In the latest episode of On The Line, host Jen Gerson sits down with Ross Douthat, a columnist with the New York Times who was in Ottawa this week to deliver the inaugural Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by Christian think tank Cardus. Jen presses Ross on his now-infamous column from earlier this year arguing that Canada should “join Empire America” — and why he thinks that idea was worth advancing.
Gerson and Douthat dig into why that column hit such a nerve, what Ross was actually arguing, and how Canadians misunderstand both American politics and themselves. They explore the themes behind his Ottawa lecture, including the shifting religious and political landscape in the United States, and how those shifts ripple north of the border.
The conversation then turns to the rise of Christian nationalism. What does this movement really represent? Why is it gaining traction? And what do Canadians — especially those who comment on American politics — get right, and very likely wrong, about its causes and its future?
You can find more of Ross Douthat’s work in the New York Times, on the podcast The Argument, and in his books, including The Decadent Society.
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