Theologian and First Things editor R.R. Reno joins The Winston Marshall Show for a sweeping intellectual conversation on nationalism, identity, and the postwar consensus that still haunts the West.
Reno argues that the true crisis isn’t a conspiracy—but a consensus forged after WWII: a fear of nationalism, religion, and moral conviction, shaped by the horrors of Auschwitz and Hiroshima. He calls this the age of “weak gods”—a culture hollowed out by relativism, therapeutic liberalism, and meaning without truth.
From Karl Popper and the Open Society to the cult of DEI and the rise of populist rebellion, Reno makes the case that Western civilization is suffering from a kind of civilizational PTSD—and that only the return of “strong gods” like loyalty, love, and faith can offer redemption.
All this—postwar ideology, the collapse of civic trust, mass migration, shared mythos, and the spiritual malaise of modern life…
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
1:49 Populism and Its Global Phenomenon
4:32 The Return of Strong Gods
21:58 Karl Popper's "The Open Society and Its Enemies"
28:29 The Impact of Post-War Consensus on Education
47:33 The Return of Strong Gods and the Role of Love
1:09:32 The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Society
1:14:37 The Impact of Popper's Ideas on Conservatism
1:18:31 Loyalty and Fanaticism in Sports and Society
1:21:15 Nationalism vs. Patriotism
1:23:15 Censorship and the Never Again Mentality
1:27:54 The Death Throes of the Open Society Consensus
1:33:41 The Role of Strong Gods in Non-Western Countries
1:37:32 The Paradox of Western Ideologies
1:38:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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