The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success

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The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 211 ratings · 54 reviews

Many books have been written about the success of the West, analyzing why Europe was able to pull ahead of the rest of the world by the end of the Middle Ages. The most common explanations cite the West’s superior geography, commerce, and technology. Completely overlooked is the fact that faith in reason, rooted in Christianity’s commitment to rational theology, made all t...more Many books have been written about the success of the West, analyzing why Europe was able to pull ahead of the rest of the world by the end of the Middle Ages. The most common explanations cite the West’s superior geography, commerce, and technology. Completely overlooked is the fact that faith in reason, rooted in Christianity’s commitment to rational theology, made all these developments possible. Simply put, the conventional wisdom that Western success depended upon overcoming religious barriers to progress is utter nonsense.

In The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark advances a revolutionary, controversial, and long overdue idea: that Christianity and its related institutions are, in fact, directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium.

In Stark’s view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and nonsecular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason: While the world’s other great belief systems emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and reason as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress. That is what made all the difference.

In explaining the West’s dominance, Stark convincingly debunks long-accepted “truths.” For instance, by contending that capitalism thrived centuries before there was a Protestant work ethic–or even Protestants–he counters the notion that the Protestant work ethic was responsible for kicking capitalism into overdrive. In the fifth century, Stark notes, Saint Augustine celebrated theological and material progress and the institution of “exuberant invention.” By contrast, long before Augustine, Aristotle had condemned commercial trade as “inconsistent with human virtue”–which helps further underscore that Augustine’s times were not the Dark Ages but the incubator for the West’s future glories.

This is a sweeping, multifaceted survey that takes readers from the Old World to the New, from the past to the present, overturning along the way not only centuries of prejudiced scholarship but the antireligious bias of our own time. The Victory of Reason proves that what we most admire about our world–scientific progress, democratic rule, free commerce–is largely due to Christianity, through which we are all inheritors of this grand tradition.(less)

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published December 18th 2007 by Random House (first published December 6th 2005)

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Jan 13, 2010 W. Bradford Littlejohn rated it 2 of 5 stars

If I had come across this book in a vacuum, no doubt I would’ve thought it mediocre and occasionally annoying, but nothing to get worked up about. But, knowing as I did (from word of mouth and from the enthusiastic blurbs on the cover) that many in conservative evangelical circles loved this book, I spent the entire time I was reading vexed by the question “Why?” And unable to satisfactorily answer that question, I found myself in a very ill temper throughout. Now, because this book received suc...more

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Apr 12, 2008 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Professor Stark, a Baylor University social sciences professor, has written a book that should complement recent works by men like Jared Diamond or Victor Davis Hanson, in explaining why the West, and especially why particular forms of Christianity have led to unique successes for its adherents around the present world. Stark has written to especially critique ideas in the famous book, the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Instead he argues that Christianity in general has led to fo...more Professor Stark, a Baylor University social sciences professor, has written a book that should complement recent works by men like Jared Diamond or Victor Davis Hanson, in explaining why the West, and especially why particular forms of Christianity have led to unique successes for its adherents around the present world. Stark has written to especially critique ideas in the famous book, the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Instead he argues that Christianity in general has led to forms of government and capitalism that have met with rounds of worldwide success.

Stark backs up his thesis with example and statistical analysis to show why western Christianity's core beliefs, that man knows God by further investigation and expanision of knowledge and that diversification of ideas and roles led to spin off ideas among industry, the family and government throughout Europe.

Reason for Stark is a direct child of Christianity. Greek philosophy may have had a lot to say about reason, and with the rise of Islam, much of Greek thought may have been preserved, but it was the special combination of Christian faith using reason, which led to things unforeseen in the world. In actuality, Irish monks had more access to ancient writings, often by a ration of 8:1 than did Islamic scholars. And what the Middle and Far East may have had in raw knowledge, they were able to do less with more because there was not application for reason in their faith, unlike western Christianity.

