Incarnational Humanism
Encyclopedia
The idea of an "incarnational humanism" was not coined recently. It makes explicit a type of Christian humanism
which affirms the value and essential goodness of human reason and human culture and may be as old as humanism itself. Certainly there are expressions of humanism which could be described as "incarnational" already during the Italian Renaissance.
In a 1953 article, which can found on the web, later published as Chapter 8 of his influential book, We Hold These Truths (1960), the Catholic theologian John Courtney Murray
, S.J., contrasts "incarnational humanism" with "eschatological humanism," a different type of Christian humanism which is more suspicious and critical of human culture. This contrast is typically characterized as "world-affirming" and "world-rejecting."
Christian humanism
Christian humanism is the position that universal human dignity and individual freedom are essential and principal components of, or are at least compatible with, Christian doctrine and practice. It is a philosophical union of Christian and humanist principles.- Origins :Christian humanism may have...
which affirms the value and essential goodness of human reason and human culture and may be as old as humanism itself. Certainly there are expressions of humanism which could be described as "incarnational" already during the Italian Renaissance.
In a 1953 article, which can found on the web, later published as Chapter 8 of his influential book, We Hold These Truths (1960), the Catholic theologian John Courtney Murray
John Courtney Murray
John Courtney Murray, , was an American Jesuit priest and theologian, who was especially known for his efforts to reconcile Catholicism and religious pluralism, particularly focusing on the relationship between religious freedom and the institutions of a democratically structured modern...
, S.J., contrasts "incarnational humanism" with "eschatological humanism," a different type of Christian humanism which is more suspicious and critical of human culture. This contrast is typically characterized as "world-affirming" and "world-rejecting."