Within My Heart: The Enlightenment Epistemic Reversal and the Subjective Justification of Religious Belief

by Michael A. Van Horn, Paul Badham (Foreword)

This book illustrates how Christianity in the modern era has been shaped in the direction of subjectivity. In the Enlightenment, after Locke required faith to submit to reason's judgment, Kant argued that religion should remain within the bounds of reason only. Schleiermacher shifted attention away from belief to devotion to Christ and a feeling of absolute dependence on God. Rejecting Hegel's system, Kierkegaard summoned his readers to a unique subjective approach to justification by faith. Revivalist Evangelicalism has been perceived, and portrayed itself, as a rejection of modernism. This study argues instead that the Evangelical-revivalist movement is unmistakably modern in its assumptions regarding the nature of faith. The Pietist impulse, fueled in part by modern anthropocentrism and subjectivism in religious belief, was appropriated by the Evangelical revivalists, such as John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and, later, Charles Finney. In short, Christianity today is a religion of the heart.

220 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2017

Reviews

[Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his book "Within My Heart", Michael Van Horn offers clarity into the development of the character of the modern church and Christian spirituality in the United States. How can we explain a country (United States) where a persistent presence of evangelicalism and fundamentalism exists in a time when science, reason, and enlightenment have ruled the day? Why does strong religious fervor continue to flourish which the forces of rationalism and science should have undermined it long ago? How can secularism and revivalism flourish in the same culture? Exploring the history and impact of the major philosophical movements like rationalism, the enlightenment, and romanticism, he demonstrates how the rise of subjective religious belief in the United States and Great Britain have influenced the religious landscape. This book offers a key to open one of the most perplexing questions of our post-modern/modern era. A stunning masterpiece of historical detective work! This book will go a long way to help clarify the confusing and perplexing contradictions in our society today.

[Fr. Thomas Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely important book for those looking to discern the influences behind today's subjective, individualistic and populous Christianity. Many Evangelicals/Fundamentalists will be surprised to find out that both Kant and Schleiermacher are not only precursors to today's liberal/progressive theology, but are also strong and significant influences on their core ways of believing, thinking, and doing church as the body of Christ.

We breathe in the influence of the Enlightenment and Modernity like air (and the latent individualistic subjectivity that they require), but are largely unaware of what shapes our default settings when it comes to reading the scriptures, understanding theology, and pursuing faithfulness as the church of Christ.

A scholastic, but readable and important work. This book will challenge most pastors to a slow and disciplined read, but the fruits of the labor will be well worth the cost and time.