Two areas of history receive excellent examination by Stark: the middle ages, which according to his analysis, proved to be more rational and better equipped to handle the world than the later Renaissance, was the creator of international finance, multiple practical technological inventions and free institutions which later faded away as the high middle ages embraced reason without faith.
Finally, Stark compares and contrasts British North America with Latin America to attempt to show why these two regions are so different in wealth, general freedom and technological innovation. Probably the book uses statistics at its best with its comparison between feudal Latin America and capitalistic Anglo America. Because Christianity was separated from the state, the church flourished in ways it never did in the south, in active members and in influence on society. Stark attirbutes the economic output of Anglo America largely to the embrace of rational theology that began centuries ago, that ran through northern Italy, the low countries, Britain and later America and the rest of the Anglo nations.

Stark does not cheer lead for any particular side, but is very effective to show through his research that reason, Christianity, democratic reforms and capitalism are usually inseparable from each other. The author closes by asking if capitalism needs Christianity in today's world, and whether globilization has made capitalism's reliance on rational theology relevant. The conclusion is that they are forever linked, as evidenced by the explosion in the growth of the Christian faith and rational theology as the same time as globilization has spread the blessings of capitalism and freedom.(less)

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Jun 19, 2010 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Given the title of this book, I expected an expert but narrowly-focused argument. Rodney Stark delivers far more than that. He may be the best researcher writing nonfiction today, and his prose is never dry or needlessly academic. The result is a gripping one-volume history of Christendom from an economic point of view. Stark addresses (and demolishes) the myths of the "Dark Ages," while also regaling the reader with tales about the Italian city-states, not to mention France, Spain, England, the...more

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May 02, 2008 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: christians, sociologists, people who like interesting books

Recommended to Laurie by: Relevant magazine

When I took this book off the shelf in the Sociology section of the New York Public Library, I immediately wondered if this book would read like a college textbook. I will say that you should not attempt this book if you are feeling at all tired because it will only make your eyelids droop. However, when I was full of life, this book by Rodney Stark was very interesting. Stark basically defends the idea that Christianity lead to technological innovations and new ways of running society (capitali...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Socraticgadfly rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, sociology-and-culture, religious-study-theology

When Stark can make broad-sweeping, but not very accurate statements such as "Capitalism was developed by the great monastic estates," you know to buckle your seat belts, you're in for a historically bumpy ride.

Here, as in "For the Glory of God," Stark claims to be rehabilitating Christian religious history from people labeled as militant atheists and others who are always implied to be inaccurate rewriters of history.

Well, if you read my more in-depth review of that book, you'll see that, while...more When Stark can make broad-sweeping, but not very accurate statements such as "Capitalism was developed by the great monastic estates," you know to buckle your seat belts, you're in for a historically bumpy ride.

Here, as in "For the Glory of God," Stark claims to be rehabilitating Christian religious history from people labeled as militant atheists and others who are always implied to be inaccurate rewriters of history.

Well, if you read my more in-depth review of that book, you'll see that, while I note Stark does have some tidbits of factual learning to toss out, between unhistorically re-reporting old myths as fact, tossing out opinion as fact, and other strategems, he is often the rewriter of history himself.

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It is true that capitalism as we know it first arose in the "Christian West." But Stark makes a huge logical error, in addition to his historical ones.

He assumes without warrant that a statistical correlation implies a logical one.

First, the theoretical defenders and exponents of modern capitalism, such as Adam Smith, were not orthodox Christians but Deists. (In "For the Glory of God," Stark can airbrush someone like Isaac Newton into an orthdox Christian, touching up his Unitarian delvings into the Trinity and even ignoring his fascination with mystical fringe science or beyond.

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Next would be the borderline intellectual dishonesty of trying to reread (or perhaps we should say, sociologically retranslate) people such as Scholastic philosophers Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas as though they had just graduated the University of Chicago or the Wharton School of Business. Just because you can do it, doesn't mean it should be done, that it produces any real insight or that it is otherwise valuable.

