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fredsphere's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
The clearest description I've yet found of the present moment and its unspoken assumptions. Were I king of the world this would be required reading for everyone.
darrylb's review against another edition
5.0
This is an important book for modern Christians
Today the church is assaulted by our culture on numerous fronts, but we scarcely recognize that the philosophical underpinning of these opposing forces is also in the church - yet it is.
In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Truman has traced the rise of the modern psychologically, therapeutically defined self and demonstrated how it is fuelling an anticulture throughout western society. Again (as with historical criticism), without an understanding of philosophy and history, the church will be ill prepared to progress beyond the current age and runs the risk of withering on the vine. However, by understanding the flow of thought over the last 500 years and being able to identify its threads and conclusions in our own culture and thinking, we can offer the church a historically proven, biblically faithful foundation without academic embarrassment before the society around us. Of course, the perpetuation of the faithful church will come at great cost to the church. But in this sense we will be more like the church of the second century, and stronger, more Christlike and better able to endure because of it.
If you’re a pastor, this book is important. It is heavy going at times, but is tracing some difficult arcs throughout a long history. If you’ve been exposed to philosophical progress through other arguments and are familiar with some of the key (mostly secular) thinkers of the last 500 years, this won’t be too hard, and it will be rewarding.
Today the church is assaulted by our culture on numerous fronts, but we scarcely recognize that the philosophical underpinning of these opposing forces is also in the church - yet it is.
In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Truman has traced the rise of the modern psychologically, therapeutically defined self and demonstrated how it is fuelling an anticulture throughout western society. Again (as with historical criticism), without an understanding of philosophy and history, the church will be ill prepared to progress beyond the current age and runs the risk of withering on the vine. However, by understanding the flow of thought over the last 500 years and being able to identify its threads and conclusions in our own culture and thinking, we can offer the church a historically proven, biblically faithful foundation without academic embarrassment before the society around us. Of course, the perpetuation of the faithful church will come at great cost to the church. But in this sense we will be more like the church of the second century, and stronger, more Christlike and better able to endure because of it.
If you’re a pastor, this book is important. It is heavy going at times, but is tracing some difficult arcs throughout a long history. If you’ve been exposed to philosophical progress through other arguments and are familiar with some of the key (mostly secular) thinkers of the last 500 years, this won’t be too hard, and it will be rewarding.
ivantable's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant diagnosis. Just wanted more prescription beyond the final few pages.
yakihammer's review against another edition
5.0
Trueman has provided the Church with a valuable tool for understanding our current cultural milieu - which will not only help her frame an appropriate apologetic and missional response, but also better understand our own captivity to the same cultural forces in order to frame the shape of Christian life and virtue in the present age. A necessary read that is both extensive in its scope but clear and accessible in presentation.
joshuamadl's review against another edition
5.0
This is a necessary book for every pastor or Christian leader. Top tier in terms of cultural analysis from its roots.
joshmillernj's review against another edition
5.0
The first words of the introduction reached out and immediately piqued my mind:
"The origins of this book lie in my curiosity about how and why a particular statement has come to be regarded as coherent and meaningful: 'I am a woman trapped in a man's body.' My grandfather died in 1994, less than thirty years ago, and yet, had he ever heard that sentence uttered in his presence, I have little doubt that he would have burst out laughing and considered it a piece of incoherent gibberish. And yet today it is a sentence that many in our society regard as not only meaningful but so significant that to deny it or question it in some way is to reveal oneself as stupid, immoral, or subject to yet another irrational phobia."
Trueman lays the groundwork for his outstanding tome in the introduction regarding the path he would take his readers on. Sentences such as "The sexual revolution is as much a symptom as it is a a cause of the culture that now surrounds us everywhere we look, from sitcoms to Congress," and others made me sit up straighter and take notice. Those of us who are preachers & teachers of the Bible had an inkling of some of the underlying truths he brings to light, but the author shows us the history long before the movement in the 60s, the "free-love," drug-induced culture that many of us have pointed to as the beginning of the downward moral slide of recent years. However, Trueman shows us with overwhelming proof from writers, poets, and well-known influencers of yesteryear that the seeds were planted LONG before the 60s.
He then will bring us along to where we are today. For instance, in his introduction, he states the following: "Acceptance of gay marriage and transgenderism are simply the latest outworking, the most recent symptoms, of deep and established cultural pathologies." He follows this statement later in the introduction with a timestamp of eroding culture: "The groundwork for rejecting traditional morality, both philosophical and scientific, is therefore in place by the end of the nineteenth century."
