Christianity and humanism have often been portrayed as foes — Christianity being about God and the other-worldly and humanism being about the greatness of human beings. This weighty book explores why this is a false misconception and how the divide being Christianity and humanism has developed.
Jens Zimmermann argues that the basis for Christian humanism is the incarnation of Christ, hence the title Incarnational Humanism: A Philosophy of Culture for the Church in the World (InterVarsity Press, 2012). He goes back to the early church fathers and develops the idea that it is our participation in Christ’s redemptive work that frees us to be mostly truly human as the redeemed image bearers of God, or in Eastern Church terms, as God-like, the idea of theosis. Our participation in Christ, particularly experience in the Eucharist and lived out in the world transforms us to become, in the words of Irenaus, “the glory of God is man fully alive.” [Read more…] about Book Review: Incarnational Humanism