Source: The Dispatch
by Jake Meador
“For defenders of political liberalism there is perhaps no more pressing problem than this: How do you make a compelling case for liberalism in an era of ascendant strong gods? The idea of ‘strong gods’ comes from the book Return of the Strong Gods by R. R. Reno, editor of the conservative ecumenical journal First Things. By ‘strong gods’ Reno means the kind of visceral or agonistic forces that can compel political or social action through deeper existential or even guttural appeals. The strong gods work not by chiefly targeting the intellect, but the appetites. The techno-utopianism of entrepreneur and activist Peter Thiel is a kind of strong god.” (06/22/25)