Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;As the youngest-ever andlt;/Bandgt;op-ed columnist for the andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt;, Ross Douthat has emerged as one of the most provocative and influential voices of his generation. In andlt;Iandgt;Bad Religion andlt;/Iandgt;he offers a masterful and hard-hitting account of how American Christianity has gone off the railsand#8212;and why it threatens to take American society with it. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Writing for an era dominated by recession, gridlock, and fears of American decline, Douthat exposes the spiritual roots of the nationand#8217;s political and economic crises. He argues that Americaand#8217;s problem isnand#8217;t too much religion, as a growing chorus of atheists have argued; nor is it an intolerant secularism, as many on the Christian right believe. Rather, itand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;bad religion: andlt;/Iandgt;the slow-motion collapse of traditional faith and the rise of a variety of pseudo-Christianities that stroke our egos, indulge our follies, and encourage our worst impulses. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;These faiths speak from many pulpitsand#8212;conservative and liberal, political and pop cultural, traditionally religious and fashionably and#8220;spiritualand#8221;and#8212;and many of their preachers claim a Christian warrant. But they are increasingly offering distortions of traditional Christianityand#8212;not the real thing. Christianityand#8217;s place in American life has increasingly been taken over, not by atheism, Douthat argues, but by heresy: debased versions of Christian faith that breed hubris, greed, and self-absorption. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In a story that moves from the 1950s to the age of Obama, he brilliantly charts institutional Christianityand#8217;s decline from a vigorous, mainstream, and bipartisan faithand#8212;which acted as a and#8220;vital centerand#8221; and the moral force behind the civil rights movementand#8212;through the culture wars of the 1960s and 1970s to the polarizing debates of the present day. Ranging from Glenn Beck to Barack Obama, andlt;Iandgt;Eat Pray Love andlt;/Iandgt;to Joel Osteen, and Oprah Winfrey to andlt;Iandgt;The Da Vinci Codeandlt;/Iandgt;, Douthat explores how the prosperity gospeland#8217;s mantra of and#8220;pray and grow rich,and#8221; a cult of self-esteem that reduces God to a life coach, and the warring political religions of left and right have crippled the countryand#8217;s ability to confront our most pressing challenges and accelerated American decline. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;His urgent call for a revival of traditional Christianity is sure to generate controversy, and it will be vital reading for all those concerned about the imperiled American future.
Review
"Not only is Ross Douthat's account of orthodox Christianity's decline provocative, but his critique of today's ascendant heresies is compelling.
Review
andlt;divandgt;andlt;Iandgt;"Bad Religionandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"Ross Douthat's thoughtful, articulate, wide-ranging, sometimes contrarian and always provocative new book asks a tough question: Why has Christianity been so misunderstood, and so misused, in the past few decades?
Review
"andlt;Iandgt;Bad Religion andlt;/Iandgt;is nothing short of prophetic. In a time of religious, political, and cultural upheaval, Ross Douthat tells the American faithfuland#8212;liberals, conservatives, and everybody in betweenand#8212;not what we want to hear, but what we desperately need to hear. With this provocative and challenging work that no thoughtful Christian can afford to ignore, Douthat assures his place in the first rank of his generation's public intellectuals."andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Rod Dreher, author of andlt;Iandgt;Crunchy Consandlt;/Iandgt; and senior editor of andlt;Iandgt;The American Conservativeandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"A brilliantly reasoned argument for orthodox Christianity and the need for vibrant faith in society.
Review
"Mr. Douthat offers a lively, convincing argument for what kind of religion we need."
Review
"Bad Religion" is an important book. It brings a probing, perceptive analysis to bear on the tragic hollowing out of American Christianity. In Douthat, readers have a guide who explains how we ended up drinking at a narcissistic trough draped in spirituality that doesn't quench anybody's deepest thirst...."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Not only is Ross Douthat's account of orthodox Christianity's decline provocative, but his critique of today's ascendant heresies is compelling.
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Ross Douthat's thoughtful, articulate, wide-ranging, sometimes contrarian and always provocative new book asks a tough question: Why has Christianity been so misunderstood, and so misused, in the past few decades?
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A brilliantly reasoned argument for orthodox Christianity and the need for vibrant faith in society.
