I resonated with Ross Douthat’s suggestions for a recovery of Christianity in his book Bad Religion. If I were to add anything it would be an emphasis on revival within the church.
With that in mind, here are four potential touchstones for a recovery of Christianity. The first might be called the postmodern opportunity: the possibility that the very trends that have seemingly undone institutional Christianity could ultimately renew it.
First, such a faith should be political without being partisan. This means avoiding the nationalist temptations described in the last chapter without falling prey to quietism or indifference.
Second, a renewed Christianity should be ecumenical but also confessional .
Third, a renewed Christianity should be moralistic but also holistic .
Finally, a renewed Christianity should be oriented toward sanctity and beauty. In every crisis in the Christian past, it has been saints and artists—from Saint Francis down to John Wesley, Dante to Dostoevsky—who resurrected the faith from one of its many deaths.
Ross Douthat, Bad Religion, p. 284-291.
