Rod Dreher is a bestselling author and cultural critic known for his incisive commentary on faith, politics, and modern society. His landmark books The Benedict Option and Live Not By Lies have shaped conversations on Christian resilience in an age of decline, while his newest work, Living in Wonder, turns inward, exploring beauty, suffering, and the search for meaning. Dreher’s voice is unapologetically countercultural, drawing on Orthodox Christianity and a deep skepticism of modern ideological conformity.

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00:00 Intro
02:40 Exploring The Benedict Option
07:28 Writing books as a spiritual journey
09:00 Facing rejection from family
15:17 Moving forward with loved ones
19:45 Finding recovery through prayer
25:30 Seeing ourselves in Dante’s Inferno
32:15 Forgiveness and restoring peace at home
38:15 When public figures go through a divorce
45:15 Why women often initiate divorce
50:40 Holding on to faith in dark times
55:45 Wrestling with judgment and justice
1:01:30 The tension between mercy and truth
1:05:13 Confronting scandal in the Church
1:11:40 The road to converting to Orthodoxy
1:20:47 Evangelism and building real community
1:34:40 Responding to criticism while keeping faith
1:40:30 Creating redemptive media with Angel Studios
1:48:15 The coming decline of wokeness
1:57:40 Corruption across different nations
2:03:06 Living a life in pursuit of truth
2:07:10 Reflecting on J.D. Vance’s speech
2:15:08 The roots of the Muslim civil war
2:19:15 What’s ahead for the European Union
2:28:10 Bringing tradition back to the Church
2:35:14 Why cults are converting
2:36:15 Why so many are being labeled antisemitic
2:38:22 The rise of Benedict option knock-offs
2:39:45 Awakening to the nature of God
2:44:16 Where AI and tech are leading us
2:50:15 Rediscovering crunchy conservatism
2:54:20 Living with wonder and truth
2:59:00 Serving Christ in everything
3:04:49 Final reflections