Far from being a sad, less-than-hopeful outlook on what is happening today, the author ends the introduction with these words: "Every age has had its darkness and dangers. The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them...Understanding the times is a precondition of responding appropriately to the times."
A warning: Although the subject matter is brilliant, needed, and on-point especially in light of current cultural happenings, this is not a book for the faint of heart! The author's vast use of the English language had me scrambling for a dictionary quite a few times to define a word. This is not a bad thing as I learned many new words, but it did make for a much slower read than the books I typically read.
Trueman then plunges into his four part book. He begins by showing us how self has been reimagined in society. This book is well notated and footnoted. It is obvious that the author has a firm grasp on the subject matter and has done extensive research.
Personally, I would have never known that the foundations of the current "sexual revolution" and its many iterations go back hundreds of years. I'm assuming I'm not the only one. Although I believe in the biblical principle of the fallen human nature and that there is "nothing new under the sun," I would have not known where things really started to begin to take a turn to lead us to where we are today.
Trueman shows us how Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1700s) planted the seeds of modern selfhood. He then does a deep dive on the poets Wordsworth, Shelley, and Blake and the monumental influence they had in ushering along society to embrace the self above all. Trueman then transitions to the far-reaching influences of Nietzsche, Marx, and Darwin. Each of these men pushed society to embrace the self in different ways.
The author then moves into showing the sexualization of the revolution by taking a deep dive into how Sigmund Freud largely influenced the civilization of his day regarding all things sexual and continues to have far-reaching effects on the thinking of today. In this section, Trueman also shows how today's left wing has politicized all things sexual to make strides to exalt self and minimize traditionally held beliefs or standards.
In the last section, Trueman shows the "Triumphs of the Revolution" by showing how the erotic, therapeutic, and transsexual movements have all played a part in ushering us to where we are today.
The author's Concluding Unscientific Prologue offers hopeful suggestions on how the church can address or face these issues going forward.
Often in my reviews, I include large snippets of quotes, sections, and paragraphs from books I have read. Since this is a longer read (400+ pages) and much of the material builds on itself, it is hard to quote much of Trueman's work without having the context or the framework on which it hangs. Suffice it to say, my copy is marked up with highlights, notes, and comments that will help me now and well into the future.
I wholeheartedly recommend that you acquire a copy of this book and read it. Just make sure you set aside a good chunk of time to do so!
"The origins of this book lie in my curiosity about how and why a particular statement has come to be regarded as coherent and meaningful: 'I am a woman trapped in a man's body.' My grandfather died in 1994, less than thirty years ago, and yet, had he ever heard that sentence uttered in his presence, I have little doubt that he would have burst out laughing and considered it a piece of incoherent gibberish. And yet today it is a sentence that many in our society regard as not only meaningful but so significant that to deny it or question it in some way is to reveal oneself as stupid, immoral, or subject to yet another irrational phobia."
Trueman lays the groundwork for his outstanding tome in the introduction regarding the path he would take his readers on. Sentences such as "The sexual revolution is as much a symptom as it is a a cause of the culture that now surrounds us everywhere we look, from sitcoms to Congress," and others made me sit up straighter and take notice. Those of us who are preachers & teachers of the Bible had an inkling of some of the underlying truths he brings to light, but the author shows us the history long before the movement in the 60s, the "free-love," drug-induced culture that many of us have pointed to as the beginning of the downward moral slide of recent years. However, Trueman shows us with overwhelming proof from writers, poets, and well-known influencers of yesteryear that the seeds were planted LONG before the 60s.
He then will bring us along to where we are today. For instance, in his introduction, he states the following: "Acceptance of gay marriage and transgenderism are simply the latest outworking, the most recent symptoms, of deep and established cultural pathologies." He follows this statement later in the introduction with a timestamp of eroding culture: "The groundwork for rejecting traditional morality, both philosophical and scientific, is therefore in place by the end of the nineteenth century."
Far from being a sad, less-than-hopeful outlook on what is happening today, the author ends the introduction with these words: "Every age has had its darkness and dangers. The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them...Understanding the times is a precondition of responding appropriately to the times."
A warning: Although the subject matter is brilliant, needed, and on-point especially in light of current cultural happenings, this is not a book for the faint of heart! The author's vast use of the English language had me scrambling for a dictionary quite a few times to define a word. This is not a bad thing as I learned many new words, but it did make for a much slower read than the books I typically read.
