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

Synopsis

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 understanding of history, the volume focuses on ideas as agents of change and challenges the common scholarly emphasis on material conditions. Offering an innovative perspective on the shaping of global modernity, In God’s Image examines the relationship between faith and society and posits the fundamental role of the idea of the image of God in the making of the moral ideals and social institutions we hold dear today.

Copyright:

2025

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9781479835720

Related ISBNs:

9781479835713

Publisher:

NYU Press

Date of Addition:

07/22/25

Copyrighted By:

New York University

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Religion and Spirituality, Language Arts, Philosophy

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.