In God's Image : How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea

The idea that all human beings were created in God’s image was core to the creation of the modern WestIn God’s Image examines the central role that the idea that all people were created in the image of God played in the development of Western civilization.Focusing on five themes-selfhood, freedom, conscience, equality, and meaning-the book guides the reader through a cultural history of the West, from ancient times through modernity.It explains how each of these ideals was profoundly influenced by the central biblical conception of humanity’s creation in God’s image, embracing an essential equality among all people, while also emphasizing each human life’s singularity and significance. The book argues that the West, and particularly Protestant Christianity, grew out of ideas rooted deeply in this notion, and that it played a core role in the development of individualism, liberalism, human rights discourse, and indeed the secularization process.Making the case for a cultural understandi