J.D. Vance’s memoir “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith” electrifies the cultural debate by tracing his shift from evangelical childhood to Catholic adulthood.
Early Faith and Decline
Vance describes a childhood steeped in community, songs, and a personal relationship with Jesus, a world captured in the Warner Sallman painting that hung in his grandmother’s home.
He abandoned that faith not through intellectual arrogance but because simplistic answers from church leaders failed to address his doubts, leaving him unsatisfied with promises of instant transformation.
By the time he left the Marines, Vance had discarded the remaining religious convictions of his youth.
Secular Turn and Intellectual Influences
In his twenties, he filled the void with partying and Objectivism, famously citing Tucker Max’s “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” and mocking a college friend’s early commitment.
His study of Ayn Rand’s works cemented his identity as a self‑proclaimed atheist and meritocrat, propelling him into Yale Law School.
At Yale, he observed classmates obsessed with financial security, echoing the same relentless ambition he saw back home.
Return to Spirituality
After law school, Vance became “Christian‑curious” while living with his Hindu wife, Usha, and enrolling in an online Old Testament course.
He approached Genesis as a skeptic, discovering a richness he had missed, and credits Usha’s encouragement for pushing him toward belief.
Vance cites Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical, as a cornerstone of his Catholic perspective, emphasizing duty to families, labor unions, and the moral responsibilities of capitalism.
Personal Loss and Moral Vision
He recounts the death of friend Charlie Kirk, describing his inability to comfort Erika Kirk and his turn to Psalm 73 for solace.
Usha’s revelation that she regretted having only two children with Charlie motivated Vance’s renewed focus on family and faith.
Vance argues that Christianity provides America’s shared moral language, from the Revolution through the Civil War and beyond, without claiming that one must be Christian to be American.
Promotional Note
The editor’s note from PJ Media urges readers to join the VIP program with promo code FIGHT for a 60% discount, positioning the publication as a voice for patriotic voters.