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In short, unless you are a fairly conservative Christian seeking a academic justification for an "us vs. them" mindset that, if it went much further, might come close to the Stalinist USSR in defending Christian creativity, feel free to skip this book. (less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Dennis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love well-researched books that correct the false impressions left to us from historians who write with an anti-Christian agenda. Authors such as Edward Gibbons (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,) Jared Diamond (Guns, Gems and Steel), Carl Sagan (The Demon Haunted World) and Daniel Boorstin (The Discoverers) either through innuendo, ambivalence, or outright animosity, leave their readers with the impression that Christianity was either irrelevant, or else a great impediment to progress...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Timothy Bertolet added it · review of another edition

The thesis of the book is simple: Christianity encouraged the use of reason which lead the rise of freedom and capitalism. In this book Stark takes on the sort of post-enlightenment lore that Christianity led to the dark ages and reason did not spring forth until post-Renaissance and even later until the dawning of "enlightenment".

In fact, Stark shows the the "dark ages" were hardly dark. This is not a new thesis to historians of the middle ages, as a number of recent studies have shown--yet thi...more The thesis of the book is simple: Christianity encouraged the use of reason which lead the rise of freedom and capitalism. In this book Stark takes on the sort of post-enlightenment lore that Christianity led to the dark ages and reason did not spring forth until post-Renaissance and even later until the dawning of "enlightenment".

In fact, Stark shows the the "dark ages" were hardly dark. This is not a new thesis to historians of the middle ages, as a number of recent studies have shown--yet this thesis has hardly caught on in pop culture.

The book is divided into two sections: (1) Foundations and (2) Fulfillment. In the foundations section, he seeks to demonstrate that the fundamental dignity of a human person, security of personal freedoms and personal property did not and indeed could not arise under ancient Greece and Roman. Rather it was the tradition of Christian theology and their firm belief in the gift of human reason that lead to these developments. Rather than holding the world back--it actually moved civilization forward in some key ways.

The second section reads more like a historical primer to the rise of capitalism more specifically. Stark debunks Max Weber's thesis that the Protestant work ethic lead to capitalism by showing that capitalism was budding early in the 11th-12th centuries and beyond. He also discusses the reasons in flourished and did not flourish. Particularly: where freedom was not secure, despotism reigned or rights were not protect--capitalism did not flourish.

The second section is helpful. He clearly shows the fruit of the worldview Christianity imparted. Yet at times, he does not tie his argument closely enough to his overall thesis. One could almost read the second section as a stand alone.

The book is well documented and aside from a few minor weaknesses, his argument is solid. He relies on a number of important studies.

There is a tendency in history to make sweeping claims. One such sweeping claim that has stood for far too long in popular lore is the idea that Christianity held the world back from true progress. Built of the shoulders of historians, Stark challenges the common assumption by taking us back to basics and redrawing this picture with the primary sources of history and sociology. This book is worth the time and investment of a careful read.(less)

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Jun 11, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: church-history, history

Rodney Stark argues here, as he has in other places, that it was Christian faith that motivated the West to pursue capitalism. From this pursuit came western success. Stark argues that those who dissociate Christian faith from western achievements such as science and capitalism are rewriting history.

Stark argues in chapter one that Christian faith was unique in believing that progress was God-given. This allowed later theologians to reinterpret scripture when necessary. Therefore, while the Bibl...more Rodney Stark argues here, as he has in other places, that it was Christian faith that motivated the West to pursue capitalism. From this pursuit came western success. Stark argues that those who dissociate Christian faith from western achievements such as science and capitalism are rewriting history.

Stark argues in chapter one that Christian faith was unique in believing that progress was God-given. This allowed later theologians to reinterpret scripture when necessary. Therefore, while the Bible does not allow interest, theologians such as Augustine and Aquinas used God-given reason to argue that such a prohibition against interest was not a once-for-all command and that interest was indeed allowable in a Christian society. Along with this, it was Christian theology that led to the rise of science, the abolition of slavery, and the rise of individualism. Stark spends more time on this in other books, but his basic point is that only in the West did astrology become astronomy and alchemy became chemistry. This was due to Christian faith and other ideologies and cultures (Greece, Rome, China, Islam) actually created thought worlds that inhibited such advances.

