will, "We once again find ourselves that pulls away from it" (p. 203).
(p. 203). comprises a cosmic world-view based on
subordinated to nonhumanistic princi-
ples, this time more oppressive because
they lead in the direction of the mechan-
ical rather than natural" (p. 289).
Reflecting on some central features of
modernity, another scholar alerts us to
the unresolved tension between a hum-
anism of the ordinary and the humanism
of the extraordinary, so dramatically
emphasized by Nietzsche. We are urged
to learn from the Greek tragedians and
to maintain "a tragic vision which is
dualistic because it sees life as a tension
between two quite different forces, one
that pulls toward normalcy and the other
`Religious' Humanism as
Christian Humanism
Paul Kurtz
The Case for Christian Humanism, by
R. William Franklin and Joseph M.
Shaw (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William
B. Eerdman's Publishing Company,
1991) 270 pp. $18.95 paper.
though The Case for Christian
A Humanism was briefly reviewed in
FREE INQUIRY (Winter 1991/92), it
deserves more extensive critical com-
ment, because it demonstrates anew how
important the meaning of words is, and
how much confusion the misuse of terms
can engender. In particular, the juxta-
positioning of the term Christian with
the term humanism only obfuscates the
meaning of humanism, and in particular
shows the pitfalls in calling humanism
a "religion."
The authors of this book, R. William
Franklin and Joseph M. Shaw, teach at
colleges in Minnesota. They draw upon
the writings of the late Harris Kaasa and
the theology of the Lutheran church, and
are involved in what they call the
"Christian Humanism Project."
Christian humanism is defined by
Paul Kurtz is the editor of FREE
INQUIRY.
56
Warnings and cautions such as these are
salutary, because they call attention to
the inevitably incomplete and open-
ended character of any serious intellec-
tual and moral ideal.
It is quite fitting that the concluding
word to this ground-breaking collection
is provided by a writer whose numerous
books and articles has made him the
paramount voice of the humanist move-
ment. In his contribution, Paul Kurtz
articulates his vision for humanism in
terms of what he has elsewhere called
"eupraxophy," meaning "good wisdom
and practice in conduct." That vision
Kaasa as follows:
It is firmly rooted in divine revelation,
especially that self-revelation with
God, which we have received in the
Bible. It has inspired worship and
devotion down through the centuries
in a community of those called by God
into the faith relationship.... It offers
reverence ... for human life which
is the essence of all humanism. (p. xiv)
The authors assure the reader that
they are not "peddling a liberal or radical
interpretation of Christianity." Their
interpretation of Christianity, they say,
is "a traditional one, Biblical, confes-
sional, ecumenical."
This Christian humanism manifests a
"deep interest in human beings, their life,
well-being, culture, and eternal signifi-
cance" (p. 5). Central to that faith is Jesus
Christ, not the "watered-down" version
of Christ of liberal Christianity, but "the
crucified, risen, and reigning one, the
Son of God" (p. xvii).
Franklin and Shaw reject the "reli-
gious humanism" of those nontheistic
humanists who insist that humanism is
a religion. They quote Martin Marty to
the effect that the nontheist religious
humanist members are "few in number,"
their "average age is in the seventies,"
rational methods of inquiry and pro-
motes individual and social well-being,
eventually extended to the world com-
munity, by cultivating a life stance
dominated by such basic humanist
virtues as courage, reason, compassion,
integrity, trustworthiness, benevolence,
and fairness. One cannot think of a better
prescription for the next stage of human
civilization. Also quite fittingly, in his
afterword, Tim Madigan invokes the
poetry of Walt Whitman to drive home
the reminder that the fate of that
civilization is not in the stars but in
ourselves. •
and their "influence slight." The lion's
share of their criticism is leveled against
secular humanism. The authors claim
that their form of Christian humanism
has its roots in Western civilization,
pagan literature, and the Christian
theological tradition. Christian and
secular humanism split into two
branches after the Renaissance: First,
secular humanism grew out of the
Renaissance's emphasis on "human
dignity, individuality, freedom, and
potential," and especially its "exaltation
of human reason." The second source
of secular humanism was the develop-
ment of modern science and its appli-
cation of scientific methods to the study
of nature and man. "As Enlightenment
rationalism came to full force," the
authors correctly point out, "the way
was made clear, for the first time in
Western history, for the appearance of
explicit atheism as a legitimate philo-
sophical position" (pp. 26-27). This
involved a denial of revealed religion and
theism.
Christian humanism rejects secular
humanism because it is "man-centered,
not God-centered." Franklin and Shaw
criticize its reliance on human powers,
reason, and intelligence to solve human
problems. In affirming that Christian
humanism is a religion, they mean that
it involves "the service and adoration of
God." Although they wish to use rea-
son and science for the betterment
of humanity, in the last analysis all
value, they insist, must be "grounded in
God."
FREE INQUIRY
 It is interesting to note that the
authors also attack the Christian Right
in American society, i.e., Roussas Rush-
doony and the Reconstructionists, Tim
LaHaye, Pat Robertson, and others for
their anti-humanist stance. They argue
that there is a Protestant tradition of
"Christian humanism." With the collapse
of communism they say that there is a
great opportunity to reassert this tradi-
tional, genuine Christian humanism.
