Since most readers immediately associate “humanism” with secular or atheism, I suppose this wildly incorrect assumption needs some unpacking. No matter how commonplace the modern understanding of humanism has become, I would contend that the secularism or atheism so many associate with humanism is “cut-flower”—the blossom of humanism plucked from its organic stem, Christianity.
After all, the expression, Christian humanism, was coined in the fifteenth century and is usually synonymous with Renaissance humanism or medieval humanism. Humanism is rooted in the tracings of languages and study of texts that have occupied the perennial human questions since antiquity. Specifically, the term humanist referred to the umanista in Italy, the teachers and students of the humanities (i.e., studia humanitatis).
The humane subjects that they studied at the time included classical and biblical languages like Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. But they also included classical literature, grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy. The point being, as Richard Rex has pointed out, “it cannot be emphasized too strongly that all humanists were Christians and had Christian interests.”((Chris Armstrong et al., CH111 Understanding the Protestant Reformation: Precursors and Legacy, Logos Mobile Education (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).))
Christian humanism as a concept (as opposed to its mere definition) can be identified as far back as the Apostle Paul, who conceptualized the people of God as the new humanity in his letter to the Romans. Inchoate traces of humanistic impulses are even found in the Hebraic scriptures and Platonic idealism.
Christian humanists of the periods prior to the time when the term itself was employed, as well as those who followed in their footsteps all the way up to our modern era, believed Christianity was more than a churchly affair. They believe Christ did not redeem humans so they could merely huddle and cuddle—distance themselves from the culture or stand over against it. Rather, they believe Christianity has cultural purchase. Said another way, given that God visited humanity and took up flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, Christianity has a claim on the cultural questions that affect human flourishing. As Martin Marty has written in his introduction to an anthology of Christian humanist writings,
Christian humanism is the interest in human persons and the positive affirmation of human life and culture which stems from the Christian faith. It shares with other humanistic philosophies the motive of discovering and supporting whatever enhances human existence, but is distinctive in finding the source and goal of human powers in God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit.
Finally, one of the fundamental tenants of Christian humanism is its spirit of irenics over and above polemics. That’s not to say Christian humanists shy away from articulating important points of theological differences; however, Christian humanism seeks to accentuate the points of agreement so as not to unnecessarily disrupt the unity of the church and diminish its influence on culture and human flourishing.
To learn more about Christian humanism, consider rummaging through this series on the subject.
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