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Is Soft Totalitarianism Here? Rod Dreher and John Nelson in an Unbelievable? podcast special
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January 15, 2026
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1:19:48Now PlayingRecorded in Premier’s new London studios, John Nelson welcomes Rod Dreher for a wide-ranging conversation about freedom, faith, and the West’s growing spiritual hunger.
Drawing on his bestselling book Live Not By Lies, Dreher argues that today’s greatest threat is not Orwell-style tyranny but Huxley’s 'soft totalitarianism', a culture that trades liberty for comfort, safety, and approval. Together, they explore the cost of discipleship, why suffering still matters (from Solzhenitsyn to Bonhoeffer), and how “therapeutic” Christianity leaves believers unprepared for pressure and loss.
Dreher also reflects on meeting Nick Cave, the search for transcendence, and why many young adults are moving from scepticism to spirituality, sometimes via the occult. He concludes by introducing themes from his new book Living in Wonder, calling Christians to recover beauty, liturgy, prayer, and a hopeful (not naïve) vision for the future.
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