They also applaud John Paul II's call
for the re-Christianization of Europe.
They admit that Christian humanism
does not have a specific set of answers
for the economic, political, and moral
Books in Brief
The World is My Home: A Memoir,
by James Michener (New York: Ran-
dom House, 1992) 519 pages. $25.00
cloth. It is always a delight to see a well-
respected public figure accept the label
"secular humanist." In this exciting
autobiography, James Michener de-
scribes his philosophy of life, which he
calls a kind of "liberal humanism" in
the vein of Thomas More, Thomas
Jefferson, and John Dewey. In addition,
he offers some blistering criticisms of
religious fundamentalists and like-
minded dogmatists who seek to impose
their narrow views on those around
them. Michener's fascination with all the
myriad civilizations he's come across,
from Mozambique to Morocco to deep
in the heart of Texas, ably demonstrates
that he is worthy of the title "citizen
of the world." — Tim Madigan
Freethought on the American Frontier,
edited by Fred Whitehead and Verle
Muhrer (Buffalo: Prometheus Books,
1992) 314 pages, cloth $24.95. An
anthology of freethought works from
the United States' Midwest and West,
Freethought on the American Frontier
focuses on more than two dozen writers
and mentions dozens of others. Included
are the expected (William Cowper
Brann, Samuel Clemens, Clarence
Darrow, Theodore Dreiser, Robert G.
Spring 1992
problems confronting humankind, but it
is enough for them that it holds forth
the religious preeminence of Jesus Christ
and the Word of God as central to the
human condition.
All of this graphically demonstrates
that no one has a monopoly on the word
humanism, and that Christians are as
free as anyone to preempt its use—which
is all the more reason why the editors
of FREE INQUIRY wish to make it clear
for the nth time that secular humanists
are non-religious. I have introduced the
term eupraxophy (with considerable
protest by fellow humanists) to get
through the thicket of confusion, and to
Ingersoll, Sinclair Lewis, Edgar Lee
Masters, Robert Owen, Vance Ran-
dolph); the borderline (Oliver Wendell
Holmes and Friedrich Münch); and the
unexpected authors who are well-known
(Campbellite Vachel Lindsay and Uni-
tarian Carl Sandburg)—as well as those
who are not, including many Scan-
dinavian and German immigrants who
were instrumental in publishing free-
thought materials in the prairie region
of the nation. The book's large number
of pertinent historical details make the
collection a fascinating one, particularly
because it covers new material not
found, for example, in The Encyclo-
pedia of Unbelief Its enormous scope
and humor are in keeping with its Mid-
western roots, and it proves that even
in the Bible Belt an impressive share of
the nation's skeptics and fighters for free
inquiry are to be found.
—Warren Allen Smith
How We Know What Isn't So: The
Fallibility of Human Reason in Every-
day Life, by Thomas Gilovich (New
York: The Free Press, 1991) 216 pages.
$19.95. Why do people continue to hold
on to beliefs that have no basis in reality?
Psychologist Thomas Gilovich exam-
ines the bounds of human rationality,
and comes to the conclusion that we
show that secular humanism is an
ethical, moral, and philosophical out-
look. In reading The Case for Christian
Humanism, I feel all the more that
secular humanists need to insist that they
are not "religious," at least as tradition-
ally implied by that term. If some
humanists persists in using it, this will
only confuse further the nature of
humanism, and it is apt, in the minds
of many people, to identify humanism
with traditional religions. This would be
a great pity, because the distinctive
nontheistic character of humanism, at
least as we understand it in the twentieth
century, would be endangered. •
do so, not because these beliefs satisfy
existential or psychological needs, but
rather because they are products of slop-
py reasoning. He examines the different
ways in which faulty reasoning can oc-
cur and offers some suggestions for how
to improve one's cognitive skills.
—T M.
The Protestant Establishment Revis-
ited, by E. Digby Baltzell, edited and
with an introduction by Howard G.
Schneiderman (New Brunswick, N.J.:
Transactions Publishers, 1992) 297
pages, $39.95 cloth. Baltzell in his 1964
work, The Protestant Establishment,
discussed the decline of an American
elite composed of an upper class raised
with the notion of noblesse oblige. This
aristocratic notion had degenerated into
a caste, bent upon holding unto its
privileged position come what may. In
this collection of recent essays, Baltzell
continues to chart the decline of the
WASPS (a term he coined) and foresees
dark days ahead. He explores the rise
in conspiracy theories (best typified by
Oliver Stone's film JFK, which came out
after this book went to press) and
attributes these to a mistaken egalitarian
distrust of all establishment figures. In
Baltzell's view, democracy cannot
succeed without guidance from an
aristocratic elite, preferably one trained
in the art of leadership. Baltzell's
paradoxical theories are well worth
exploring by anyone interested in the
survival of democratic values in late
twentieth-century America.
— TM.
57