©2005, Basic Books, 202 pages with index, hardback.

Clearly, the Europeans’ way of viewing their surroundings has changed over the last several centuries.  A declining birthrate is so serious that they cannot replace themselves.  Europe now seems to want peace with other nations at any cost.  A hatred of Christianity is clearly evident.  Such hatred was recently seen in the refusal of the authors of the new European Union constitution to make any reference to the impact of Christianity on their history.

The author explores the reasons for the shift in worldview and why United States citizens should not see this as only a European problem.

To further his thesis, he draws on the insights of J. H. H. Weiler as set forth in his Christian Europe: An Exploratory Essay and also on selected writings of Pope John Paul II.

Weiler sees World War I as a critical juncture for the abandoning of a Christian worldview and the adoption of an alternate worldview that has no place for God.  Weigel takes the reader back to the Middle Ages and contrasts the view of Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham on freedom.  He sees that Ockham’s nominalism had great impact on man’s view of the world.  Ockham saw freedom as being separate from spiritual character.  Centuries later, Nietzsche’s

philosophy of man’s will was the fruition of the seed sown by William of Ockham.

By listing the contributions of numerous European Christians to national and regional development, Weigel shows that Christianity cannot be relegated to an inconsequential place in history.  By God’s grace Europe has prospered and many Christians have impacted politics, society, science, and the arts.  Europe’s refusal to recognize these facts should raise much concern about its future direction, especially in light of the rising Muslim population with an aggressive worldview that is integral to their faith.

Weigel proposes four scenarios that can develop in the coming years in Europe as a result of its current atheistic humanism.  These include the possibility of Europe’s return to Christianity.

This volume is important reading for all who want to better understand Europe’s shift in worldviews and the prospects that may face the United States in the coming years.  Weigel’s writing is clear, concise, and thought-provoking.  He provides a wake-up call for the modern generation.  Ideas do have consequences for populations on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Review ©2006 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia