Christianity And World Changing By James Davison Hunter

Many people believe that that the motivation of the Christian church is to radically â€Å"change the world†. However, through his book To Change The World, James Davison Hunter explains how this common believe is a misconception. Rather, he shows readers that, from a sociological perspective, while Christians thrive in many areas of life by reaching others individually, they fundamentally components of creating cultural change. Hunter’s first essay, titled â€Å"Christianity And World-Changing† attempts to refute the common assumption that cultures can be changed â€Å"one heart at a time† or, in other words, from the bottom up. Hunter argues the contrary, that cultures are usually changed from top to bottom through small networks of elites. These networks create space for thinking about an alternative culture, which allows our thinking to then spreads outward (p. 78). In other words, Hunter explains his want and anticipation for Christian leaders to come forth and create the foundation for a more powerful change in culture. However, he explains that this needs to be done without resorting to force or imposition. He later calls the â€Å"Constantinian error† (p. 152). In his second essay, titled â€Å"Rethinking Power† describes this â€Å"Constantinian error† and the different ways that Christians try to create change in culture. He focuses on three major Christian culture-changing movements of our day: the Christian right, the Christian left, and the Neo-Anabaptists. All of these movements lack an