Scan barcode
A review by josiahrichardson
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman
5.0
I may be the last one in my theological-political circle to have read this work, and I have no one to blame but myself. It is really a terrific book, perhaps more in the terrifying sense of the word than, and one that should not be dismissed. Truman chronicles the history of the sexual revolution through the transformation of self. Our identity, both on the individual and national perspective, has been under attack for centuries and Truman shows where this really got some wheels. Rousseau psychologized the self, Freud sexualized the self, and Reich politicized the self. We stand here at the end of 2023 where it is quite normal to determine your own identity based simply upon your own subjective perception of who you are. It is, as Trueman points out, a strange new world where if a gent were to say “I am a woman trapped in a man’s body,” we all immediately know what he means, whereas my grandfather would have no context for understanding that statement outside of assuming some form of mental deficiency. Expressive individualism is becoming an inalienable right for people and to infringe upon that right is essentially to deny their existence, if for no other reason than that they themselves have inextricably tied their identity to their personhood.
I read this in conjunction with Trueman’s other work “Strange New World” and the corresponding study guide. This means a few things, but most importantly that I have been thoroughly Trumanized over the past few months. Once you put these lenses on, it becomes very difficult to see anything without the change in perception. This book is heavy on history and philosophy, so gear up before you dig in. If you want to accurately and poignantly responded to our culture’s devolution into absurdity, use Scripture. If you want to do that as well as see all the ways that the modern church was complicit (and still is) in this revolution, read this book. There are no brakes on this thing; it will only get worse until it implodes from within. Let them swallow the reductio. Let them break apart in the light of the eternal law. Let them find hope and spiritual regeneration from the Gospel. And if possible, let them read this book. I have been suggesting this book to many of my non-Christian friends but it has gotten no takers yet. It is no waste of time to read this book.
I read this in conjunction with Trueman’s other work “Strange New World” and the corresponding study guide. This means a few things, but most importantly that I have been thoroughly Trumanized over the past few months. Once you put these lenses on, it becomes very difficult to see anything without the change in perception. This book is heavy on history and philosophy, so gear up before you dig in. If you want to accurately and poignantly responded to our culture’s devolution into absurdity, use Scripture. If you want to do that as well as see all the ways that the modern church was complicit (and still is) in this revolution, read this book. There are no brakes on this thing; it will only get worse until it implodes from within. Let them swallow the reductio. Let them break apart in the light of the eternal law. Let them find hope and spiritual regeneration from the Gospel. And if possible, let them read this book. I have been suggesting this book to many of my non-Christian friends but it has gotten no takers yet. It is no waste of time to read this book.