Carl R. Trueman

Carl Trueman traces the historical roots of many hot-button issues such as transgenderism and homosexuality, offering thoughtful biblical analysis as he uncovers the profound impact of the sexual revolution on modern human identity.

Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self

Sean Wilson

A largely successful survey of the intellectual genealogy of expressive individualism. I am pleased to know, as I have long suspected, that it's all Rousseau's fault.

Given Trueman's parameters of study (i.e., focusing on ideology rather than institutions and technology, though he does not at all deny their importance), I think he was largely successful, though it did make me hope for him or someone else to write a volume about how the printing press, the automobile, telecommunications, etc support or reinforce expressive individualist ideas and practices.

One gap in the analysis that begs for some coverage is how the Christian Church has played an active role in all this. Trueman addresses the church briefly at the very end, but he positions them as merely responding to these phenomena. But are we at all responsible for what's happened in the first place? I'd have loved to see Trueman develop this.

Still, it is a great achievement, and helpfully synthesises lots of cultural analysis into one tidy package. Highly recommended.

Kehinde Adeleke

Amazing book. As Carl mentions, this is a Prolegomenon to understanding the current state of Sexuality, identity and politics in our Modern society. What I really enjoyed was the historical narrative he traced till the present age. Wow. You should give it a try.

Modern culture is obsessed with identity. Since the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, sexual identity has dominated both public discourse and cultural trends—and yet, no historical phenomenon is its own cause. From Augustine to Marx, various views and perspectives have contributed to the modern understanding of self. In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Carl Trueman carefully analyzes the roots and development of the sexual revolution as a symptom, rather than the cause, of the human search for identity. This timely exploration of the history of thought behind the sexual revolution teaches readers about the past, brings clarity to the present, and gives guidance for the future as Christians navigate the culture’s ever-changing search for identity.

Very dense, but he defends his points well before landing at the very end on practical implications for moving forward. 

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution

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