Rod Dreher is one of the West’s most perceptive cultural chroniclers. A journalist, best-selling author, and Orthodox Christian, Rod’s work has long explored how individuals and communities can remain spiritually faithful in times of political decay, cultural collapse, and civilizational drift.
From The Benedict Option to Live Not By Lies and now Living in Wonder, Rod’s trilogy captures the arc of a society in crisis—and the spiritual resources still available to those who have eyes to see. Where others see decline, Rod urges preparation. Where others see only disenchantment, he finds the seeds of renewal.
Why did we invite him on?
Rod’s voice has become a rallying point for Christians seeking clarity in an age of confusion. His warnings about soft totalitarianism, cultural atomisation, and the return of the occult are no longer fringe—they’re increasingly obvious. But he speaks not just of dangers, but of hope: in spiritual discipline, in creative community, and in the rediscovery of wonder.
We wanted to understand how enchantment might be restored, why the therapeutic age has left us more dislocated than ever, and how Christians can live in truth without retreating from the world.
What did we talk about?
We began with the pivot in Rod’s recent work—from resisting lies to recovering wonder. As he explains, enchantment is not a return to magic, but a restoration of spiritual perception. It’s seeing the world as charged with meaning, as something not to be controlled, but participated in.
From there, we explored how the rise of the occult among Gen Z is not a rejection of spirituality, but a failure of the Church to provide compelling alternatives. In a culture awash with false enchantments, Rod argues that only the real thing—rooted in the sacred, not the self—can stand against the tide.
Our conversation also covered the dangers of therapeutic religion, the true meaning of hope, and the political limits of even the most sympathetic regimes. Drawing on his time in Hungary and his long engagement with Eastern European dissidents, Rod offers a vision of Christian life that is neither escapist nor triumphalist, but deeply rooted, liturgically formed, and culturally creative.
Watch here:
Rod is one of the most thoughtful commentators out there and exposes the extremes on both left and right for what they truly are. He reminds us constantly that we ignore history at our peril. Thanks for having him on.
Mr. Primitive root weiner. Such a nut.