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Carle C. Zimmerman (1897 – 1983), an eminent Harvard sociologist of the last century, concluded that the family is the most fundamental of all social institutions. He described three broad types of families—two strengthen society and one, called atomistic, leads to a society’s downfall. Focusing on the decline of the Greek and Roman civilizations, he listed 11 behaviors that indicate a culture is entering the destructive atomistic category. Though his prose is academic, his words, written in 1947, are prophetic.

1. Increased and rapid easy “causeless” divorce.

2. Decreased number of children, population decay, and increased public disrespect for parents and parenthood.

3. Elimination of the real meaning of the marriage ceremony.

4. Popularity of pessimistic doctrines about the early heroes.

5. Rise of theories that companionate marriage or a permissible looser family form would solve the problem.

6. The refusal of many other people married under the older family form to maintain their traditions while other people escape these obligations.

7. The spread of the antifamilism of the urbane and pseudointellectual classes to the very outer limits of the civilization.

8. Breaking down of most inhibitions against adultery.

9. Revolts of youth against parents so that parenthood became more and more difficult for those who did try to raise children.

10. Rapid rise and spread of juvenile delinquency.

11. Common acceptance of all forms of sex perversions.1

Footnotes:

1 Carle C. Zimmerman, Family and Civilization (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1947), 776-777.

The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus died last Thursday at age 72. For almost half a century he stood against the conventional view that religion should be barred from the public square. First Things Journal, which he founded in 1990, has served this cause in all quarters of the Church–Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox–providing thoughtful reflection at the crossroads of theology and public life. The following post is in honor of Rev. Neuhaus.

Those who would remove the Decalogue from American court houses turn a blind eye to the nation’s official practice of invoking God’s guidance and care. Here is evidence of that tradition, a tradition increasingly disparaged in the public square. These brief expressions are gleaned from the inaugural addresses of United States presidents.1 Without a single exception, these elected presidents have honored God on this solemn occasion.2

George Washington (1789) “that Almighty Being . . . whose providential aids can supply every human defect ”; John Adams (1797) “to consider a decent respect for Christianity among the best recommendations for the public service”; Thomas Jefferson (1801) “And may that Infinite Power which rules the destinies of the universe lead our councils to what is best”; James Madison (1809) “the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being”; James Monroe (1817) “fervent prayers to the Almighty that He will be graciously pleased to continue to us that protection”; John Quincy Adams (1825) “knowing that ‘except the Lord keep the city the watchman waketh but in vain’”3; Andrew Jackson (1833) “that He will so overrule all my intentions and actions and inspire the hearts of my fellow-citizens that we may be preserved from dangers”; Martin Van Buren (1837) “the Divine Being whose strengthening support I humbly solicit”; William Henry Harrison (1841) “a profound reverence for the Christian religion”; James K. Polk (1845) “to guard this Heaven-favored land against the mischiefs which without His guidance might arise from an unwise public policy”; Zachary Taylor (1849) “prosperity to which the goodness of Divine Providence has conducted our common country”; Franklin Pierce (1853) “no national security but in the nation’s humble, acknowledged dependence upon God”; James Buchanan (1857) “humbly invoking the blessing of Divine Providence”; Abraham Lincoln (1861) “Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land”; Ulysses S. Grant (1869) “I ask the prayers of the nation to Almighty God”; Rutherford B. Hayes (1877) “Looking for the guidance of that Divine Hand”; James A. Garfield (1881) “invoke the support and blessings of Almighty God”; Grover Cleveland (1885) “humbly acknowledging the power and goodness of Almighty God”; Benjamin Harrison (1889) “God has placed upon our head a diadem and has laid at our feet power and wealth . . . But we must not forget . . .”; William McKinley (1897) “no safer reliance than upon the God of our fathers . . . as we obey His commandments and walk humbly in His footsteps”; Theodore Roosevelt (1905) “with gratitude to the Giver of Good”; William Howard Taft (1909) “the aid of the Almighty God”; Woodrow Wilson (1913) “I pray God I may be given the wisdom and the prudence to do my duty”; Warren G. Harding (1921) “ ‘What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’”4; Calvin Coolidge (1925) “armed, not with the sword, but with the cross”; Herbert Hoover (1929) “I ask the help of Almighty God”; Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1945) “we pray to Him now for the vision to see our way clearly . . . to the achievement of His will”; Harry S. Truman (1949) “all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God”; Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953) “I ask that you bow your heads. Almighty God, . . .”; John F. Kennedy (1961) “the command of Isaiah—to ‘undo the heavy burdens . . .’”5; Lyndon Baines Johnson (1965) “the judgment of God is harshest on those who are most favored . . . ‘Give me now wisdom and knowledge’”6; Richard Milhous Nixon (1969) “the glory of man’s first sight of the world as God sees it”: Jimmy Carter (1977) “a timeless admonition from the ancient prophet Micah”7; Ronald Reagan (1981) “We are a nation under God . . . on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer”; George Herbert Walker Bush (1989) “my first act as President is a prayer”; William Jefferson Clinton (1993) “The Scripture says, ‘And let us not be weary in well-doing . . .’”8; George W. Bush (2001) “We are not this story’s author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose . . . This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.”9

Footnotes:

1 The Presidents Speak: The Inaugural Addresses of the American Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush, annotated by David Newton Lott (Los Angeles: Olive Grove Publishing, 2002). Inaugural speeches also found at http://www.bartleby.com/124/.

