A New Golden Age of Conversion
[Ed: HFL is not promoting a particular institutional religion. The opinions are the authors. HFL does, however, support individual spiritual faith in God, the Bible and Judeo-Christian values and principles.]
By Ryan Quinn – July 11, 2024
The twentieth century has a history of Babel building. The various Marxist and fascist movements sought to create utopias on earth. They were unsuccessful. World War I was to be “the war to end all wars.” It destroyed a continent and killed a generation of young men. Those who survived were oftentimes disillusioned with the established order. This so-called “Lost Generation” was immortalized by writers like Ernest Hemingway, who described a listless and degenerate group of friends in The Sun Also Rises. His peer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, described powerless and frustrated youths in his debut novel, This Side of Paradise:
Here was a new generation, shouting the old cries, learning the old creeds, through a revery of long days and nights; destined finally to go out into that dirty gray turmoil to follow love and pride; a new generation dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken.
This response is sympathetic. To have one’s faith in man shaken might be a disturbing thought to some. But it is no surprise to those familiar with Scripture: “Put no trust in princes, in children of Adam powerless to save” (Psalm 146:3).
It seems that modern history has reaffirmed a truth that was already revealed in the Old Testament: faith in humans and faith in God have an inverse relationship. As one goes up, the other goes down. In his book You Can Understand the Bible, Peter Kreeft discusses the turmoil of the ancient Israelites. In one of the lessons, Kreeft wrote that “golden ages” are the exception to the norm of human history. It was true for the ancient Hebrew people; it is true for us today.
T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” was a poem about the disorder of political and domestic life. Eliot describes a sad and confusing existence. Algis Valiunas, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a contributing editor of The New Atlantis, wrote that Eliot’s conversion to Christianity helped to bring a sense of order to his life. After “The Wasteland,” Eliot’s poetry became more hopeful and reflected his spiritual growth toward Christianity.
People must be made aware that the Church is not another suspicious human institution but a divine institution.
C.S. Lewis, a veteran of World War I, left atheism through a scholarly and logic-based conversion to Christianity outlined in his spiritual memoir Surprised by Joy. Lewis and Eliot were not alone. The trend toward conversion among the intelligentsia was prominent, as Philip and Carol Zaleski note in their book The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams. The Zaleskis point toward criticisms of the new conversions among the scholarly class, notably atheist Kathleen Nott’s The Emperor’s Clothes: an Attack on the Dogmatic Orthodoxy of T.S. Eliot, Graham Greene, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, and Others.
Lewis, Eliot, and others demonstrate a precursor to modern conversion movements. Comedian, actor, and cultural commentator Russell Brand recently announced his baptism. Candace Owens, Rob Schneider, Shia LaBeouf, and Tammy Peterson all recently converted as well. Jordan Peterson, an outspoken critic of corruption within institutions such as the government, media, and academia, initially delivered a message of order. Humans, if they are to thrive, must create order within an inherently chaotic world. Hence, Peterson’s famous “clean your room” ethos. Close observers watched Peterson speak positively of Christianity and, now, he urges his followers to pick up their crosses. Peterson appeared on Matt Fradd’s podcast recently and discussed, among other things, the recent conversions to Christianity by members of the intelligentsia. Peterson suggested that Joe Rogan may soon convert, a comment notable for Rogan’s previous criticisms of the Christian faith.
It has been reported that Catholicism has become en vogue in the downtown Manhattan scene. In the summer of 2022, the New York Times opinion section ran a piece titled “New York’s Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church” written by Julia Yost, a senior editor at First Things magazine. Yost described a surge of hip young people in downtown Manhattan embracing the Catholic faith. Recently, the popular internet star Logan Paul had Christian apologist and pastor Cliffe Knechtle and his son on his podcast to discuss the logic of faith in Christ. Word on Fire even noted that Bill Maher’s rhetoric toward Christianity has grown increasingly positive.
This modern movement is reminiscent of the conversions of Lewis and Eliot. Both are responses to disorder in society and distrust of human institutions. Both movements are rooted in logic. The converts today and then are erudite in their search for the truth. Brand, Peterson, and others are searchers. Like Lewis, they are familiar with mythology and the religions of the world. They embrace logic and seek the truth through open discourse, and some are stumbling upon the Truth.
Human institutions are in a crisis of mistrust amongst the average person. This can lead to nihilism and hedonism, as it did for many of the Lost Generation and so many today—or it can lead to a new faith in God, as it did for T.S. Eliot. Distrust of institutions and a premium on logic will send people searching for answers until they find the Truth and satisfy their desire for order. In fact, this was the exact question Jordan Peterson asked when he spoke with Matt Fradd, seemingly paraphrasing St. Peter: What else are you going to do?
If people realize that they cannot put their faith in human institutions and do not succumb to nihilism, the Church should prepare to offer an answer to this disillusionment. People must be made aware that the Church is not another suspicious human institution but a divine institution.
Ryan Quinn is a writer, teacher, and comedian from Queens, New York. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and will soon receive his Master’s degree in American History from Gettysburg College. You can connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) at @rjquinn10 and Instagram at @rjqqqqqq.
