[PDF] The Christian Roots Of Individualism eBook

Author : Maureen P. Heath
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 301 pages
File Size : 33,48 MB
Release : 2019-11-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 3030300897

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The modern West has made the focus on individuality, individual freedom, and self-identity central to its self-definition, and these concepts have been crucially shaped by Christianity. This book surveys how the birth of the Christian worldview affected the evolution of individualism in Western culture as a cultural meme. Applying a biological metaphor and Richard Dawkins’ definition of a meme, this work argues the advent of individualism was not a sudden innovation of the Renaissance or the Enlightenment, but a long evolution with characteristic traits. This evolution can be mapped using profiles of individuals in different historical eras who contributed to the modern notion of individualism. Utilizing excerpts from original works from Augustine to Nietzsche, a compelling narrative arises from the slow but steady evolution of the modern self. The central argument is that Christianity, with its characteristic inwardness, was fundamental in the development of a sense of self as it affirmed the importance of the everyday man and everyday life.

Author : Frédéric de Rougemont
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 28,47 MB
Release : 2022
Category : Christianity and politics
ISBN : 9781957905112

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""To claim that Christianity ought to restrict itself to the narrow circle of the elect, and not influence the nations themselves, is to wish that this religion which has, by its divine nature, the most powerful effect on man, should have less effect than all other religions." Frédéric DeRougement As American Christians, individualism is the air we breathe. In particular, the revivalism of the nineteenth century has made us think that saving individuals is all that matters, and that church and government are distractions from true Christianity. Swiss Reformed writer Frédéric DeRougement saw the rampant revivalism and libertarianism of his day and offered a careful theological critique of it. DeRougement's arguments are more relevant than ever for Christians who have swallowed the lies of secularism and libertarianism"--

Author : Larry Siedentop
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 443 pages
File Size : 25,58 MB
Release : 2014-10-20
Category : History
ISBN : 0674417534

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Here, in a grand narrative spanning 1,800 years of European history, a distinguished political philosopher firmly rejects Western liberalism’s usual account of itself: its emergence in opposition to religion in the early modern era. Larry Siedentop argues instead that liberal thought is, in its underlying assumptions, the offspring of the Church. “It is a magnificent work of intellectual, psychological, and spiritual history. It is hard to decide which is more remarkable: the breadth of learning displayed on almost every page, the infectious enthusiasm that suffuses the whole book, the riveting originality of the central argument, or the emotional power and force with which it is deployed.” —David Marquand, New Republic “Larry Siedentop has written a philosophical history in the spirit of Voltaire, Condorcet, Hegel, and Guizot...At a time when we on the left need to be stirred from our dogmatic slumbers, Inventing the Individual is a reminder of some core values that are pretty widely shared.” —James Miller, The Nation “In this learned, subtle, enjoyable and digestible work [Siedentop] has offered back to us a proper version of ourselves. He has explained us to ourselves...[A] magisterial, timeless yet timely work.” —Douglas Murray, The Spectator “Like the best books, Inventing the Individual both teaches you something new and makes you want to argue with it.” —Kenan Malik, The Independent

Author : John S. Knox
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 174 pages
File Size : 46,1 MB
Release : 2016-05-10
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 1498200095

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Sacro-Egoism: The Rise of Religious Individualism in the West discusses the relationship between secularization, participation in religious practices and belief, and the emergence of radical individualized expressions of faith in the West. Using McMinnville, Oregon, as a case study, it presents the data collected and analyzed from several churches, denominations, and spiritual settings in that unassuming town, and compares it to the results of Heelas and Woodhead's "Spiritual Revolution" project, arriving at a provocative conclusion. Rather than abandoning Christianity for alternative spirituality practices, McMinnville citizens still feel strongly about their Christian faith, taking their spiritual walk to a more personal level than ever before in church history. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research, along with personal stories of faith and exploration from McMinnville residents themselves, Sacro-Egoism: The Rise of Religious Individualism in the West tells a story of radical individualists who have become the highest religious authority in their lives--even over the church, the Bible, and traditional Christian society.

Author : Frédéric Constant de Rougemont
Publisher : Wordbridge Pub
Page : 168 pages
File Size : 48,12 MB
Release : 2015-03-31
Category :
ISBN : 9789076660417

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The church steadily weakens; the state, filling the void, steadily strengthens. Unbelief runs rampant; faith withers. The morality of the barnyard triumphs; decency and honour vanish in the mists. What lies behind the dominance of secular degradation, our cultural sickness unto death? Could it be the individualist mind-set infecting the church? In this sprightly work, the 19th century Swiss statesman Frederic de Rougemont explores just this issue, right at the point of origin. His conclusion: revivalist movements spread individualism into the church, which went from there to society at large. In turn, this led to the radical separation of church and state and the consequent triumph of unbelief in and through the state. Rougemont's expose leads us right to the present day. He reminds us that through the church's negligence, this miserable condition was allowed to arise. This means that that through the church's faithfulness, it can be overcome. If only she would be faithful to her calling to the nations. This book is required reading for Christians who wish to understand the imperatives of the Christian life and the task of the church in modern society.

Author : Nadia Urbinati
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 32,40 MB
Release : 2015-01-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0300189958

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In a well-reasoned and thought-provoking polemic, respected political theorist Nadia Urbinati explores a profound shift in the ideology of individualism, from the ethical nineteenth-century standard, in which each person cooperates with others as equals for the betterment of their lives and the community, to the contemporary “I don’t give a damn” maxim. Identifying this “tyranny of the moderns” as the most radical risk that modern democracy currently faces, the author examines the critical necessity of reestablishing the role of the individual citizen as a free and equal agent of democratic society.

Author : Tom Holland
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 624 pages
File Size : 43,25 MB
Release : 2019-10-29
Category : History
ISBN : 0465093523

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A "marvelous" (Economist) account of how the Christian Revolution forged the Western imagination. Crucifixion, the Romans believed, was the worst fate imaginable, a punishment reserved for slaves. How astonishing it was, then, that people should have come to believe that one particular victim of crucifixion-an obscure provincial by the name of Jesus-was to be worshipped as a god. Dominion explores the implications of this shocking conviction as they have reverberated throughout history. Today, the West remains utterly saturated by Christian assumptions. As Tom Holland demonstrates, our morals and ethics are not universal but are instead the fruits of a very distinctive civilization. Concepts such as secularism, liberalism, science, and homosexuality are deeply rooted in a Christian seedbed. From Babylon to the Beatles, Saint Michael to #MeToo, Dominion tells the story of how Christianity transformed the modern world.