Review
"Not only is Ross Douthatand#8217;s account of orthodox Christianityand#8217;s decline provocative, but his critique of todayand#8217;s ascendant heresies is compelling. This volume is a sustained proof of Chestertonand#8217;s thesis that when people turn from God, 'they donand#8217;t believe in nothingand#8212;they believe in anything.' Everyone who is interested in why the church is faring as it is in U.S. culture today needs to get this book."andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City
Review
andlt;Iandgt;"Bad Religionandlt;/Iandgt; is superb: sharply critical of the amazing variety of American religious pathologies, but fair; blunt in diagnosis, but just; telling a dark tale, but telling it hopefully. For those trying to understand the last half-century or more of American religion, and to strive for a better future, it is an indispensable book."andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Alan Jacobs, author of andlt;Iandgt;The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewisandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"Ross Douthat's thoughtful, articulate, wide-ranging, sometimes contrarian and always provocative new book asks a tough question: Why has Christianity been so misunderstood, and so misused, in the past few decades? From those who (foolishly) watered down the most basic Christian beliefs, to those who (falsely) promised worldly success to the followers of Jesus, the values of orthodoxy (literally, "right belief") have often been blithely set aside. With an impressive command of both history and contemporary social trends, Douthat shows not only how we ended up with a Christianity of our own making, but also how we can reclaim an adherence to the teachings of the real Jesusand#8212;not just the convenient one."andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;James Martin, SJ, author of andlt;Iandgt;The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everythingandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;Iandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"A brilliantly reasoned argument for orthodox Christianity and the need for vibrant faith in society. In this perceptive and timely work, Ross Douthat extolls the and#8216;vital centerand#8217; of belief while calling out the fashionable heretics among us. This is one and#8216;Bad Religionand#8217; we can all believe in."andlt;BRandgt;and#8212;Raymond Arroyo, andlt;Iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; bestselling author, host of EWTN's andlt;Iandgt;The World Over Liveandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Synopsis
From the popular New York Times columnist, a powerful and original critique of how American Christianity has gone astray--and the deeply troubling consequences for American life and politics.
As the youngest-ever op-ed columnist for the New York Times, Ross Douthat has emerged as one of the most provocative and influential voices of his generation. In Bad Religion he offers a masterful and hard-hitting account of how American Christianity has gone off the rails--and why it threatens to take American society with it.
Writing for an era dominated by recession, gridlock, and fears of American decline, Douthat exposes the spiritual roots of the nation's political and economic crises. He argues that America's problem isn't too much religion, as a growing chorus of atheists have argued; nor is it an intolerant secularism, as many on the Christian right believe. Rather, it's bad religion: the slow-motion collapse of traditional faith and the rise of a variety of pseudo-Christianities that stroke our egos, indulge our follies, and encourage our worst impulses.
These faiths speak from many pulpits--conservative and liberal, political and pop cultural, traditionally religious and fashionably "spiritual"--and many of their preachers claim a Christian warrant. But they are increasingly offering distortions of traditional Christianity--not the real thing. Christianity's place in American life has increasingly been taken over, not by atheism, Douthat argues, but by heresy: debased versions of Christian faith that breed hubris, greed, and self-absorption.
In a story that moves from the 1950s to the age of Obama, he brilliantly charts institutional Christianity's decline from a vigorous, mainstream, and bipartisan faith--which acted as a "vital center" and the moral force behind the civil rights movement--through the culture wars of the 1960s and 1970s to the polarizing debates of the present day. Ranging from Glenn Beck to Barack Obama, Eat Pray Love to Joel Osteen, and Oprah Winfrey to The Da Vinci Code, Douthat explores how the prosperity gospel's mantra of "pray and grow rich," a cult of self-esteem that reduces God to a life coach, and the warring political religions of left and right have crippled the country's ability to confront our most pressing challenges and accelerated American decline.
His urgent call for a revival of traditional Christianity is sure to generate controversy, and it will be vital reading for all those concerned about the imperiled American future.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Ross Douthatandlt;/bandgt; is a columnist for andlt;iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; op-ed page. He is the author of andlt;iandgt;Privilegeandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Grand New Partyandlt;/iandgt;. Before joining the andlt;iandgt;Timesandlt;/iandgt; he was a senior editor for andlt;iandgt;The Atlanticandlt;/iandgt;. He is the film critic for andlt;iandgt;National Reviewandlt;/iandgt;, and he has appeared regularly on television, including andlt;iandgt;Charlie Roseandlt;/iandgt;, PBS andlt;iandgt;Newshourandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Real Timeandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;The Colbert Reportandlt;/iandgt;.