“You start reading C.S. Lewis, then you’re reading G.K. Chesterton, then you’re a Catholic.” ReadingCatholic Author:Ross Douthat
“In many ways, American evangelicalism is somewhat stronger today than it was in, say 1955 - certainly more mainstream and influential in the culture as a whole. But, the increased strength of evangelicalism hasn't increased fast enough to compensate for the total collapse of mainline Protestantism and the pretty steady weakening of my own Roman Catholic Church.” WayEnoughWholeTodayCultureChurchMy OwnStrongerCatholicSteadyMainstreamCollapseInfluentialCatholic ChurchWeakeningProtestantismRoman CatholicRoman Catholic Church Author:Ross Douthat
“It's clearly the case that there's not some moment in American history when every evangelical is holding hands with every Catholic who is holding hands with every mainline Methodist, or what have you. Obviously, American Christianity was deeply divided in all kinds of ways at mid-century too. But there was a kind of convergence going on. Even though Reinhold Niebuhr, the great mainline Protestant theologian, didn't think highly of Billy Graham, he and Graham still, clearly, had more in common, both theologically and in their attitudes toward religion in public life.” ThinkingWayKindStillsMomentsHandsCommonAttitudeChristianityCasesCenturyCatholicAll KindsDividedAmerican HistoryTheologianPublic LifeProtestantsEvangelicalHolding HandsMethodistsConvergence Author:Ross Douthat
“I think it is very clear that, though great difference remained, evangelicals moved closer to Catholics, mainline Protestants and evangelical Protestants moved closer together, and this convergence coincided with greater institutional strength for all the Christian churches than, for the most part, you see today.” ThinkingTodayChristianTogetherDifferencesChurchClearGreaterCatholicMovedProtestantsEvangelicalChristian ChurchConvergence Author:Ross Douthat
“My mother converted when I was 16. She was the driving force behind religion in our family. So, I'm sure I was heavily influenced by that. But, I also was, and still am, convinced by the Catholic churches historical claims to represent the continuity with the early Church that other forms of Western Christianity lack.” StillsFormMotherForceChurchBehindsChristianityClaimsCatholicHistoricalWesternConvincedDrivingOur FamilyContinuityCatholic ChurchDriving Force Author:Ross Douthat
“I read a lot of G.K. Chesterton. It was a fairly conventional intellectual path to the Catholic church, I would say.” ChurchPathIntellectualCatholicConventionalCatholic Church Author:Ross Douthat
“Institutional Christianity has had clear secular benefits to American life for hundreds of years. It's played both a prophetic role in terms of generating moral critiques of American excesses, and so on, and also a communal role, in terms of building community as the country moved westward to the role my own Catholic Church played in assimilating generations of immigrants.” YearsCountryTermCommunityChurchMy OwnMoralChristianityRolesClearGenerationsBuildingBenefitsCatholicMovedImmigrantsExcessSecularCatholic ChurchCritiqueAmerican LifePropheticBuilding Community Author:Ross Douthat
“During a frustrating argument with a Roman Catholic cardinal, Napoleon Bonaparte supposedly burst out: “Your eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?” The cardinal, the anecdote goes, responded ruefully: “Your majesty, we, the Catholic clergy, have done our best to destroy the church for the last 1,800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you.”” YearsDoneLastsChurchArgumentCatholicCatholicismFrustratingMajestyCatholic ChurchCardinalsClergyAnecdotesEminenceRoman CatholicBonaparte Author:Ross Douthat