In chapter two Stark takes on the idea that the "dark ages" were a time of regression and little cultural advancement. He argues that this whole concept was created by secular, enlightenment philosophers hostile to Christian faith and it does not match the fact. Stark shows that the medieval era, the "dark ages", were a time of great technological advancement with new ways of production, waging war, and transporting products. During this era was also seen the beginnings of capitalism, with the first capitalist societies being found in the Italian cities of Venice, Genoa, Florence and Milan (chapter three). He shows that it was distinctly Christian ideas such as moral equality (all people are equal, kings and nobles are not just created higher on the totem pole), that states and kings are not the ultimate authority that led to capitalism. Also important was the geography of Europe which led to disunity; in the absence of one centralized government there was room for development in many different regions.

This idea becomes important in part two of the book. After discussing the growth of Italian capitalism throughout Europe (chapter four) and its movement north into England and Dutch areas (chapter five), Stark looks at why capitalism failed to take hold in Spain and France (chapter six). His argument was that Spain and France were run by strong central governments that stifled progress and kept the populace in a medieval feudalism. In such a society there is no reason for people to work harder because they get nothing out of it. Further, higher taxes that supported the extravagant lifestyle of the nobility worked, in the long run, to cripple production and the economy. Spain never became a producer of goods, relying on imports from their colonies in Latin America and taxes on their holdings throughout Europe. The Spanish crown declared bankruptcy numerous times in the 1500s and 1600s and as they lost their territory, they lost their income. England on the other hand continued to develop technologies that better aided production, they paid workers more but also produced more allowing them to sell products throughout Europe for less. This led to the Industrial Revolution in England, allowing the British to flourish.

Finally, in chapter seven Stark shows how this played out in the "New World." He argues that North America inherited the attitudes of England, encouraging people to work hard for themselves and to compete. On the other hand, South America inherited the attitudes of Spain where people worked for the benefit of the crown. According to Stark, this is why the US and Canada have flourished economically while Mexico and South America have not.

Along with this, Stark talks about differences in religion. One of Stark's main theses, which he mentions in other books, is that religion grows where there is a competition. A centralized state church supported by taxes does not provide motivation to reach out to the people and leads to stagnation. A church without support from the government, forced to compete with other churches for members and funds, leads to a vibrant religious society.

So in Stark's view, competition is the key to religious and economic growth. Societies that emphasize freedom, competition and where the government more or less gets out of the way are ones with strong religious communities and flourishing economies. When the state tries to control the church, as well as controlling labor and charging high taxes, the religion and the economy weaken.

Overall, I found this book intriguing, if not fascinating. Stark makes a strong historical argument for free market capitalism based on its success over against other ideologies that lead to a society languishing in poverty. He shows that it was Christian theology that created capitalism, leading to the prospering of the western world.

Stark is not concerned with biblical arguments, and some Christians may want to take him to task on this. Just because the course of Christian history led to certain things, such as capitalism, does not mean such is faithful to scripture. In other words, in returning to scripture, as Christians must always do, do we find justification for free market capitalism? Stark does go this direction briefly when he mentions Constantine's legalizing Christianity. This led to two Catholic churches: the church of piety and the church of power. The church of piety is rooted in the pre-Constantinian church of "dedicated, poorly paid, and rather ascetic clergy, who sometimes knowingly risked martyrdom" (202). Many Christians today look to those pre-Constantine days as the ideal for how the church should be, and see all the favors heaped on the church afterwards as a veering off the path. The church of power is the church after Constantine that had political influence, justified things the Bible did not such as interest, and soon ran the western world.

Stark's argument is that without the church of power, Christianity would not have endorsed progress and thus not been in favor of science or capitalism. This is a point that would be good for discussion, especially among Christians who see the Constantinian endorsement of Christianity as the cause of all evil that followed after. Stark argues that the Quran also forbids interest and without Christianity's acceptance of progress in interpretation this is why the Islamic world to this day frowns on interest, making capitalism difficult. For Stark, without Constantine, the church would be in the same position.

