--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's clearly the case that there's not…" description: "\"It's clearly the case that there's not some moment in American history when every evangelical is holding hands with every Catholic who is holding hands..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/ross-douthat-2949_all-kinds_it-s-clearly-the-case-that-there-s-not-s_1340356.png" --- # It's clearly the case that there's not some moment in… ![“It's clearly the case that there's not some moment in American history when every evangelical is holding hands with every Catholic who is holding hands with every mainline Methodist, or what have you. Obviously, American Christianity was deeply divided in all kinds of ways at mid-century too. But…” quote by Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/ross-douthat-2949_all-kinds_it-s-clearly-the-case-that-there-s-not-s_1340356.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/ross-douthat-2949_all-kinds_it-s-clearly-the-case-that-there-s-not-s_1340356.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/ross-douthat-2949_all-kinds_it-s-clearly-the-case-that-there-s-not-s_1340356.png) > “It's clearly the case that there's not some moment in American history when every evangelical is holding hands with every Catholic who is holding hands with every mainline Methodist, or what have you. Obviously, American Christianity was deeply divided in all kinds of ways at mid-century too. But there was a kind of convergence going on. Even though Reinhold Niebuhr, the great mainline Protestant theologian, didn't think highly of Billy Graham, he and Graham still, clearly, had more in common, both theologically and in their attitudes toward religion in public life.” [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American Christianity, historically fragmented, showed a mid‑century trend where evangelical and mainline leaders began sharing theological and public‑policy views despite personal disagreements. **In simple terms:** Evangelicals and mainlines started aligning in beliefs and politics. Key Takeaway Recognize that ideological bridges can form even among rivals. Themes religion politics division convergence Mood thoughtful analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - mid‑century church conferences - interfaith dialogues - political lobbying - media commentary Key Concepts theology public life ecumenism Questions to Reflect On - What factors enable religious groups to find common ground? - How do personal biases affect public alliances? A Different Perspective Not all groups converged; many remained polarized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Convergence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convergence/) [Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical/) [Holding hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-hands/) [Methodists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/methodists/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Protestants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestants/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theologian/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Most mainline Protestant churches are, to one degree or another, post-Christian. 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