Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home [Paperback]

Glenn S. Sunshine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2009

People often talk about worldview when describing the philosophy that guides their lives. But how have we come by our worldviews, and what impact did Christianity have on those that are common to Western civilization? This authoritative, accessible survey traces the development of the worldviews that underpin the Western world. It demonstrates the decisive impact that the growth of Christianity had in transforming the outlook of pagan Roman culture into one that, based on biblical concepts of humanity and its relationship with God, established virtually all the positive aspects of Western civilization. The two-pronged assault in our time on the biblically based worldview by postmodern philosophy and the writings of neo-atheists has made it even more crucial that we acknowledge and defend its historical roots. Unique among books on the topic, this work discusses Western worldviews as a continuous narrative rather than as simply a catalogue of ideas, and traces the effects changes in worldview had on society. It helps readers understand their own worldviews and those of other people and helps them recognize the consequences that worldviews hold. Professors, students, and armchair historians alike will profit from this book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Glenn S. Sunshine (PhD University of Wisconsin, Madison) is professor of history at the Central Connecticut State University and a faculty member of the Centurions Program at Breakpoint, the worldview training ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Previously, he taught at Calvin College and was a visiting professor at the Universit™t der Bundeswehr-Hamburg (now Helmut Schmidt University) in Germany. He is author of The Reformation for Armchair Theologians, and Reforming French Protestantism, and contributor to the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, and the Encyclopedia of Protestantism.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (July 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310292301
• ISBN-13: 978-0310292302
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > History > Ancient > Rome

More About the Author

Glenn S. Sunshine (PhD University of Wisconsin, Madison) is professor of history at the Central Connecticut State University and a faculty member of the Centurions Program at Breakpoint, the worldview training ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Previously, he taught at Calvin College and was a visiting professor at the Universität der Bundeswehr-Hamburg (now Helmut Schmidt University) in Germany. He is author of The Reformation for Armchair Theologians, and Reforming French Protestantism, and contributor to the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, and the Encyclopedia of Protestantism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incisive and Engaging Whirlwind Tour of Worldview Evolution, August 13, 2009

By 

L. Singleton (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home (Paperback)

Having been enthralled by Dr. Sunshine as a speaker, I rushed to buy this book when it became available and was not disappointed. His wit and incisive scholarship are just as evident in print as in person. The book is an accessible summary of a mountain of historical and philosophical material, peppered with engaging anecdotes and illustrations. The tone is balanced and never triumphalist or strident--Sunshine does not caricature other worldviews nor shy away from critiques of the Christian one (his own), but he also doesn't hesitate to point out straw men erected by others and deliver a body blow or two (with consistent grace and humor even in doing so). An excellent and information-packed resource to introduce anyone to the origins and consequences of a variety of contemporary worldview assumptions--unlike the fish, we can learn about the "water we swim in" and are well-advised to do so. It could be a particularly great gift for high school seniors or incoming college freshmen, giving them a headstart on topics they'll cover in humanities, world history or philosophy survey courses, but written in a style that is much more fun to read than any textbook!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uniquely comprehensive, October 10, 2009

By 

Will Riddle "and Jaime Riddle" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home (Paperback)

The most unusual thing about this book is that, while it is written by a professor, about an academic topic, it is presented in a "popular" format. From the look and feel of the book, to its lack of bibliography and minimal footnotes, and most importantly to its easier prose and explanations, it's not what I expected at all!

On the other hand, it does do something which very little contemporary thought does -- connect the dots from the beginning of the Western story to now. Sunshine explains what the Roman culture was like, how it was changed by Christian ideals, and finally how it is "changing back" as Christian influence wanes. The last chapter of the book ties this together very well. Put all together it is a compelling story -- the great achievements of our civilization (most importantly the discovery of modern science, and human freedom) were because of Christian ideas and we are losing the foundation upon which they were built. This breaks not only the spell of Marxist anti-Western views of history, it also breaks the spell of pro-Western but anti-Christian versions of the story.

Midway through the book, I was encouraged in realizing that thinkers like Sunshine and Rodney Stark who he draws on, are bringing our view of the past out of the captivity it was held in by the anti-Christian stream of the Enlightenment. This is actually what makes the best part of the book -- he casually explodes myth after myth by presenting facts that are not widely broadcast such as the fact that no scholar of the Middle Ages believed in the flat earth! The net it is present a different view of the past. The breadth of areas where Sunshine does this must have required a lot of work and insight -- it's too bad he doesn't document it and bring this up to a more academic level. He interleaves philosophy, history and political science well to tell his story.

The final chapter was however personally discouraging. It was a realistic look at the kind of ideologies currently being advanced in our society. It was hard to read through this list without a sense of being overwhelmed or hopeless understanding that these ideas will have dire consequences in the future.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some light from Glenn Sunshine, August 31, 2009

By 

John A. Nunnikhoven "Bookworm" (Chester, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home (Paperback)

WYTTWYD is written with Dr. Sunshine's typical wit and in his usual concise style, a uniquely spare phrasing that carries the intent of the statement clearly and without resorting to academic jargon. He has produced a volume that is both refreshing in providing a clear understanding of the development of worldviews that carried Western civilization from Rome to home, and back again, I might add; and simultaneously a volume that is very disturbing in its implications because of the clarity of the arguments presented.

After an introductory chapter defining worldview and the importance of the concept to an understanding of a culture, he begins with a through examination of the religions of the Roman Empire, and how they formed the worldviews of Rome. The resultant picture is haunting familiar as a precursor to the 21st Century. Subsequent chapters examine the gradual change in worldviews as a result of the Christianization of the Empire, the emergence of the Medieval period, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, Modernity and finally the collapse of Modernity into Post-Modernity.

The final chapter, Trajectories, clearly lays out the steps necessary for Christianity to repeat the transformation of a society in the 21st and following centuries as it did in the 1st three. A valuable guide as a overview of the problems of our society and the needed solutions. However, Dr. Sunshine does not address the one significant difference between the 1st Century church and the 21st Century. The early church was counter-cultural from the very beginning with a powerful drive to proclaim the availability of the Kingdom of God and to live day by day in that Kingdom; the 12st Century church has assimilated with the culture, has lost its first love and seeks to maintain the status quo. Does a faithful remnant exist to once again bring the Gospel to the Roman Empire?

This volume is an excellent and enjoyable read plus a valuable resource for the student who is seeking a source to help put the progression of Western worldviews in perspective.