I think Stark's work here is a reminder of the importance of competition. Humans thrive on competition which is why churches are healthier where there is religious freedom, freedom to compete. Likewise, economies do better where there is freedom for businesses and individuals to compete. At the same time, Scripture does not allow Christians to accept a simple "survival of the fittest" in the economic world. The church of piety is always there to remind the church of power that Jesus calls his followers to care for the weak, poor, oppressed and sick. (less)

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Feb 19, 2010 Jerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: church-and-culture, history, economics, politics

Stark makes the case that medieval monks, during those slandered dark ages, birthed capitalism that would develop Western culture. He defines capitalism as "an economic system wherein privately owned, relatively well organized, and stable firms pursue complex commercial activities within a relatively free (unregulated) market, taking a systematic, long-term approach to investing an reinvesting wealth (directly or indirectly) in productive activities involving a hired workforce, and guided by ant...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Ron rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is commonplace to think of Christianity and rationalism as opposite historical and philosophical forces. In this study, Stark demonstrates that elements within Christianity actually gave rise not only to visions of reason and progress but also to the evolution of capitalism."Rodney Stark may be the most influential religious researcher of the past hundred years. He has revolutionized contemporary thought about religion and economics, and in this book - his most provocative yet - he makes a co...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Michael Gerald rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dear Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, and all other militant atheists out there:

You should have conducted more research before attacking other people's freedom of religion. If you did so, then you would have realized that religion, specifically Christianity, and science do complement each other. But you were so close-minded that you didn't even notice that.

Anyway, who really cares about your rants?

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Sep 09, 2012 Athens added it

Shelves: history, e-books

About 15% of the way in, it became clear that this book would be controversial in a public way.

Without being an apologist for Stark, and certainly not so only this far in, he is making me consider some things that I had not considered before.

In specific, in the Christian model the individual makes free-will choices and is responsible for those choices. This assertion is then coupled with the duty of that individual to understand and use the formal process of ~reason~ to come to conclusions abo...more

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Aug 22, 2010 Douglas Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, political-economics

This is a book that intends to correct many historical inaccuracies about the Medieval Church and Western culture that have persistently over valued Protestant and Enlightenment foundations of modern science and capitalism - and undervalues the worldview provided by the Church to Western culture that has made it possible for learning to progress.

I have for a number of years wondered about the common assertion by us Protestants that it wasn't until the Reformation that intellectual, scientific,...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Douglas Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This is one of the most satisfying books I have read in a long time. It is one thing to reject, as I have for many years, the idea of the "Dark Ages," but Stark demonstrates just how "undark" they were. Leave it to secular thinkers to tag the most advanced human society to date as a period of blind superstition. And this book is potent evidence against those who want to represent free markets as an Enlightenment concept, one that Christians should leave behind. What we now call capitalism was al...more

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May 08, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

Many books have been written about the success of the West, analyzing why Europe was able to pull ahead of the rest of the world by the end of the Middle Ages. The most common explanations cite the West’s superior geography, commerce, and technology. Completely overlooked is the fact that faith in reason, rooted in Christianity’s commitment to rational theology, made all these developments possible. Simply put, the conventional wisdom that Western success depended upon overcoming religious barri...more Many books have been written about the success of the West, analyzing why Europe was able to pull ahead of the rest of the world by the end of the Middle Ages. The most common explanations cite the West’s superior geography, commerce, and technology. Completely overlooked is the fact that faith in reason, rooted in Christianity’s commitment to rational theology, made all these developments possible. Simply put, the conventional wisdom that Western success depended upon overcoming religious barriers to progress is utter nonsense.

In The Victory of Reason, Rodney Stark advances a revolutionary, controversial, and long overdue idea: that Christianity and its related institutions are, in fact, directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium.

In Stark’s view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and nonsecular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason: While the world’s other great belief systems emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and reason as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress. That is what made all the difference.

In explaining the West’s dominance, Stark convincingly debunks long-accepted “truths.” For instance, by contending that capitalism thrived centuries before there was a Protestant work ethic–or even Protestants–he counters the notion that the Protestant work ethic was responsible for kicking capitalism into overdrive. In the fifth century, Stark notes, Saint Augustine celebrated theological and material progress and the institution of “exuberant invention.” By contrast, long before Augustine, Aristotle had condemned commercial trade as “inconsistent with human virtue”–which helps further underscore that Augustine’s times were not the Dark Ages but the incubator for the West’s future glories.

