Tucker Carlson takes it to the Episcopalians

This current issue of WORLD includes an interview with Tucker Carlson, 43, editor in chief of The Daily Caller, a three-year-old Washington political news site. He is also a Fox News commentator. Here an excerpt from his interview we didn’t have room for in the magazine.

How would you define yourself theologically? Oh, I’m a Christian.

What does that mean? It means that I think this isn’t all there is. That there’s a God. That He sent Jesus to earth. I think He passes judgment on behavior. Some things are wrong not just because we find them distasteful, but because God is against them. I think there is order in the universe—things happen for a reason. I think we won’t know that reason until we die. I think there are always going to be some unresolved problems in this life, and real limits on wisdom and human decision-making. Basically, I think our world is truly imperfect, and always will be. I think I have a more realistic sense of what is possible in this world because of my faith in God.

You grew up an Episcopalian? I was baptized an Episcopalian. I grew up in California in basically a very secular family. In 10th grade, I went to boarding school in New England and started dating the daughter of the headmaster, who was an Episcopal priest. She was a very strong Christian, and still is. And I married her. She convinced me to take a look at the possibility of there being something beyond me, and I’m glad she did.

What did that outlook lead to? I became convinced of God’s existence. We still go to the Episcopal Church for all kinds of complicated reasons, but I truly despise the Episcopal Church in a lot of ways. They’re for gay marriage because it’s trendy. It’s another way to express how hip they are. They don’t care at all what God thinks of it, because they actually don’t believe in God. And then the fact that they sanction abortion. Are you joking? A church is for abortion? What?

You said you and your family go to an Episcopal church for all kinds of complicated reasons. Could you un-complicate that for us? Part of it’s inertia. Part is we really like the people. Part is that’s the world I grew up in. I love the liturgy. I can recite it without looking at it. Dumb stuff like that. Am I going to defend that? No. It’s totally indefensible. I’m a shallow guy! That’s why I still go to the Episcopal Church. But I like it! I just don’t want to think too hard about my money going to these pompous, blowhard, pagan creeps who run the church!

And what do your kids think about those pompous folks? When the chaplain is some twice-divorced, recovering alcoholic, 50-year-old woman who talks about Hinduism exclusively, my kids are like, “You’re a loser.” And they’re right! So it’s sad.