Hillbilly Elegy

war on Christmas than about any
particular character trait that a Christian
should aspire to have. I recalled that
moment with Mamaw as an instance of
secularist thinking rather than an act of
Christian love. Morality was defined by
not participating in this or that particular
social malady: the gay agenda,
evolutionary theory, Clintonian
liberalism, or extramarital sex. Dad’s
church required so little of me. It was
easy to be a Christian. The only
affirmative teachings I remember
drawing from church were that I
shouldn’t cheat on my wife and that I
shouldn’t be afraid to preach the gospel
to others. So I planned a life of