The Urgency of Wonder
Re-enchanted Christianity as a Negative World Survival Skill
by Rod Dreher
The word “enchantment” is annoying and twee. It brings to mind a vision of Disney magic, of sparkles, glitter, sugarplum fairies, and the aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking in grandmother’s oven. Unfortunately, it is the word sociologist Max Weber used to identify the “disenchanted” way we all live in the post-Enlightenment world.
So when I argue that re-enchantment is a necessary survival skill for Christians in the “negative world,” as Aaron Renn calls contemporary culture, with its anti-Christian fundamentalism, it’s important to clarify that I’m not urging readers to bring smells, bells, and a faith-friendly version of New Age woo into their religious lives. No, what I mean by enchantment is something far more substantial. In fact, because it has to do with the metaphysical reality of how we live, and move, and have our being, it’s the most real thing there is.
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Rod Dreher is a contributing editor to Touchstone. He is a writer and blogger and the author of several books, including The Benedict Option (2017) and Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents (2020).
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