Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution

by Carl R. Trueman

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2022

Overview

How did the world arrive at its current, disorienting state of identity politics, and how should the church respond? Historian Carl R. Trueman shows how influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of “expressive individualism.” Investigating philosophies from the Romantics, Nietzsche, Marx, Wilde, Freud, and the New Left, he outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics, providing readers with a clearer understanding of the modern implications of these ideas on religion, free speech, and issues related to personal identity. For fans of Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, this new book offers a more concise presentation and application of some of the most critical topics of our day.

Key Features

• Presents a concise version of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
• Explores how influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of “expressive individualism.”
• Outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics

Contents

• Preface
• A Roadmap for This Strange New World
• Romantic Roots
• Prometheus Unbound
• Sexualizing Psychology, Politicizing Sex
• The Revolt of the Masses
• Plastic People, Liquid World
• The Sexual Revolution of the LGBTQ+
• Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
• Strangers in This Strange New World

Top Highlights

“At the risk of oversimplifying what Trueman accomplishes, I would summarize the broad arc of his work as an account of how the person became a self, the self became sexualized, and sex became politicized.” (Page 12)

“Again, notice what the sexual revolution has done: it has brought us to the point where sexual acts in themselves are seen as having no intrinsic moral significance; it is the consent (or not) of those engaging in them that provides the moral framework.” (Page 25)

“We should also note one other implication of this: If the original, pristine individual is the truly authentic me, then not just institutions but every other person stands in a naturally adversarial relationship to me. Everyone else is first and foremost a potential threat to my authenticity.” (Page 41)

“‘I think; therefore, I am.’ What is of interest to my narrative is the way this places human thought—a psychological phenomenon—at the very center of the project.” (Page 33)

“I want to focus on one particular element in this story: the granting of decisive authority to inner feelings” (Page 32)

Product Details

• Title: Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution
• Author: Carl R. Trueman
• Publisher: Crossway
• Print Publication Date: 2022
• Logos Release Date: 2022
• Pages: 204
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Group identity › Political aspects--History; Identity politics › History; Sexual freedom › History
• ISBNs: 9781433579301, 9781433579332, 9781433579318, 9781433579325, 1433579308, 1433579332, 1433579316, 1433579324
• Resource ID: LLS:STRNGNWSXLRVLTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:12:31Z

About Carl R. Trueman

Carl R. Trueman is pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Ambler, Pennsylvania. He has received degrees from St. Catharine’s College in Cambridge and the University of Aberdeen. Trueman is also professor of historical theology and church history and Paul Wooley Chair of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has authored several books and was editor of Themelios from 1998–2007.