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A review by condorhanson
Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It by David Zahl
4.0
Highly recommend to anyone. Religion/devotion isn’t on the decline, it’s just migrated to different objects like parenting, romance, sex, money, work, success, food, political and utopian projects (probably what’s behind the resurgence of Marxism) etc. We look to these things to make us feel like we’re enough; for meaning and identity. But we need what only Jesus can bring: salvation and redemption from the force of sin that oppresses people and societies. We need grace, the free gift of enough-ness through Jesus.
Zahl writes clearly and to anyone living in the modern West of how we are all captured by ‘seculosity’ (horizontally oriented worship and devotion, as opposed to vertical i.e. transcendent). Even the Church is a place of seculosity, and this should drive us to recall and rediscover the gospel to live faithfully.
The only issue that I think Zahl missed is the biggest object of worship in the modern world, the one that is a perennial temptation and especially so in liberal democratic societies: the cult of the individual/the self. I would have liked him to have explored that, since I think that’s one of the biggest challenges to Christians (ultimately it comes down to idolatry as does all seculosity).
Also I’m skeptical of the simplistic law/gospel distinction that Zahl applies as a blanket over everything. Perhaps a too simple and reductionist hermeneutic, though not without some truth for sure.
Also the endnotes are in a horrendous format. I’ve never seen a format like he uses; it’s more confusing than helpful. Just use Chicago!!!
Zahl writes clearly and to anyone living in the modern West of how we are all captured by ‘seculosity’ (horizontally oriented worship and devotion, as opposed to vertical i.e. transcendent). Even the Church is a place of seculosity, and this should drive us to recall and rediscover the gospel to live faithfully.
The only issue that I think Zahl missed is the biggest object of worship in the modern world, the one that is a perennial temptation and especially so in liberal democratic societies: the cult of the individual/the self. I would have liked him to have explored that, since I think that’s one of the biggest challenges to Christians (ultimately it comes down to idolatry as does all seculosity).
Also I’m skeptical of the simplistic law/gospel distinction that Zahl applies as a blanket over everything. Perhaps a too simple and reductionist hermeneutic, though not without some truth for sure.
Also the endnotes are in a horrendous format. I’ve never seen a format like he uses; it’s more confusing than helpful. Just use Chicago!!!