Reason, Grace, And Sentiment, Vol. 1 Book

A well-written and profoundly significant study of the process of secularization. As secularist ideology becomes deeply ingrained in the modern western psyche, its nature becomes increasingly difficult for us to recognize and examine. Many of us tend to think of the process of secularization in positive terms as "progress," rarely considering the possibility that it might be more clearly identified as a decline into spiritual apathy. In this book Steve Bruce shows how this happens, arguing that secularism is not a positive belief system or a set of values, making it distinct from rationality and even from atheism. Instead, he argues, it is best understood simply as indifference.

One of the most interesting themes drawn out throughout this work is the relationship between conservative churches and liberal denominations. The author shows very convincingly how liberal denominations cannot hold up across generations because of their diffuse and pluralistic nature. Their appeal is limited to people who were thoroughly socialized in the values of a conservative tradition. They embrace liberalism to escape the oppressive aspects of orthodoxy. Consequently the next generation of the liberal denomination, raised with no strong sense of religious tradition, embraces individualism and egalitarianism without tradition. There is no sense of an impetus for the religious tradition to be passed down and carried on. They thus embrace the wider culture of indifference toward religion. This process of spiritual decadence is rigorously examined and defended with many examples throughout this work.

I want to recommend this book to people who have only a tangential interest in the sociology of religion. The patterns described here are relevant to many aspects of modern life. While reading this book I found myself drawing connections to politics, art, individual psychology, and a variety of other subjects. A stimulating and provocative read.