The Catholic Book Club discussion

8. What question would you ask the author if you could? (I have lately become a regular reader of Dreher's blog (he has the best coverage of the current crisis in the Church from an American POV) and will invite him to join us to answer any questions we pose. Whether he will take me up on the invitation is another question.)

I would ask him why he left the Catholic Church?

Here is an article by Dreher about the presentation of the Italian version of the book we are discussing:
https://www.theamericanconservative.c...

In the introduction to a Spanish translation of this article, it says the following: Dreher, 51, a native of Baton Rouge (Louisiana) married and father of three children, was educated as a Methodist, converted to Catholicism in 1993 and converted in 2006 to Orthodoxy, according to his own statement because of the scandals of abuse that began to be known as of 2002.

This may be an answer to the preceding question.

I'd ask Dreher the following question:

Did you read John Senior's book The Restoration of Christian Culture?

It was written in 1983, long before Dreher's book, and both his diagnostic of the problems in our society and the solution he suggests (the application of St. Benedict's rule to the life of laymen families) are quite similar.

It surprised me that Dreher does not mention Senior in his book.

JH wrote: "I would ask him why he left the Catholic Church?"

He as written about this at length, including here: http://ideas.time.com/2013/09/29/im-s...

and he has a discussion of that article on his blog here: https://www.theamericanconservative.c...

His reasons for leaving do not justify leaving the one true Church. Worse yet, he spends so much of his time preaching to Catholics! Having heard Mr. Dreher speak, it is really hard to get an idea of what he thinks. He is all over the place and adapts his message to the audience...

JH wrote: "His reasons for leaving do not justify leaving the one true Church. Worse yet, he spends so much of his time preaching to Catholics! Having heard Mr. Dreher speak, it is really hard to get an idea ..."

JH, you seem to have issues with Dreher himself. That's fine, though I would suggest that the appropriate response is to pray for him. I have a very good friend who has gone through the exact same crisis that Dreher went through - our diocese transferred a priest with a background of sexual abuse to his parish and his parish school while his daughters were there and lied about it and covered it up. He didn't find out until much later. He once told me he would leave once his mother (in her late 80s) died. He ultimately changed his mind, but he has a deep well of anger and bitterness towards the hierarchy that may never ease.

More importantly, we are here to discuss his book, not whether or not Dreher was justified in leaving the Church.