By now, you’ve probably heard of the new, allegedly “transgressive” Catholic subculture affiliated with the ever-nebulous so-called New Right. It’s everywhere — at least according to all the profiles we get every couple months, such as a fawning piece that just appeared in the New York Times. Perhaps this is an indication that the whole thing is now lame and passé, and that we can stop talking about it soon.
But not yet. After all, First Things senior editor Julia Yost sees something in it. “Defiance of liberal pieties.” “This contrarian aesthetic.” Yes, the Church is a sign of contradiction to a world the New Right dislikes. And there’s the beauty, the tradition, the intellectual resources, and much more. All those things are good. But none of them are at the heart of Catholicism. How Catholicism’s new fans feel about that heart is harder to say.
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