2 John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, and Gerald Ford do not appear since, as Vice Presidents, they assumed office upon the death or resignation of the President. They were not subsequently elected President and so were not inaugurated.

3 Psalm 127:1b.

4 Micah 6:8.

5 Isaiah 61:1b.

6 Solomon, from 2 Chronicles 1:10.

7 Micah 6:8.

8 Galatians 6:9.

9 Nahum 1:3.

By this time next year we will likely have read dozens of new books and articles. Of these, how many of them will have been worthy of our attention?

The deplorable rumor has it that the “classics” are for scholars to know and high-school students to endure. What a tragedy! For the foundation of Western civilization has been slowly built between the lines of these impressive works. Like a lawyer arguing a case, these writings do more than explore the grand ideas of life and death, civilization and chaos; they take a stand, advocating right over wrong and good over evil. They engender, in the hearts of their readers, love for that which is lovely and animosity toward that which is amoral. Thus, it is no surprise that the Christian faith has “animated the majority of these masterworks.”1

What is a Christian to think about literature, even “Christian” literature? First, it should be put in context. As C. S. Lewis rightly noted, the conversion of one sinner “is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics and tragedies . . .”2 Furthermore, Christian enjoyment is not limited to “preachy” literature; ironically, the believer is more inclined than the “cultured Pagan” to value literature simply because it pleases the imagination: “We can play, as we can eat, to the glory of God.”3 Still, Christians should be first in line to read, enjoy, and promote these particular classics since, at their best, they are a mirror to God’s truth—reflecting the importance of wisdom as well as the emptiness of folly.

So, for the promotion of that which is noble, here are a few praiseworthy works. Of course, Mark Twain said a classic is “a book that people praise and don’t read.”4 Although there are many Christian classics, here are ten to prove him wrong.5

* Augustine, Confessions (c. 400): With frankness, Augustine describes the intellectual and moral obstacles to his conversion. It is both a confession of sin and profound thanksgiving to God.

* Bede, Ecclesiastical History (c. 731): This English monk gave the world its first, carefully researched history. Here, the Venerable Bede introduces A.D. (Anno Domini) as a means to date history.

* Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy (c. 1321): A soul journeys through the “Inferno,” “Purgatoria,” and “Paradisio.” It includes some of the most insightful writing on heaven, outside Scripture.

* William Shakespeare, King Lear (c. 1605): Lear sees but cannot perceive the truth. As usual, Shakespeare points desperate characters (and audiences) to the existence and value of the divine.

* John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667): In the tradition of the Odyssey and Aeneid, Milton wrote this epic to immortalize his culture’s values. Some call it the “anti-epic” because Milton’s hero is God.

* William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (1650): Here, American history and the doctrine of Providence collide. These settlers enter a new land exercising an ancient faith.

* John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678): This allegory of the Christian life has creatively and simply communicated the truths of Christianity to generations throughout the world.

* Samuel Johnson, Rasselas (1759): In this short tale about an Ethiopian prince looking for happiness, Johnson communicates the enduring truth that satisfaction is not found on earth.

* Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886): Today, it is common to hear, “I’m a victim of my circumstances.” Not so in Hardy’s world, where a man’s flaws are enough to topple his kingdom.

* C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters (1942): While The Chronicles of Narnia is Lewis’s best known work, the Screwtape Letters made him famous. It views sin from Satan’s perspective as he gives advice to a junior devil about how to re-enslave a human being.

Unlike many products of popular culture, the classics treat sin seriously, portraying it as real, ugly, and dangerous. Furthermore, these authors eschew novelty for the sake of novelty, masterfully redressing the transcendent ideas of hope, redemption, and forgiveness. Salt and light, if you will.

Footnotes:

1 Os Guinness, “The Purpose of Invitation to the Classics,” in Invitation to the Classics, eds. Louise Cowan and Os Guinness (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 14.

2 C. S. Lewis, “Christianity and Literature,” in Religion and Modern Literature: Essays in Theory and Criticism, ed. G.B. Tennyson and Edward E. Erickson, Jr. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1975), 53.

3 Ibid.

4 Guinness, 13.

5 Of course the list of Christian classics is virtually inexhaustible. See James V. Schall, Another Sort of Learning (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1988).