This is a sweeping, multifaceted survey that takes readers from the Old World to the New, from the past to the present, overturning along the way not only centuries of prejudiced scholarship but the antireligious bias of our own time. The Victory of Reason proves that what we most admire about our world–scientific progress, democratic rule, free commerce–is largely due to Christianity, through which we are all inheritors of this grand tradition.(less)

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Sep 22, 2012 Adam T Calvert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Now this is a history lesson you hardly ever hear: its precisely because Western Europe (and then America) was Christianized that it became the world leader in everything (education, innovation, technology, economics, politics), since its conversion to Christianity; and only if it retains its belief in Christianity will it retain its leading role.

Starks, who at the time of writing this book was not by any sense a "born again Christian," writes with a very accessible style, a thorough background...more Now this is a history lesson you hardly ever hear: its precisely because Western Europe (and then America) was Christianized that it became the world leader in everything (education, innovation, technology, economics, politics), since its conversion to Christianity; and only if it retains its belief in Christianity will it retain its leading role.

Starks, who at the time of writing this book was not by any sense a "born again Christian," writes with a very accessible style, a thorough background of research, and a very well presented argument. From the Introduction:

"The trouble is that these answers [differing explanations as to why the West surpassed the rest of the world] are part of what needs to be explained: why did Europeans excel at metallurgy, shipbuilding, or farming? The most convincing answer to these questions attributes Western dominance to the rise of capitalism... ... Supposing that capitalism did produce Europe's great leap forward, it remains to be explained why it developed only in Europe. ... But if one digs deeper, it becomes clear that the truly fundamental basis not only for capitalism but for the rise of the West was an extraordinary faith in reason. ... While the other world religions emphasized mystery and intuition, Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guide to religious truth." (pp. ix-x)

From there he goes on into eight chapters explaining and expanding on his thesis. He shows that Christianity alone used and buttressed reason (which stemmed from their theology) and put it into practice in all other fields of life. When applied to economics and the market, this turned into capitalism - the beginnings of which took its foundation centuries before the Protestant Reformation. From capitalism came industry, innovation and technology (not to mention the continued emphasis on education with which Christianity was always heavily involved); and from that came Western success.

It's only 236 pages, so it perhaps might not be air-tight in all of its arguments. But…it's 236 pages of very intriguing, very well-researched, and thought stimulating historical insight.

Probably not for every audience (while it's certainly useful, I would not recommend this as an apologetic tool for lay-Christians - it's a little bit technical, and he's not writing as an apologist) - but certainly worth the read if you're interested in history - especially big-picture history as it pertains to economics.(less)

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Jun 25, 2009 Xox rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trash-and-bullshit

A piece of crap! Christians taking credit in history for things they had not done.

Gee... What shaemless say christianity is responsible for the good stuff while not even mentioning how many scientists and doctors christians had murdered for not believe in the christian bullshit. I had enough of bullshit from christian.

Don't read it if you don't already agreed with the writer, or you would get pissed off and wanted so much to throw this book against the wall.

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Dec 21, 2011 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I learned more about world history and the rise of the West by reading this book than in all of my history classes through high-school and college. The Victory of Reason opened my eyes to the development of capitalism in the West as an out-springing of monotheism and the belief that God wants man to use his reason. Stark dispels many myths about the "dark ages" and sheds some very practical light on the disparity between North and South America. He is able to present and support his ideas withou...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Frank Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

No, it was not guns, germs, steel, geography, or luck that made Europe the leader of the world in technology, in economy, or in power. It was Christianity, with its ideas of progress, of individual human worth, and of a rational God whose universe could be understood, which made Europe great.

