Why You Think The Way You Do [Paperback]

Having been enthralled by Dr. Sunshine as a speaker, I rushed to buy this book when it became available and was not disappointed. His wit and incisive scholarship are just as evident in print as in person. The book is an accessible summary of a mountain of historical and philosophical material, peppered with engaging anecdotes and illustrations. The tone is balanced and never triumphalist or strident--Sunshine does not caricature other worldviews nor shy away from critiques of the Christian one (his own), but he also doesn't hesitate to point out straw men erected by others and deliver a body blow or two (with consistent grace and humor even in doing so). An excellent and information-packed resource to introduce anyone to the origins and consequences of a variety of contemporary worldview assumptions--unlike the fish, we can learn about the "water we swim in" and are well-advised to do so. It could be a particularly great gift for high school seniors or incoming college freshmen, giving them a headstart on topics they'll cover in humanities, world history or philosophy survey courses, but written in a style that is much more fun to read than any textbook!

The most unusual thing about this book is that, while it is written by a professor, about an academic topic, it is presented in a "popular" format. From the look and feel of the book, to its lack of bibliography and minimal footnotes, and most importantly to its easier prose and explanations, it's not what I expected at all!

On the other hand, it does do something which very little contemporary thought does -- connect the dots from the beginning of the Western story to now. Sunshine explains what the Roman culture was like, how it was changed by Christian ideals, and finally how it is "changing back" as Christian influence wanes. The last chapter of the book ties this together very well. Put all together it is a compelling story -- the great achievements of our civilization (most importantly the discovery of modern science, and human freedom) were because of Christian ideas and we are losing the foundation upon which they were built. This breaks not only the spell of Marxist anti-Western views of history, it also breaks the spell of pro-Western but anti-Christian versions of the story.

Midway through the book, I was encouraged in realizing that thinkers like Sunshine and Rodney Stark who he draws on, are bringing our view of the past out of the captivity it was held in by the anti-Christian stream of the Enlightenment. This is actually what makes the best part of the book -- he casually explodes myth after myth by presenting facts that are not widely broadcast such as the fact that no scholar of the Middle Ages believed in the flat earth! The net it is present a different view of the past. The breadth of areas where Sunshine does this must have required a lot of work and insight -- it's too bad he doesn't document it and bring this up to a more academic level. He interleaves philosophy, history and political science well to tell his story.

The final chapter was however personally discouraging. It was a realistic look at the kind of ideologies currently being advanced in our society. It was hard to read through this list without a sense of being overwhelmed or hopeless understanding that these ideas will have dire consequences in the future.

WYTTWYD is written with Dr. Sunshine's typical wit and in his usual concise style, a uniquely spare phrasing that carries the intent of the statement clearly and without resorting to academic jargon. He has produced a volume that is both refreshing in providing a clear understanding of the development of worldviews that carried Western civilization from Rome to home, and back again, I might add; and simultaneously a volume that is very disturbing in its implications because of the clarity of the arguments presented.

After an introductory chapter defining worldview and the importance of the concept to an understanding of a culture, he begins with a through examination of the religions of the Roman Empire, and how they formed the worldviews of Rome. The resultant picture is haunting familiar as a precursor to the 21st Century. Subsequent chapters examine the gradual change in worldviews as a result of the Christianization of the Empire, the emergence of the Medieval period, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, Modernity and finally the collapse of Modernity into Post-Modernity.

The final chapter, Trajectories, clearly lays out the steps necessary for Christianity to repeat the transformation of a society in the 21st and following centuries as it did in the 1st three. A valuable guide as a overview of the problems of our society and the needed solutions. However, Dr. Sunshine does not address the one significant difference between the 1st Century church and the 21st Century. The early church was counter-cultural from the very beginning with a powerful drive to proclaim the availability of the Kingdom of God and to live day by day in that Kingdom; the 12st Century church has assimilated with the culture, has lost its first love and seeks to maintain the status quo. Does a faithful remnant exist to once again bring the Gospel to the Roman Empire?

This volume is an excellent and enjoyable read plus a valuable resource for the student who is seeking a source to help put the progression of Western worldviews in perspective.