Ray Oliver Dreher Jr., known professionally as Rod Dreher, is an American conservative writer, editor, and journalist born on February 14, 1967, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Raised in the small town of St. Francisville, West Feliciana Parish, in a family of landowners—his father, Ray Oliver Dreher, was a local landowner and parish sanitation official—he attended the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, graduating in its inaugural class in 1985, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Louisiana State University in 1989. Dreher began his career as a film reviewer for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and chief film critic for the New York Post, later writing on religion, politics, film, and culture for outlets including National Review, The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review Online. He served as a columnist and senior editor at The American Conservative for 12 years until March 2023, when he transitioned to editor-at-large while continuing to contribute, where he is known for his commentary on politics, religion, and culture. An Eastern Orthodox Christian, Dreher converted from Methodism to Catholicism at age 26 before joining the Orthodox Church; his faith profoundly influences his work. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Benedict Option (2017), Live Not by Lies (2020), and The Little Way of Ruthie Leming, a memoir about his sister Ruthie's death from cancer, as well as other works such as Crunchy Cons and How Dante Can Save Your Life. Dreher has appeared on NPR, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and other networks. Previously based in places like Philadelphia, Dallas, and Baton Rouge, he now resides in Budapest, Hungary, with his wife and children, where he serves as a Senior Fellow at the Danube Institute, focusing on themes of cultural decline, Christian resilience, and re-enchantment.