Carl R. Trueman’s epoch-making book is out

In his highly timely book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Carl R. Trueman traces how we have moved from a focus on the self to a total politicisation of sexual identity through gender theory. In his exciting, colourful analysis, he explores the changes that have taken place in the deep layers of our thinking over the last 400 years. An acclaimed church historian and professor of biblical and religious studies, Trueman analyses the emergence of the sexual revolution as a symptom – not a cause – of the human search for identity. Trueman reviews the past, illuminates the present and offers guidance for the future, providing a firm foundation and a useful compass for understanding contemporary culture and humanity’s ever-changing search for identity.

His fascinating writing is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the roots of the collective madness that surrounds us, and to go beyond insight to living well in the world – without becoming secular.

“This volume has taught us how the Church should respond to the symptoms of our world today; that is, how the Church can be a confessor of faith “, writes József Steinbach, Bishop of the Transdanubian Reformed Church District, in his dedication.

The volume is published jointly by the Budapest Institute for Contemporary Christianity and the Axioma Centre.

About the content

Modern culture is obsessed with identity. Since the 2015 US Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, gender identity has dominated both public discourse and cultural trends, but no historical phenomenon stands alone: from St. Augustine to Marx, different views and perspectives have contributed to the modern understanding of the self.

About the author

Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. He is a noted church historian and a fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Author or editor of more than a dozen books (including Strange New World; The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Histories and Fallacies). He is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Book launch

To mark the launch of the book, a book launch was held in 2024. September 6 at the Lónyay-Hatvany Villa. The event was joined online by the author, Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Theology and Church History.