In this conversation, author Ross Douthat draws from the tradition to tackle a foundational question: Why believe?

Amid evidence that America’s long trend of secularization has leveled off, a perception of the limits of a strictly materialist worldview, and growing dissatisfaction with “do it yourself” approaches to spirituality, what does traditional faith uniquely offer those seeking truth in our time?

New York Times columnist and author Ross Douthat joins us for this conversation, making the case for Christianity and rejecting atheism, all through the lens of reason:

 “I think secularization as a deep and profound phenomenon is not real, as you can tell. I think the world remains shot through with miracle and mystery and enchantment.” – Ross Douthat 

We hope this conversation provides a look at faith from a fresh angle, and encourages you in practicing traditional faith as an answer to the search for truth in our time.

This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in February 2025. Watch the recording here.

Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:

Ross Douthat for The New York Times

Matter of Opinion Podcast

The Deep Places: A memoir of Illness and Discovery

The Decadent Society to Change the Church

To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism

Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics

Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious

Bethel McGrew, on left vs. right brain of Christianity

Related Trinity Forum Readings:

The Wager; Blaise Pascal

The Strangest Story in the World; G.K. Chesterton

A Practical View of Real Christianity; William Wilberforce

God’s Grandeur: Gerard Manley Hopkins selection of poems; Gerard Manley Hopkins

Related Conversations:

A World Transformed with Tom Holland

The Strangest Story in the World: G.K. Chesterton and the Incarnation with Dale Ahlquist

Truth and Trust with Francis Collins

Faith in an Empirical World with Ard Louis and Tremper Longman

To listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to join the Trinity Forum Society and help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum Society.