The fact that Ross Douthat is getting a column in the NYT has recently become a controversy unto itself–as if things like the stimulus package, military policy, and healthcare reform didn’t give us enough to talk about. Most recent random example I’ve found is someone at The American Scene responding to Katha Pollitt. Notably, Brian Leiter is upset about this.

Here, I’m going to top dissent from every other secular type writing about this, and say I’m kinda glad. Most of the complaints about Douthat are all “he’s dumb because he took a position I disagree with.” You can make more substantial criticisms of him–I’ve criticized him for not understanding Russell’s Teapot–but on the whole Douthat is good at working out his ideas in a logical way. Consider Douthat on whether Obama is a Christian: rather than rant about how Obama isn’t a real Christian, Douthat took a close look at Obama’s remarks, noticed fine deviations from orthodoxy, then turned around and noted that lots of Americans are confused about theology and that John McCain is kinda pagan, and finally concluded that “I expect my Presidents to be heretics, but I think it matters a great deal what kind of heretics they are.” I think Douthat’s reasons for caring about the issue are crazy, but it still contains plenty of take-home information for infidels like me who are interested in American religion.