For the past several years, I’ve been researching and writing a book on the development of our idea of God in Judaism and Christianity. I’ve particularly looked into how Christianity has impacted the world even into modern times as a privileged political actor. In our secular, pluralistic world, religion is losing that privileged status, and our continued liberty depends on seeing that it doesn’t get it back.
Now I’m pleased to announce that Apocryphile Press has published my book: A God of Our Invention: How Religion Shaped the Western World: https://apocryphilepress.com/book/a-god-of-our-invention-how-religion-shaped-the-western-world/
(If you get it through Amazon, I would greatly appreciate if it you could leave a review on the webpage. Even if it’s one sentence long, it helps a lot.)
Among the many issues covered by A God of Our Invention:
- How Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem led to the Israelites’ believing in one god;
- When the Jews began to believe in personal immortality and judgment after death;
- Why the Roman conquest of Judaea was critical to the birth of Christianity;
- Why the Jews have always been indifferent to Jesus—and why Christians can’t accept that;
- How Christians went from being pacifists to calling for holy war;
- How the insistence that the world is about to end has impacted the way we deal with sex, life, death, and global climate change;
- How doubt and reality combined to break Christianity’s hold on power.
Advance praise for A God of Our Invention:
A uniquely critical, honest, readable and wide-ranging introduction to Jewish and Christian Theology.
—Bernard S. Jackson, Alliance Professor of Modern Jewish Studies Emeritus, University of Manchester
A stimulating contribution to vital discussions in Biblical studies and the science of religious history.
—Erhard S. Gerstenberger, Prof. em. in Old Testament, Marburg University
An original take on the Christian tradition and on how it has built on and interrelated with Judaism.
—Dag Øistein Endsjø, Professor in the Study of Religion, University of Oslo, author of Greek Resurrection Beliefs and Sex and Religion
Secular but not irreligious, erudite but not heavy, this book is notable for its balanced judgments and lucid presentation.
—Richard Robbins, Professor emeritus in Russian History, University of New Mexico
Systematic, objective, and impartial. . . . I regard A God of Our Invention as a fascinating must-read.
—Bulent Atalay, Ph.D., author of Math and the Mona Lisa
On April 4th, I’ll be speaking about the book at the Commonwealth Club of California:
https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2023-04-04/how-religion-shaped-western-world
You can attend in-person or watch online.