A New Concept? I’m Not So Sure.
In Tom Hollands comments during the “Theos Annual Lecture” he captured the essence of his book Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, articulating just how influential Christianity has been in the shaping of society. Holland, an accomplished historian, author, and broadcaster with the BBC focusing on historical documentaries, provides the audience with a deeper understanding of universalism, humanism, and the origins of the Amsterdam declaration. From the onset of his lecture, Holland attempts to set a foundational understanding that much of Western thought and functioning, even those that outright reject a Creator God or the authority of the Bible, are in fact significantly influenced by Christianity at their core. He states,
“To live in a Western country is to live in a society that for centuries and in some cases millennia has been utterly transformed by Christian concepts and assumptions. This I think is no less true for atheists that it is for believers. So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western Civilization that it has come to be hidden from view.”
He discusses that while humanism and universalism would claim that all are equal and have value, it was in fact the Bible that first articulated and proclaimed that all have inherent dignity, simply in who they are. This is not a new concept. He states that, “the humanist assumption that atheism and liberalism necessarily go together is plainly just that, an assumption. It is not truth that science offers moralists but a mirror.” Holland continues his discussion on humanism dogma articulating that “morality is part of intrinsic part of human nature based on an understanding and concern for others finds no more corroboration in science than did the dogma of the Nazis did anyone not fit for life should be exterminated.” The attempt for universalism and humanism to claim agency over such concepts that were embedded into scripture from the origin of the world demonstrates the lack of understanding of history and just how influential Christianity has been on the shaping of society. He ends his lecture stating that the “wellspring of humanist values lies not in reason or evidence-based thinking but in history – the history of Christianity.” As Dr. Clark mentioned at the beginning of the semester, “we cannot understand the world without understanding Christian antecedents.”
While I can admit that much of his lecture lived in a system of thought that resides much higher than my own, I found myself considering of the following connections and questions:
- Peterson: The critical nature of understanding history in full in order to understand the current and future direction. What purpose does this map serve?
- Clark & Bebbington: The significant influence of Christianity on history, society, capitalism, and modern evangelicalism.
- Winchester: Whether acknowledged or not, how did/does Christianity impact and change our understanding of the world?
- Meyer: What cultural contexts were not considered in the Amsterdam agreement as it was largely Western European? How can it claim universalism if it in fact did not incorporate representation from all?
- Friedman: How are we shifting our orientation towards people and history in any given context?
- Augustine: Why do people believe what they believe?
Likely not a work that I would have intrinsically picked up, I’m grateful for the exposure to such thought and how it continued the theme of asking further questions to more fully understand a concept, theory, or set of beliefs.
About the Author
Kayli Hillebrand
Associate Dean of International and Experiential Education6 responses to “A New Concept? I’m Not So Sure.”
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Kayli,
Holland’s argument is around Christianity’s influence in the West. Do you wonder what we Christians might learn if we had a source to see how Hinduism and Buddhism shaped the East? Moreover, the Orthodox Church has a far different legacy within Middle Eastern and Eastern Europe.
In what ways do you think the idea of Christianity shaping the West has led to a deafening arrogance to the traditions and influence of other religions on the world?
Kayli, I always appreciate how you connect the current reading/lecture to previous readings, and you did that so well once again. I am curious about what you stated as the connection to Friedman: “How are we shifting our orientation towards people and history in any given context?” Can you say ore about how you understand Friedman’s encouragement to do that?
Ms. Kayli: Nice post; I love books like this. This book covered a lot of history and God’s invisible hand is guiding it each step of he way. Holland’s book allows a glimpse into how revolutionary the Christian faith has been and how involved God really is in this world.
Thanks for the thoughts Kaylee. I think you and are a lot a alike. I did not read the book, though I did listen to the lecture, and it was very hard for me to understand. Another dimension for sure.
In hindsight, having read this book, is this one you would recommend to others or not?
Hi Kayli…thank you so very much for your post and honest grappling with Holland’s material along with the connections you made to other readings. I really appreciate you naming Meyer’s work and the questions you posed: “What cultural contexts were not considered in the Amsterdam agreement as it was largely Western European? How can it claim universalism if it in fact did not incorporate representation from all?” Your questions connect with the question Andy posed in his response to your blog: “In what ways do you think the idea of Christianity shaping the West has led to a deafening arrogance to the traditions and influence of other religions on the world?” I would so value hearing your thoughts on both the questions you raised and on Andy’s question. That issue of assumption around the universality of values is such a key dimension to explore in our world today! I’m also curious how you experience students in your university context grappling with (or not) this idea of the universality of human rights? What do you hear and see from them?
Kayli, based on what you listened to and read, how does the title of his book inform your takaways?