RESOURCES
An evolving list of suggested reading and watching, to continue the dialogue. This is by no means exhaustive but forms a selection of resources I’ve found helpful and challenging.
These recommendations are not unconditional, so do read everything with a pinch of salt. I hope to publish more comprehensive reviews in future, so stay tuned for those.
“test everything; hold fast what is good” - 1 Thessalonians 5:21
H. R. Rookmaaker, The Creative Gift: Essays on Art and the Christian Life (1981)
A must-read for any Christian grappling with the relationship between faith and art. Professor Hans Rookmaaker was a Dutch art historian and friends with Francis Schaeffer. In this book he brilliantly underlines the function that art (in a broad sense) plays in God's creation, and how Christians may incisively engage with it. For those interested in art history, Rookmaaker's Modern Art and the Death of a Culture (1970) is a masterwork.
R. C. Sproul, The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World (Wheaton: Crossway, 2000)
This book traces out the overtures of the history of philosophy, from Ancient Greece to Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre. Sproul’s analysis of major thinkers is tightly woven together, demonstrating how ideas evolve and impact the world. As a student who majored in philosophy himself, Sproul’s book is also a brilliant example of how being a Christian informs and shapes one’s academic endeavours.
Roger Scruton: Why Beauty Matters, dir. by Louise Lockwood (BBC, 2009)
This documentary is a must-watch. Made for the BBC, Scruton laments the current state of art and architecture as it rejects the tradition of the search for beauty and transcendence. He argues for a return to this tradition, and the power of beauty in art, music, literature and buildings to elevate mankind and point us heavenward. Truly, truly excellent.
Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (London: Abacus, 2019)
Holland’s opus is a commitment to complete, but nothing short of a masterstroke. This is a weighty book with a weighty topic; the impact of Christianity in the ‘Western Mind’. Church history is sprawling and messy, but Holland does an excellent job weaving his argument through it to arrive at the modern world. As a secular historian, Holland’s insights are fresh, balanced and compellingly made. He also comes across very well in interviews. There are plenty of good ones to tune into, but let me point you to his discussion with The Daily Wire’s Andrew Klavan.
Carl R. Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020)
I finally got round to digesting Trueman’s mighty book over the summer. Trueman provides an account of how the modern Western mindset has arrived at its current position, incorporating psychology, literary and legal developments in his overview. Some parts of the book are more accessible than others, and I’m still mulling over his argument. I soon filled my copy’s margins with notes, thoughts and questions. If you’re ready for a heavy-duty foray through intellectual history, I’d recommend it. Review to follow.
The Century of the Self, dir. by Adam Curtis (BBC, 2002)
This four-episode documentary series from Adam Curtis paints a tricky but insightful picture of the impact of Freudian psychoanalysis in the twentieth century. Given its subject matter, this makes for hard watching, but it provides important detail for how our culture conceptualizes itself. Curtis treads similar ground to Trueman (above), so this documentary makes an interesting companion piece to The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.
Daniel Strange, Plugged In: Connecting your faith with what you watch, read, and play (The Good Book Co., 2019)
The book I wish I’d written. In it, Strange calls for every Christian to switch on and engage with culture (no matter how one consumes it) touching a nerve of modern life. He carefully explains the importance and responsibility of being aware of the messages we’re surrounded by and bringing our faith to bear on it. The excellent endpoint of this cultural awareness is sharing our faith with our neighbours. I can’t wait to read Strange's second book, Making Faith Magnetic: Five Hidden Themes Our Culture Can't Stop Talking About... And How to Connect Them to Christ.
Pete Lowman, A Long Way East of Eden: Could God explain the mess we’re in? (Carlisle, Paternoster Press, 2002)
Also available as a series of articles for UCCF, Lowman charts culture’s journey to postmodernism, drawing from a wide range of cultural reference points along the way. I read this before starting my undergraduate degree, and would recommend it to someone seeking an accessible overview that makes connections between culture and history. The book is now twenty years old, but still speaks to the contemporary search for meaning.
I'm always adding to this selection, so be sure to check back here every once in a while!