becomes your traditional conservative American scold, with no explanation for why countries far more secular and non-religiously orthodox than America (one of them just the other side of our northern border!) nevertheless have healthier societies.

It would be a different book if Douthat made his case for orthodoxy on theological grounds, arguing that this debate mattered for the purpose of saving human souls or creating the Kingdom of God or accurately telling homosexuals that God wants them to be celibate (well, that's his view). But he doesn't make those arguments. He makes his case on the grounds that orthodoxy was responsible for a healthy and prosperous American society, and its decline responsible for an unhealthy American society, thus making a restored religious orthodoxy equally important to atheists as to Christian believers. This, my friends, is ridiculous.

Douthat also, in his section bemoaning the "accommodation" of mainstream churches to modern heresy, gives a disapproving shout-out to Little Rock's own Peggy Bosmyer, the first female Episcopal priest in the South. Alas he misspells her name "Boysmer". That's disappointing.… (altro)

Abandoned after 16% read.

I have Lyme disease, and it's awful. Occasionally, I feel the need to read others' experience with Lyme to feel a little less alone.

But Douthat is far too rich and privileged to be relatable for me. He spends the first chapter of the book talking about his picturesque life - great job, great wife, great kids, and, oh, a new home purchased for over one million dollars.

When he gets sick, he starts going to doctors - and he never even thinks about how this being a possibility is in itself a huge blessing - not every sick person can afford to see specialist after specialist.

According to many reviews, his tone stays the same throughout the book, and he never acknowledges his privilege, or the fact that, though his health might not be great, he still has it pretty darn good.

And I just can't deal with that level of self-centeredness right now.… (altro)

The Deep Places; a Memoir of Illness and Discovery. Ross Douthat. 2021. In 2015, Douthat moved his wife and young daughters to the Connecticut from Washington, D.C. Their plans for a calm happy country life turned into a nightmare when Douthat contracted a strange illness that left him crippled, sleepless, and twisted in pain. After months and months of doctor visits it was determined that he had had Lyme disease, and it was chronic. This is the chronicle of his struggle with the illness and how it affected him and his family. He not only struggled with the disease he had to struggle with the medical establishment. Anyone who has dealt with chronic illness would find this interesting. His detail of his medicines and the various drugs and herbs he tried was tedious at times. Not for everyone.… (altro)