What Is Christian Humanism?

Rediscover Humanity's Worth Through Christ's Incarnation

In our rapidly changing world, we face a rising tide of threats to our humanity. From artificial intelligence and the erosion of free speech to bioengineering and euthanasia, the humanistic values we cherish, like intrinsic human rights and the dignity of all persons, are increasingly at risk. We are in danger of losing our humanity without even realizing it.

In response to such challenges in the past, Christian thinkers like Irenaeus, Luther, Bonhoeffer, Merton, and more rallied around the ideas of Christian humanism. But what is Christian humanism and why does it matter in this day and age?

What Is Christian Humanism? is an inviting introduction to how humanistic values rooted in the incarnation of Jesus Christ can help us reclaim our humanity in all of life. Theologian Jens Zimmermann shows why "Christian" and "humanist" not only belong together, but argues that true humanism flows directly from the gospel and is impossible without Christianity.

In What Is Christian Humanism? Zimmermann:



- defines Christian humanism as the greater Christian tradition's interpretation of the gospel as God's promise that we will achieve our full humanity in Christ;

- provides an inviting introduction to the ideas and history of the Christian humanist tradition and why it matters today;

- argues that the incarnation of Christ is central to understanding what it means to be human, offering an alternative to secular humanism; and

- demonstrates how Christian humanism can address the challenges in different areas of society, like art, technology, politics, and more.



Perfect for those seeking a fresh way to engage the challenges of our day, this book demonstrates that our identity is found not in secular philosophies, but in Christ's revolutionary act of the Incarnation. Christian humanism can help us recover the vision of what it means to be and become fully human in Christ, more important now than ever.



Jens Zimmermann (PhD, University of British Columbia; PhD, Johannes Gutenberg University) is the J. I. Packer Chair of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver and has published widely in philosophy and theology. His books include IncarnationalHumanism (IVP Academic, 2012), Hermeneutics: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2015), Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christian Humanism (Oxford, 2019), Human Flourishing in a Technological World (Oxford, 2023), and the coedited Oxford Handbook of Theological Anthropology (forthcoming).



Preface



1. What Is Christian Humanism and Why should Anyone Care?



2. Christian Humanism and the Person



3. Christian Humanism and the Nature of Knowledge



4. Christian Humanism and Education



5. Christian Humanism and Ethics



6. Christian Humanism and the Arts



7. Christian Humanism and Technology



8. Christian Humanism and Politics



Epilogue: A Plea for Interpersonal Dialogue