Brad Birzer’s Christian Humanism for the Modern World

As a Hillsdale College student, I had the great blessing of learning with Bradley J. Birzer, the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies. From the Civil War to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, the American West to the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Dr. Birzer guided me through some of the most important themes in my education. I owe him an immense debt of gratitude. 

Last month, Birzer published a new essay collection, Mythic Realms: The Moral Imagination in Literature and Film, which captures something of the magic I encountered in his classroom. A sequel to his earlier work Beyond Tenebrae, Mythic Realms is a series of reflections on both classic and popular culture from a Christian humanist perspective. For Christians worried about how to pass on the faith in trying times, Birzer’s work in Mythic Realms can serve as an inspiring model and guide.

What exactly is Christian humanism? Early in Mythic Realms, Birzer says it is a worldview rooted in the way early Christians combined Platonic and Stoic philosophy with Hebrew revelation to understand the mystery of human life and the Incarnate God. In his Gospel, St. John shows how the eternal can enlighten all human beings – and Birzer argues that this is the founding idea of Christian humanism. Beauty is ultimately a signpost to God, a flash of light in a dark world. The Christian humanist seeks to build a culture oriented around such beauty, a culture that can point to man’s divine destiny.

Sadly, though, the Christian humanist also knows that man is a fallen creature. We fritter away the glories of Western civilization in our pursuit of worldly pleasures, forsaking the truer, eternal joy of our heritage for passing fancies. What is needed, then, are works of creativity and worship that can remind mankind that God created us for great things. Such creativity “will save civilization before it succumbs to self-destruction,” Birzer writes in the introduction.

Read more at Providence.