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Christianity Today, February (Web-only), 2009 |

Q+A: David Brooks

The conservative New York Times columnist explains how socially conservative evangelicals can repair their public image.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 2/20/2009 10:57AM

As the Republican Party seeks to regain political control after the last election, some conservatives are calling for a new image.

"As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will ...

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DJE	Posted: March 03, 2009 6:56 PM

David Brooks is no leader of the conservatives. In fact his boy crush on Obama was down right embarrassing "Obama is a mountain." Please! Brooks is a weak kneed moderate. Have you ever watched him on the Jim Lear Report on PBS in the evening? He never stands up to his liberal counterpart Mark Shields. I can't even watch it anymore. When Paul Gigot was in that slot he was strong and stood his conservative ground. No conservative could support Obama like Brooks did during the election. He is a joke.

vrob125

Posted: March 03, 2009 4:18 PM


No mention of the party leader--Rush Limbaugh. I would have like to see David Brook's views on that particular representative. And I am finding it unbelievable that this triple married, cursing representative is in the forefront of the Republican Party. It is unbelievable that the "social conservatives" are a part of this combination. Very embarrassing.

JohnS

Posted: February 23, 2009 3:25 PM

This is of course exactly the wrong kind of commentary. Why is it assumed that Christians must be the core or the base of the REPUBLICAN party? Why is the party of war, torture, and tax cuts for the wealthy somehow the natural home for the followers of Jesus? I don't get it. Democrats aren't perfect, no human party is, but certainly they are more concerned with "the least of these" than the Republicans. And I seriously doubt Jesus would be a big fan of Gitmo or "black" CIA torture prisons. David Brooks is a fairly moderate Republican, but the point of this article seems to be how can we get the Repubs back in power. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to take a look at the alternative.

Roshan

Posted: February 22, 2009 6:30 AM


I think people like Bobby Jindal are the true politicians who should be bolstered in all way possible so that people like him could someday lead the nation.He is a very sophisticated politician with core Christian values. I agree with Morgan on how the Democrats are being portrayed as compassionate will the Christian Republicans are "of Satan"!

homebuilding

Posted: February 21, 2009 6:51 PM

Isn't it amazing how so called Christians feed on their own. David Brooks is one of the most articulate spokesmen for conservative causes on the East Coast. And what we have here is CT getting trashed for interviewing him. It does appear that christianity to many who read CT amounts to little more than making certain that all things Democratic Party are demonized and that every thing defined as "liberal" by religious and political am radio is considered to be "of Satan!" Does it occur to so called US conservative christians that Christ has come to save souls all over our great planet--and very, very few line up perfectly with the republican party. HBG (proud to be opposing the excesses of both the far right and the far left)

PD	Posted: February 21, 2009 5:22 PM


This is the same David Brooks who was dazzled by and drooled over Obama because he could talk about Niebuhr but trashed Sarah Palin who is inarguably conservative and pro-Christian. And we should care what he says ... why?

Sheri

Posted: February 21, 2009 4:55 PM

Was thrilled to see this interview with Brooks. He's one of my favorites. I agree with his observation about James Dobson. Too bad Dobson hasn't spent more of his time "focusing on the family." Why is he suddenly an expert on green house gases, et. al.? I look forward to seeing our younger evangelical generation emerging with core values to care for this world and each other, tranforming their culture with winsomeness, not because of political ideology but because of Christ in their lives. (I meant to choose 4 stars by the way -- the article should have been longer!)

Luke	Posted: February 21, 2009 4:20 PM

As a twenty-something, it seems very clear to me that Evangelicals will have to change the tone of their approach toward gay people if they want to shake the image of being mean-spirited and judgmental. People of my generation may have a diversity views around issues like gay marriage, but gay people aren't scary outsiders to be derided - they're our friends. The general impression is that Evangelicals would do anything to force gay people to go away, and that just doesn't compute with my generation. I think this will just have to be a generational shift. As younger people come into leadership they'll know how to communicate around gay issues in a very different way than is done now.

Morgan

Posted: February 21, 2009 11:25 AM

It's ironic and sad to me that the Democratic party has succeeded in portraying itself as the party of compassion, while evangelical Christians often come off as some of the most "un-compassionate" people around. Some of this is stereo-typing, but we have also done a lot to convey that impression. Somehow Christian compassion needs to pave the way. If Christians are going to be involved with the Republican party then somehow our compassion needs to come through more in our politics and the image we convey. I think many people voted Democrat this time because Republicans have come across as uncaring people who espouse high moral ideals but don't live by them nor care about those who don't live by them either. This is another sad irony, because surveys show that in practice, conservatives live and act more compassionately in daily life than do liberals. Somehow the true compassion of Christians has got to be displayed publicly in our politics.

Joe	Posted: February 21, 2009 11:20 AM


I fail to Mr. Brooks' basis for saying that Mr. Obama is "very sincere" and "very comfortable talking about religion in public life". Has Mr. Brooks talked with Mr. Obama's former pastor of 20 years? What are Mr. Obama core religious beliefs? Are they consistent with or based on the Bible?

Bennett

Posted: February 21, 2009 8:03 AM


The best thing Evangelical Christians could do to improve their image is to be Christians. What has become par for the secular culture has become par for Evangelical Christians. Our point of reference should be the teachings of Jesus rather than contemporary society.

Alison

Posted: February 20, 2009 5:28 PM


I like David Brooks. Thanks for interviewing him.

Charitas

Posted: February 20, 2009 4:06 PM

First, CT should be a little more discerning about who they choose as resources; specifically check out David Brook's resume. Second, focusing on public image as a solution. Seems like the Church today is only concerned about image and as a result have cultivated an unseemly character. We should stop worrying about our image and turn back to properly presenting our Savior. Lastly, here's another CT article I can file as an example completely devoid of mentioning God, Jesus, or Scripture; not even in a peripheral context are they considered.

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