Trueman then plunges into his four part book. He begins by showing us how self has been reimagined in society. This book is well notated and footnoted. It is obvious that the author has a firm grasp on the subject matter and has done extensive research.
Personally, I would have never known that the foundations of the current "sexual revolution" and its many iterations go back hundreds of years. I'm assuming I'm not the only one. Although I believe in the biblical principle of the fallen human nature and that there is "nothing new under the sun," I would have not known where things really started to begin to take a turn to lead us to where we are today.
Trueman shows us how Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1700s) planted the seeds of modern selfhood. He then does a deep dive on the poets Wordsworth, Shelley, and Blake and the monumental influence they had in ushering along society to embrace the self above all. Trueman then transitions to the far-reaching influences of Nietzsche, Marx, and Darwin. Each of these men pushed society to embrace the self in different ways.
The author then moves into showing the sexualization of the revolution by taking a deep dive into how Sigmund Freud largely influenced the civilization of his day regarding all things sexual and continues to have far-reaching effects on the thinking of today. In this section, Trueman also shows how today's left wing has politicized all things sexual to make strides to exalt self and minimize traditionally held beliefs or standards.
In the last section, Trueman shows the "Triumphs of the Revolution" by showing how the erotic, therapeutic, and transsexual movements have all played a part in ushering us to where we are today.
The author's Concluding Unscientific Prologue offers hopeful suggestions on how the church can address or face these issues going forward.
Often in my reviews, I include large snippets of quotes, sections, and paragraphs from books I have read. Since this is a longer read (400+ pages) and much of the material builds on itself, it is hard to quote much of Trueman's work without having the context or the framework on which it hangs. Suffice it to say, my copy is marked up with highlights, notes, and comments that will help me now and well into the future.
I wholeheartedly recommend that you acquire a copy of this book and read it. Just make sure you set aside a good chunk of time to do so!
imrath's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Abortion
jmarryott23's review against another edition
3.75
This isn’t a normal genre of book that I’d generally go for, but I had heard a lot of hype around it and the topic certainly interests me. Some of this is too in the weeds for me. And it is a long and thematically heavy book. But Trueman does an excellent job presenting the material and covering the topics, all while mostly staying apolitical.
There’s some really thought provoking stuff here. The fact that sex pervades every part of our lives now must not be an accident. Mainstream music like rap, country, and pop, which overwhelmingly target teens, seem to be almost entirely about sex. The author cleverly uses Ariana Grande as an example. And things that used to be risqué, like Playboy and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit addition, are basically laughable as a form of sexual entertainment today. Trueman makes the argument that we need too see how we’ve gotten here in order to understand where we are going.
So if the premise intrigues you but you aren’t sure about tackling this book, there is a more concise 200 page edition called Strange New World that is meant to be easier to digest. I’m guessing I would prefer that version.
There’s some really thought provoking stuff here. The fact that sex pervades every part of our lives now must not be an accident. Mainstream music like rap, country, and pop, which overwhelmingly target teens, seem to be almost entirely about sex. The author cleverly uses Ariana Grande as an example. And things that used to be risqué, like Playboy and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit addition, are basically laughable as a form of sexual entertainment today. Trueman makes the argument that we need too see how we’ve gotten here in order to understand where we are going.
So if the premise intrigues you but you aren’t sure about tackling this book, there is a more concise 200 page edition called Strange New World that is meant to be easier to digest. I’m guessing I would prefer that version.
kberez's review against another edition
1.0
Would NOT Reccomend
I had to read this book for a class. As a Christian woman who believes that God has called all Christians to love God and
love others this was hard to read. As a Christian feminist who believes that Jesus was countercultural in His treatment of women, this book as hard to read. As a youth worker who has friends and students in the LGBTQ+ community this was hard to read. The author is clearly a fundamentalist conservative Christian and writes from that platform. It’s disheartening that this book has so many good reviews.
I had to read this book for a class. As a Christian woman who believes that God has called all Christians to love God and
love others this was hard to read. As a Christian feminist who believes that Jesus was countercultural in His treatment of women, this book as hard to read. As a youth worker who has friends and students in the LGBTQ+ community this was hard to read. The author is clearly a fundamentalist conservative Christian and writes from that platform. It’s disheartening that this book has so many good reviews.