Though Christianity has been a tremendous boon to Western civilization for a multitude of scientific, educational, economic, and moralistic reasons, its pathway to the present time has been laden with conflicts, scoffers and skeptics who tried to discredit its influence. Dr. Anderson carefully traces the roots and influences of Western civilization, noting specific cases in which Christianity has positively impacted society (e.g., through the establishment of universities, hospitals, governments, capitalism, individualism, charities, and the abolition of slavery). Christians have aspired through the centuries to live moral and pure lifestyles, often to the gasps of their anti-Christian counterparts who did what they could to discredit the Church.
As examples, Dr. Anderson points to the pagans in the Roman Empire who scoffed at their moral Christian counterparts, as exemplified by the writings of the pagan cynic, Celsus, and his Christian rival, Origen. He notes the elites of the "Enlightenment" who preferred not to live by Christian moral standards, the Church, or God's authority, because they preferred maximizing their own self-interests and immoral lifestyles. Furthermore, during the "Enlightenment" (which Dr. Anderson labels as "so-called"), elites in society tried to re-write Christianity, labeling it as anti-science and the Crusades as merciless, imperialist and proactive. Dr. Anderson points out the errors in this anti-Christian propaganda. He further elaborates on the elites whose views on Marxism, Communism, modernism, and post-modernism have shaped the past couple of hundred years. Through a very careful, scholarly analysis, Dr. Anderson resurrects the struggles endured by our Christian ancestors, which have been relegated to graveyards over the past few hundred years, and brings them into the light.
Although Christianity has had a monumental impact on society, the Church has not been without its controversies, which Dr. Anderson painstakingly examines and explains. For example, for centuries, depravity and debauchery imbued the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, with numerous church leaders falling prey. During this time, humble monks picked up the slack and advanced Christian culture.
His analysis further includes stories about specific elites through the ages who have either positively or negatively influenced or impacted Christianity and Western society. These elites include Aristotle, Plato, St. Augustine, Constantine, Martin Luther, Blase Pascal, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Machiavelli, Voltaire, Hume, Nietzsche, Margaret Sanger, Margaret Mead and more! By weaving the stories of the influential throughout the Ages, Dr. Anderson is able to establish an honest narrative that well-explains why we are the way we are in Western society today.
He says, "It is easy to mindlessly imbibe the false narrative that paints the entire history of Christianity as one big antagonist to freedom and progress. We need to realize, though, that such a narrative is nothing more than propaganda. In fact, it is an example of the very language games that Nietzsche saw as inevitable in society if there is no God: there is no truth or facts; what becomes accepted as true reality is just a result of who has the biggest megaphone. That is the state of the world in which we are now living." (pp. 229-230).
In summary, I highly recommend this educational textbook for both pleasure-reading and in the classroom. The book serves as a tremendous anti-dote to the toxins of those who have attempted or are currently attempting to re-write Christianity's positive influences on Western history.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Popular titles by this author
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
