# Ross Douthat: Why Evangelicalism Is Winning Canonical: https://brew.new/templates/substack/ross-douthat-why-evangelicalism-is-winning Brand: substack.com Category: promotional ![Preview of Ross Douthat: Why Evangelicalism Is Winning](https://cdn.brew.new/email-preview-6afc4fecaa877541-tracking_r57z1mpvtnwavf8jp206m30jwx8grwk0-1792693315009.png) ## Email content Forwarded this email? Subscribe for more The Big ReadThursday, 10.22.2026View in App Upgrade to Listen Get the whole story. Join now.Ross Douthat: Why Evangelicalism Is Winning For all the buzz around a ‘Catholic century,’ evangelicalism is the denomination best placed to thrive in contemporary America. “The vibes of a Catholic moment are real enough, but evangelicalism’s resilience is our era’s more fundamental fact,” writes Ross Douthat. (Illustration by The Free Press) By Ross DouthatPREVIEW Ross Douthat has joined The Free Press as a weekly columnist, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. To celebrate his arrival, we’re running a flash sale for a limited time only. Read his writing every Thursday for 20 percent off an annual subscription. You’ll also get full access to everything we have on offer, from our columnists—Douglas Murray, Abigail Shrier, Niall Ferguson, to name just a few—to our podcasts, videos, events, and so much more. There’s no better time to subscribe. We hope you’ll join us. —The Editors Subscribe for 20% off Of all the predictions Alexis de Tocqueville made while surveying the youthful United States, one of the boldest concerned religion. Notwithstanding Protestantism’s apparent American dominance, the Frenchman prophesied that Roman Catholicism would be the long-term victor in a democratic age. “Our posterity will tend more and more to a single division into two parts,” he wrote in Democracy in America, with “some relinquishing Christianity entirely, and others returning to the bosom of the Church of Rome.” The last few years have given that prediction new life. From the spate of traditionalist-inclined college converts to the heretofore secular humanists who have thrilled to Pope Leo XIV’s critique of artificial intelligence, it often feels like Catholicism is the strongest religious alternative to post-Christian tribalism, nihilism, and transhumanism. Writing for the Catholic magazine Commonweal, Wesleyan University’s Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, himself a non-Catholic, envisions “a Catholic century,” in which the church’s thought becomes a “default option” for people seeking the common good amid liberalism’s crisis and AI-driven dehumanization. As a Catholic I have a similar reading of the intellectual situation. But it’s also essential to look beyond the intelligentsia to assess the health and future of religion. And in the wider culture, the form of Christianity that’s most adapted to late-modern America is clearly not the Church of Rome. It’s evangelical Protestantism. The vibes of a Catholic moment are real enough, but evangelicalism’s resilience is our era’s more fundamental fact... Continue reading 'Ross Douthat: Why Evangelicalism Is Winning' Or Become a paid subscriber today to enjoy unlimited access to The Free Press Unlock the world of The Free Press and stay ahead of the curve with our premium news articles. Annual $8.33/month Billed as $100 yearly Save $20! Monthly $10/month Billed monthly SUBSCRIBE NOW ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN COMMENT LIKE SHARE DOWNLOAD AS A PDF Become a paid subscriber To support our journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below. UPGRADE TODAY Download on the App Store © 2026 The Free Press 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe [Open and remix this design](https://brew.new/templates/substack/ross-douthat-why-evangelicalism-is-winning) [Browse email designs](https://brew.new/browse/templates)