The Top 5: From a Democratic civil war to JD Vance on faith and politics
Welcome to the latest edition of the Top 5 articles we’ve read this week. Each week, we read dozens of articles in the hope we find essays and reporting that speak to big ideas, trends, future looks, and incredible human stories. We hope you enjoy these articles, and do always let us know if you have a suggestion or a recommendation!
If this is a newsletter you look forward to each week, would you consider subscribing? We keep our annual membership at just $30, one of the lowest on Substack, so that this newsletter can be read by as many as possible. Do get in touch if this annual membership is cost prohibitive.
The Top 5 articles for your week:
“Tim Keller Preached the Superiority of Christianity, not Christians” (Christianity Today)
Because Marvin Olasky really captures so much of what we loved about Tim Keller in this book review, two years after his passing.
“JD Vance on His Faith and Trump’s Most Controversial Policies” (NYT)
Because this interview by Ross Douthat with Vice President JD Vance deserves to be discussed and considered, as the two discuss the Administration’s approach to immigration, trade and how the VP’s faith influences his politics.
“The Coming Democratic Civil War” (The Atlantic)
Because, as Jonathan Chait writes: “In recent years, the party’s internal divides have been defined almost entirely in relation to the issue positions taken by the groups. The most progressive Democrats have been the ones who advocated the groups’ positions most forcefully; moderate Democrats have been defined more by their relative lack of enthusiasm for the groups’ agenda than by any causes of their own. The Democratic Party’s flavors have been “progressive” and “progressive lite.” The abundance agenda promises to supply moderate Democrats with a positive identity, rather than merely a negative one.”
“The Delusion of Porn’s Harmlessness” (NYT)
Because Christine Emba observes that “[M]ost recently, the only people who seem willing to openly criticize the widespread availability of pornography tend to be right-leaning or religious, and so are instantly discounted — often by being disparaged as such. But cracks are beginning to appear in the wall…”
“They Built the Divisive Political Machine, Now They Blame Our Parenting” (Substack)
Because Johanna Maska, Michael’s former colleague, looks at how some political operatives have sowed polarization and division over the years, but now cast themselves as mere observers of the mess.
While I find there to be much to quibble with in Vance’s interview, I appreciate what Douthat brings out of Vance when he has the opportunity.