‘ I'm Worried About Weimar America’
From Interesting Times by New York Times Opinion
July 9, 2026 · 1h 2m
About this episode
Rod Dreher discusses his concerns about the decline of Christianity and the potential rise of totalitarianism in America.
The work of Rod Dreher has a consistent theme: doom. He believes the collapse of Christianity has ushered civilizational decline in Europe, that we’ve traded our humanity for comfort, and he worries that totalitarianism is around the corner for the United States. “I’m worried about Weimar America,” he tells me. “It may not be Hitler 2.0, it may not be Stalin 2.0. It might be something all American, but it’s not going to be what we’re used to.” It’s best not to dismiss him; he’s been right before. We discuss how we got here and the dangers that still lie ahead when we grant godlike powers to our technology.
People in this episode
Host: Ross Douthat
Guest: Rod Dreher
Topics covered
- civilizational decline
- Christianity
- totalitarianism
- technology
- American society
Keywords
- Rod Dreher
- Weimar America
- totalitarianism
- civilizational decline
- Christianity
- technology
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Weimar America
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