The Intellectual Part of Christian Conservatism is Bankrupt


One of the best articles about Christian conservatism appeared recently. It demonstrates why the faith is harmed by getting in over its head into political and economic issues.

The link discusses the history of a site called First Things. I read a lot of articles published in First Things to discern what the political right wing of Catholicism is up to. I was surprised to learn First Things did not begin as a Catholic political rag.

The originators in 1990 intended it as an ecumenical magazine that would probe religious issues from many angles. High level thinkers in all branches of Christianity would carry on thoughtful exchanges. For a while it played its role well.

One of the big players in the magazine has been a personality I have always found to be a phony, George Weigel. Weigel and another fellow drove First Things into a full-throated endorsement of President W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. Remember "weapons of mass destruction?" This stupid move was a black eye on the magazine.

It also gave big endorsements of conservative Catholic Bishops and priests who later became front page villains in the sex scandals. Along with uncritical commentary on conservative Popes First Things became a campaign publication of the Republican Party. Today it carries few articles about intellectual debates among factions within the Catholic community nor with Protestant denominations. It does not do this because it has no ability to make an intellectual case for anything. Like the rest of conservative Catholicism the only issue is appointing anti abortion judges.

There seems no hope for ideas that compete well in the contemporary marketplace will be coming from the religious right in the form of either Catholics or Protestants.

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