An excellent book, partly because it is an excellent economic history. Why capitalism works, and why it was born in a Christian milieu. Why and how Science came from a Christian milieu, and no other. Requir...more

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Feb 13, 2010 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, religion-spirituality, history-sociology

I was willing to read this book because Stark is not a theologian, nor is he Christian; he's a sociologist and therefore his perpsective is a little different. I am not religious but I do love history, the social sciences and I have a slight fascination with the origins of ritual behaviors.

The development of western civilization is so intertwined with religion it seems this book helps fills in some of the gaps where other history books end or fail to give a clear picture.

I have two complaints;...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fantastic. On the whole, very, very good. This book is for anyone who has ever been told that Christianity has been bad for civilization/progress. My main beef with the book is how much regard Stark hold democracy in as far as establishing free societies. Biblical law establishes free society, not allowing people to choose their despots, I mean, rulers, but I digress. A book for anyone who wants to have an insight into the implications of Post-Millenial Christianity.

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Feb 14, 2010 Ken Foster rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although he may be somewhat one-sided in his overall message it is nevertheless persuasive and revolutionary to the perspective on history that I grew up with. It is particularly relevant to my masters research on the role of knowledge in training medical professionals in a Central Asian country. A clearer understanding of history can never go amiss in sorting out our current situation and tensions.

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Jan 27, 2011 Cole Schoolland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stark takes an interesting perspective as to why the "West" has so unanimously successful during the rise of civilizations over the past thousand years. Historically one looks to the Renaissance and Enlightenment as the "turning point". Stark poses a new theory that names early Christianity as the spark during the "Dark Ages" that led and continued to influence the unparalleled rise.
Whether or not you agree with Stark's premise, his is a thought-provoking lens from which to examine Western Civi...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Inert1 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, nonfiction, own

I found the book immensely enjoyable, with interesting information in every paragraph. I find the cental thesis plausible, although the book seems to indicate more about liberty than Christianity. I believe that there is quite likely a causal relationship between the two, but Stark didn't seem to make much of an attempt to make the connection.

I had Professor Sark as for a sociology class 30 years ago as a college freshman. He was both amusing and informative, and it was funny to recognize his le...more

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Oct 21, 2010 John Caneday rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, favorites, homeschool-books

This is a great book. Stark demonstrates that it is Christianity that established the West as the dominant cultural force in the world. He contrasts Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and others early on in the book to show that it was Christianity alone that gave man a rational, ordered understanding of the world. Christianity is centered upon a God that acts in a logical, consistent manner, giving man reason to study and understand the world--to pursue scientific endeavor. This then led to phi...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Phil rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, economics

Genuinely outstanding historical analysis of European history from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment. Emphasizes the economic and intellectual activity of the Middle Ages. If you have any notion that the Middle Ages were dark, backward, or stagnant, read this book right now.

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Mar 02, 2009 Hayden rated it 5 of 5 stars

very good read. recommend to anyone. lays an interesting case for the parallel rise of capitalism and christianity. alson interesting discussions on why science did or did not occur in a society. chiling ending.

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Sep 24, 2010 Andy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys history, wants their mind stretched, Christian libertarians

Shelves: faith, history-or-alternative

A fascinating thesis, well reasoned and documented. Great history, covering eras and items that are frequently neglected. Could barely put it down. And yes, he documents not just HOW but WHY and what about Christianity it is that leads to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western success. He shows that the Rationality and Reason that informs Christianity, as well as the belief in an ordered universe that makes sense and can be understood, the belief in equality before God, and many more fundamental tenet...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, religion, book-club, 2012

A mini history of the economic and technological development of Europe and the Americas. It shows how countries that embraced Christianity had more freedom and were therefore more economically successful.

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Apr 05, 2010 Lanny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-nonfiction, school-books

A better title would perhaps be "The Victory of Christianity." Overall, very good. A little bit too rationalistic.

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About Rodney Stark

Rodney Stark grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota, and began his career as a newspaper reporter. Following a tour of duty in the U.S. Army, he received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where he held appointments as a research sociologist at the Survey Research Center and at the Center for the Study of Law and Society. He left Berkeley to become Professor of Sociology and of Compa...more

More about Rodney Stark...

Books by Rodney Stark

The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries

God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades

Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion

For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery

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