The God That Did Not Fail: How Religion Built and Sustains the West

by Robert Royal

Secular humanists and other “progressives” have been predicting the demise of religion for the past 250 years. But they keep running into a problem: those who were supposed to be liberated by the secular gospel that God is Dead aren’t buying it. Except for some parts of western Europe and in countries culturally destroyed by Communism, secularization in the radical sense has not occurred.

While it has not obliterated the religious impulse, however, the drive towards “progressive irreligion” has, Robert Royal believes, encouraged ignorance of religion’s central role in the development of the West. In The God That Did Not Fail, Royal offers an original reading of religion in ancient Greece and Rome, of Christianity and Judaism, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, the several modern Enlightenments, culminating with a profound assessment of our current postmodern moment. He concludes that since religion is a permanent part of human nature and of the particular character of the West, our efforts should be directed not into a quixotic effort to deny the undeniable, especially as we face challenges from Islamic fundamentalism, but into promoting a well thought out and dynamic interplay of faith, reason, and modern freedoms.

Genres: History, Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Trevor Carlsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical perspective highlighting the importance of Christianity for Western Civilization.

[Kerstin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating study on the establishment of Christianity and how, despite all the challenges over the centuries, has stayed strong, even stronger than often times believed. The secular philosophies of the past 300 years took a (monstrous) toll on western civilization but have played themselves out now. One of their main goals, to eleminate religion, did not happen even in totalitarian places like the former Soviet Union where religious persecution was quite severe. We are now experiencing a renewal of religion in the West. How successful the West will be in maintaining its Christian heritage will depend in large part in the will to defend this heritage from destructive forces within and without.

[Frank R · Rating 2 out of 5]

An overview of the role religion has played in all of Western Civilization. Lacked a coherent thesis that tied the time periods together. Interesting but not groundbreaking.

[Mitch]

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