Crunchy Cons, by Rod Dreher

I’m a self-proclaimed political junky, so I was especially excited about Rod Drehers Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party). Notwithstanding my love for politics, how could you not want to dive into a book with a subtitle like that?

Through what he calls “crunchy conservatism,” Dreher calls for a return to true conservative values. He argues that today’s Republican Party has perverted the traditional conservative values of the importance of family, of home and of fiscal responsibility. For Dreher and his Crunchy Cons, today’s Republicans are not superior to their Democratic counterparts, only the lesser (barely) of two evils.

Dreher rounds up a diverse group of families and individuals that are living the Crunchy Con lifestyle and tells their stories. Although they come from different parts of the country and live in very different ways (some live in urban communities, others have moved to large farms to live more self-sufficiently), they share many common bonds that make them Crunchy Cons: centrality of the family, distrust of both big government and big business, intentionality in their choices, especially in the realms of what they eat, where they live and how they educate their children, and, typically, some form of religious belief.

Shouting “amens” in my head after nearly every chapter, so much of Dreher’s Crunchy Conservatism resonated with me. The platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties and, especially, the politicians representing those parties, do so little to excite me these days. Crunchy Cons gave me hope that there are other people out there fed up with the rancor of today’s political environment, bored by the lack of choices offered by the major political parties, and saddened by the amorality and self-absorption evident in so many of our politicians.

As I reached the end of the book, I was hoping for a call to action, a practical way to make Crunchy Cons less of an idea and more of a movement. Dreher doesn’t offer much in the way of useful advice or a sure-fire way to Crunchy Con membership, but I think what Crunchy Cons lacks in practical guidance, it makes up for in giving a voice to the yearnings that many of us have been feeling for some time. Many of us are living unsustainable lives, or at least lives that don’t mesh with our values. Dreher is calling for a return to intentionality in everything we do - even if it is something as simple as deciding where to buy your next tomato. I’m still processing what that kind of intentionality means to me, but I can’t help but think that making more thoughtful choices in all aspects of my life will only deepen my relationships with my community, with my family and with our Creator.