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For what it's worth, I found in the comments to this article a discussion by the author of why he doesn't like David French: https://www.residentcontrarian.com/

by kemayo 5y ago

For what it's worth, I found in the comments to this article a discussion by the author of why he doesn't like David French: https://www.residentcontrarian.com/p/nobody-will-admit-the-best-novel/comment/6291596?s=r https://www.residentcontrarian.com/p/nobody-will-admit-the-b... So I don't know about "hates", but he really does dislike the man.

haswell 5y ago
Interesting, thanks for sharing that. He does follow this up to clarify: > Something like that. Mostly I don't hate him, he just bothers me. I really wish he wasn't the banner-carrier for mainstream Christianity/Conservatism, but I don't wish he'd fall off a cliff or whatever. I'm not sure if the reviewer's issue with French is rooted in French's willingness to explore nuance in a way that makes christians/conservatives uncomfortable, or if it's because French embraces positions that are really not compatible with the 2022 version of conservatism while still aligning himself with that movement. In either case, it seems like a position that isn't particularly relevant to the primary content of the review. I will say it was probably an unnecessary distraction to mention him at all, but I don't think that distraction warrants ignoring everything else the reviewer writes.
brimble 5y ago
Interesting. That appears to explain why the review has a strong, "quirky, 'hip' campus Christian newsletter" vibe.
jancsika 5y ago
I got the sense the author wanted to construct an example that would be so obvious as to be laughable. But I immediately thought of Christina Hoff Sommers' claim that feminism has changed to the point that she believes she now looks like an outsider because of it. Is it the truth, or PR? I agree it's annoying that this narrative is so common, but if I spent all my time getting angry about that kind of PR I wouldn't have time to do anything else. I think we just have to bear it and trust people to dig to find out the truth. Alternatively, we can also just not care too deeply about the answer and blithely ask on HN-- can someone in the know tell me if David French complains about a specific denomination of Christians, or Christians as a whole? If it is a specific denomination, where do I go to find out a) what a critical mass of that specific denomination thinks about the world, and b) what a critical mass of that specific denomination does about the members of their church that seem to be trolling the rest of us?
- jimbokun 5y ago
  In brief, he mainly complains about Christians blindly following Donald Trump and the current Republican Party. And has written a lot about cases of sexual abuse by Christian pastors and leaders. I greatly admire French and agree that his views have stayed consistent, while the beliefs and actions of most of those who shared the label "Conservative Christian" have greatly changed, or at least been exposed.

by kemayo 5y ago

haswell 5y ago

Interesting, thanks for sharing that. He does follow this up to clarify: > Something like that. Mostly I don't hate him, he just bothers me. I really wish he wasn't the banner-carrier for mainstream Christianity/Conservatism, but I don't wish he'd fall off a cliff or whatever. I'm not sure if the reviewer's issue with French is rooted in French's willingness to explore nuance in a way that makes christians/conservatives uncomfortable, or if it's because French embraces positions that are really not compatible with the 2022 version of conservatism while still aligning himself with that movement. In either case, it seems like a position that isn't particularly relevant to the primary content of the review. I will say it was probably an unnecessary distraction to mention him at all, but I don't think that distraction warrants ignoring everything else the reviewer writes.

brimble 5y ago

Interesting. That appears to explain why the review has a strong, "quirky, 'hip' campus Christian newsletter" vibe.

jancsika 5y ago

I got the sense the author wanted to construct an example that would be so obvious as to be laughable. But I immediately thought of Christina Hoff Sommers' claim that feminism has changed to the point that she believes she now looks like an outsider because of it. Is it the truth, or PR? I agree it's annoying that this narrative is so common, but if I spent all my time getting angry about that kind of PR I wouldn't have time to do anything else. I think we just have to bear it and trust people to dig to find out the truth. Alternatively, we can also just not care too deeply about the answer and blithely ask on HN-- can someone in the know tell me if David French complains about a specific denomination of Christians, or Christians as a whole? If it is a specific denomination, where do I go to find out a) what a critical mass of that specific denomination thinks about the world, and b) what a critical mass of that specific denomination does about the members of their church that seem to be trolling the rest of us?

jimbokun 5y ago
In brief, he mainly complains about Christians blindly following Donald Trump and the current Republican Party. And has written a lot about cases of sexual abuse by Christian pastors and leaders. I greatly admire French and agree that his views have stayed consistent, while the beliefs and actions of most of those who shared the label "Conservative Christian" have greatly changed, or at least been exposed.