E. Michael Jones

E. Michael Jones is the author and host of the Culture Wars magazine and podcast, where he critiques modernity, secularism, and Jewish influence from a Catholic perspective.

Overview

Jones’ work blends theology, history, and social analysis, and takes an unapologetic stance against liberal orthodoxy. He regularly appears on podcasts and YouTube channels, engaging in debates that challenge establishment narratives on topics like immigration and globalism.

He founded and edits Culture Wars magazine, and hosts the Culture Wars podcast. He has written numerous books, including The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit and Libido Dominandi, which argue that cultural decline stems from moral and spiritual subversion.

His style is polemical, direct, and rooted in Catholic traditionalism, appealing to those skeptical of mainstream cultural trends.

Themes

Fourth American Republic

Jones argues that U.S. history can be divided into four distinct “republics” based on their foundational underpinnings.

• The First Republic began with the Constitution, and was based in Enlightenment and Protestant principles.
• The Second Republic began after the Civil War, and was dominated by industrialism, capitalism, and Northern political power.
• The Third Republic began after WWII, and was characterized by centralized federal power and bureaucracy.
• The Fourth Republic is emergent, and will be a conflict between Catholics and Jews over a return to traditionalism and a rejection of liberalism.

Identity

Jones emphasizes Catholic identity over ethnic or racial identity, arguing that “white” is a modern social construct which not only lacks spiritual and historical depth, but is also doomed to fail; e.g. it’s still politically acceptable and defensible for one to say they believe X because they are Catholic, but they can’t claim the same simply because they are “white.” Furthermore, “whiteness” is a much narrower (potential) coalition than “Catholics.”

He subscribes to Theodore Allen’s position that “white” identity was created by the ruling class in the wake of Bacon’s Rebellion (1676-1677), to prevent the working class from uniting in a similar uprising again.

Logos

Logos in Greek (λόγος) translates to “word” or “reason.” As a proper noun, it has been used to signify “rationality” or, in the Christian context, the Word of God — Jesus Christ incarnate.

Jones equates Logos with Christ, and interprets history as a conflict between those with Logos and those without Logos. Civilizations ascend when they are in accord with Logos — aligned with trust, beauty, and the divine moral order.

For Jones, the French Revolution, Marxism, and contemporary secular liberalism are examples of regimes or systems of thought that operated without Logos, and thus descended into tyranny. He believes each of our individual actions and spirits should strive to elevate and propagate Logos daily.

Revolutionary Spirit

In his study of history, Jones attributes periods of great systemic change to a “revolutionary spirit” within people, and says the history of Jews demonstrates their higher propensity for engaging in this spirit.

Regardless, most of these major sociopolitical revolutions lead to moral and societal collapse, regardless of how noble were their original intentions.

Sexual Revolution

Jones believes the “sexual revolution” from the 1960s — 70s was both destructive and destabilizing to the prevailing social order, when men and women were considerate and virtuous with their sexuality and bodies.

The sexual revolution unleashed a flurry of modernist sensibilities which perverted the natural order. He believes that true freedom comes not from liberation from sexual morality, but rather from the submission to divine law, wherein authentic personal and social harmony emerge.

Triple Melting Pot

… by the 1920’s, grandsons and great-grandsons of the earlier immigrants were becoming increasingly plentiful… The third generation, in short, really managed to get rid of the immigrant foreignness… But what group could they belong to? The old-line ethnic group, with its foreign language and culture, was not for them; they were Americans… Men were Catholics, Protestants, or Jews, categories based less on theological than on social distinctions” (Handlin).

—Will Herberg, The Triple Melting Pot, Commentary Magazine, August 1955

Jones frequently references the theory that Americans can be most prudently grouped into Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish identities. At America’s founding, Protestants were the dominant group; since WWII, Jews have been disproportionately powerful.

By this theory, he argues that religious identity drives social cohesion; that culture wars are reflections of religious conflicts; and that Catholics alone retain the moral and intellectual tradition needed to restore order (Logos) to America’s fractured society.