Under the Influence

Rating:
Summary: Turning the World Upside Down
Review: In this well-documented volume of over 400 pages, Schmidt marshals the evidence for the transforming power of the Christian faith. He shows how Jesus has the power to transform men, who in turn are able to transform society. And on every level, that is exactly what has happened. Several specific examples can be mentioned.

In spite the claims of some today that Christianity oppresses women, the historical record shows just the opposite. Women were oppressed in almost every culture prior to the coming of Christianity. By elevating sexual morality, and by conferring upon women a much higher status, the Christian religion revolutionised the place and prestige of women.

The way Jesus treated women was in stark contrast to the surrounding culture. In Roman law a man's wife and children were little more than slaves, often treated like animals. Women had no property rights and faced severe social restrictions. Jesus of course changed all that. The way he treated the Samaritan woman was one remarkable example. And this was not lost on the early disciples. We know from the New Testament documents that many women exercised various leadership roles in the early church. Indeed, during this period Christian women actually outnumbered Christian men.

Admittedly there were some anomalies later in the church's history, when chauvinistic and anti-feminine views were allowed to re-enter parts of the church. But such aberrations must not detract from the truly revolutionary elevation of the status of women achieved by Christianity.

Consider also the issue of health care. Prior to Christianity, the Greeks and Romans had little or no interest in the poor, the sick and the dying. But the early Christians, following the example of their master, ministered to the needs of the whole person. Soon thereafter the institutonalisation of health care began in earnest.

For example, the first ecumenical council at Nicea in 325 directed bishops to establish hospices in every city that had a cathedral. The first hospital was built by St Basil in Caesarea in 369. By the Middle Ages hospitals covered all of Europe and even beyond. In fact, "Christian hospitals were the world's first voluntary charitable institutions".

Care for the mentally ill was also a Christian initiative. Nursing also sprang from Christian concerns for the sick, and many Christians have given their lives to such tasks. One thinks of Florence Nightingale, for example, and the formation of the Red Cross.

Education, while important in Greek and Roman culture, really took off institutionally under the influence of Christianity. The early Greeks and Romans had no public libraries or educational institutions - it was Christianity that established these. As discipleship was important for the first believers (and those to follow), early formal education arose from Christian catechetical schools. Unique to Christian education was the teaching of both sexes.

Also a Christian distinctive, individuals from all social and ethnic groups were included. There was no bias based on ethnicity or class. And the concept of public education first came from the Protestant Reformers. Moreover, the rise of the modern university is largely the result of Christian educational endeavors.

As another example of the Christian influence, consider the issue of work and economic life. The Greeks and Romans had a very low view of manual labor, and so it was mainly the slaves and lower classes that were forced to toil with their hands. The non-slave population lived chiefly for personal pleasure. In these early cultures slaves usually greatly outnumbered freemen.

Thus there was no such thing as the dignity of labor in these cultures, and economic freedom was only for a select few. The early church changed all this. Jesus of course was a carpenter's son. Paul was a tentmaker. And the early admonition, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" was taken seriously by the early believers. Thus work was seen as an honorable and God-given calling. Laziness and idleness were seen as sinful.

The idea of labor as a calling, and the idea spoken by Jesus that the laborer is worthy of his wages, revolutionised the workplace. The dignity of labor, the value of hard work, and the sense of vocation, soon changed the surrounding society; the development of a middle class being one of the outcomes. The development of unions is another result. Indeed, the works of Weber and Tawney, among others, records the profound effect the Protestant Reformation has had on work and modern capitalism..

Other impacts can be noted. The commandment against stealing of course redefined the concept of private property and property rights. And the protection of workers and workers' rights also flows directly from the biblical worldview. The early unionists were Christians, and concerns for social justice in the workplace and beyond derive from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Other great achievements might be mentioned. The Western political experience, including genuine democracy at all levels of society, equality, human rights and various freedoms, all stem from the Christian religion, along with its Hebrew forebear. The rise of modern science has been directly linked with the biblical understanding of the world. The many great achievements in art, literature and music also deserve mention. For example, how much poorer would the world be without the Christian artistry of da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Bach, Handel, Brahms, Dante, Milton, Bunyan, and countless others?

The bottom line, as Schmidt notes, is that if Jesus Christ had never been born, to speak of Western civilisation would be incomprehensible. Indeed, there may never have been such a civilisation. The freedoms and benefits we enjoy in many modern cultures are directly due to the influence of this one man. Schmidt deserves an enormous amount of gratitude for this sterling collection of information and inspiration. Christians have made many mistakes. But they have also achieved many great things, all because of the one whom they follow.

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable text in the history of Christianity
Review: One cannot have a complete understanding of world history of the history of Christianity without having read this book. Schmidt pulls together the much-neglected cohesion of Christian contributions to world history. At a time when Christianity-bashing is a favorite sport within the pluralistic/relativist/ political correct crowd, one must not let the ignorance of this important aspect of history die of neglect. Schmidt also goes on to correct many myths that have been perpectuated regarding Christian history. By placing them into their proper historical context, the final outcome isn't as strange as we've been led to believe. This is one book that I couldn't put down.

Rating:
Summary: Essential Home School History Resource
Review: Under the Influence is an overview of Western Civilization from the first century onwards with an emphasis on bringing in the aspects of history and culture as influenced by Christianity. As such, it is indispensible for home schoolers as well as for students who want a complete picture of the development of our civilization. This is because most modern textbooks do not mention the spiritual aspects of history. Mention of God, Christianity, and prayer are erased from the textbooks. If you were to read the original writings of people such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton, George Washington Carver and many others, you'll find that they have a deep abiding faith in God. Lord Kelvin: "If you think strongly enough, you will be forced by science to the belief in God." Sir Isaac Newton: "God governs the world invisibly, and he has commanded us to worship him, and no other God... he has revived Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who has gone into the heavens to receive and prepare a place for us, and ... will at length return and reign over us...till he has raised up and judged all the dead." Musicians such as Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn composed to the Glory of God. Beethoven: "I have no friend. I must live by myself. I know, however, that God is nearer to me than others; I go without fear to Him."

Areas covered: Morality, Women's Rights, Charity, Hospitals, Health Care, Education, Labor and Economics, Science, Politics, Art, Music, Literature. Very comprehensive and leads to further study.