1776, with Andrew Wilson
Very Special Guest Andrew Wilson joins Matt and Alastair to discuss his remarkable new book on the year 1776 and the making of modernity.
When answering the question, “How did we get here?” how far back do you have to go? Mere Fidelity’s own Andrew Wilson has identified a compelling candidate when it comes to the rise of the post-Christian West—namely, 1776. This year contains much more than the obvious historical paradigm shift that we all know. Andrew, Matt, and Alastair unpack this significant date with regard to both church and culture.
Mentioned:
Lexham Press Book of the Month
Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West, by Andrew Wilson [affiliate link]
The Mere Fi cast and crew talk about their personal projects in 2022
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, by Jonathan Haidt [affiliate link]
Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, by Tom Holland [affiliate link]
Joseph Minich on Mere Fidelity
Marion Fay, by Anthony Trollope [affiliate link]
The Book of the Month is Tomas Bokedal’s Christ the Center: How the Rule of Faith, the Nomina Sacra, and Numerical Patterns Shape the Canon. Bokedal shows how the canon is shaped by numerical patterns of nomina sacra—scribal reverence for divine names. These patterns, which especially revolve around Christ, reveal the devotional and theological preoccupations of the earliest Christians. The rule of faith is not a later development; it is in the very text of Scripture. For the month of September 2023, get 40% off this title at lexhampress.com/merefidelity.
Timestamps
Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Financially support Mere Orthodoxy, Alastair, and/or Derek directly. Thanks to Timothy Crouch for keeping us organized, and to Andrew Noble for managing the social media. Special thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing and show notes. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.