Tom Holland’s Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World
is a substantial work that makes a straightforward case. In Holland’s
view, the teachings of Jesus constituted an ethical revolution that
would gradually transform human consciousness, to the extent that we
today find it hard to imagine credible alternative systems. When we see
Christians, past or present, behaving in ways we may find abominable, in
matters such as war, slavery, colonialism, or patriarchy, our disgusted
attitudes must themselves be understood as products of that sweeping
revolution. Without the existence of Christianity, it would not occur to
us to abhor such things, whoever the perpetrators might be.
Beyond any single policy or attitude, Christianity
mattered because it taught respect (or even veneration) for the poor and
the oppressed. That implied the historically unprecedented exaltation
of humility, forgiveness, and love. Moreover, the faith created the
practical urge to offer aid and relief, to assist the poor, and (among
other things) to reject infanticide. Christianity is the essential
foundation of the liberal West, of democracy, and of notions of human
rights. As the book’s jacket copy proclaims, “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 world.”
No comments:
Post a Comment