Ross Douthat on American Religion and Where Martin Luther was Right and Wrong

On this episode, New York Times Opinion columnist Ross Douthat tells Russell Moore where he's wrong on Catholicism and American culture. Kind of.

Douthat and Moore consider what it looks like for Christians to engage civically without surrendering to the relentless urgency of the political cycle. They discuss the Roman Catholic Church and what's happening at the intersection of religion, American culture, and world culture. They have a rich discussion of Douthat's religious upbringing, corruption in religious hierarchies, and when Martin Luther did (and didn't) have a point. They talk about Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis, the insufficiency of punditry, and whether or not America is a post-Christian nation.

Their discussion plays by the "Tell Me Where I'm Wrong" rules: Moore is only allowed to ask questions that seek to understand the guest's point of view, and if he starts to argue, the guest is supposed to stop him.

Episodes in the "Tell Me Where I'm Wrong" series include:

• Bill McKibben Tells Me Where I’m Wrong About Cultural Christianity
• Shane Claiborne Tells Me Where I’m Wrong on the Death Penalty
• Ligon Duncan Tells Me Where I'm Wrong on Infant Baptism

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• Bad Religion by Ross Douthat
• The Deep Places by Ross Douthat 
• The apologetic works of C.S. Lewis 
• The apologetic works of G.K. Chesterton
• The Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther
• Confessions of a Catholic by Michael Novak
• To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism by Ross Douthat

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“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today 

Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper 

Host: Russell Moore 

Producer: Ashley Hales 

Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps 

CT Administration: Christine Kolb 

Social Media: Kate Lucky 

Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens 

Production Assistance: coreMEDIA

Audio Engineer: Kevin Duthu 

Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort 

Video Producer: John Roland 

Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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