Dr. Rodn
ey Stark is a professor of sociology at Baylor. I read his book, “For the Glory of God” and was impacted greatly. I’ve often mentioned it in sermons ever since. Now I’m reading his book, “The Victory of Reason” and it too has some terrific insights. I’ll share a few quotes below…
“During the past century, Western intellectuals have been more than willing to trace European imperialism to Christian origins, but they have been entirely unwilling to recognize that Christianity made any contribution (other than intolerance) to the Western capacity to dominate. Rather, the West is said to have surged ahead precisely as it overcame religious barriers to progress, especially those impeding science. Nonsense. The success of the West, including the rise of science, rested entirely on religious foundations, and the people who brought it about were devout Christians.” (from the introduction, page xi)
“The rise of science was not an extension of classical (Greco-Roman) learning. It was the natural outgrowth of Christian doctrine: nature exists because it was created by God. In order to love and honor God, it is necessary to fully appreciate the wonders of His handiwork. Because God is perfect, His handiwork functions in accord with immutable principles. By the full use of our God-given powers of reason and observation, it ought to be possible to discover these principles. These were the crucial ideas that explain why science arose in Christian Europe and nowhere else.” (22, 23)