The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality

Written by Glen Scrivener

Narrated by Glen Scrivener

Discover the Christian roots of the values we prize in western society. TGC and Christianity Today 2022 Book Award Winner in Evangelism & Apologetics.

Is Christianity history? Or is Christian history the deepest explanation of the modern world?

Today in the west, many consider the church to be dead or dying. Christianity is seen as outdated, bigoted and responsible for many of society’s problems. This leaves many believers embarrassed about their faith and many outsiders wary of religion. But what if the Christian message is not the enemy of our modern Western values, but the very thing that makes sense of them?

In this fascinating book, Glen Scrivener takes readers on a journey to discover how the teachings of Jesus not only turned the ancient world upside down, but continue to underpin the way we think of life, worth, and meaning. Far from being a relic from the past, the distinctive ideas of Christianity, such as freedom, kindness, progress and equality, are a crucial part of the air that we breathe. As author Glen Scrivener says in his introduction: “The extraordinary impact of Christianity is seen in the fact that we don’t notice it".

This is a book for both believers and sceptics—giving Christians confidence to be open about their faith and showing non-Christians the ways in which the message of Jesus makes sense of their most cherished beliefs. Whoever you are, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the values you hold dear as you discover the power and profundity of Jesus and his revolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Good Book Company
• Release date: Nov 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781802540581

Reviews for The Air We Breathe

[Bryn Philip · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this book, Scrivener does an excellent job of demonstrating the influence of Christianity in creating the western world's moral framework. Having done that, he shows that forgetting the source of our morality (Jesus' teaching and life) makes a for a world of moralistic misery. I was also impressed by the author's reading of culture and the of the competing values at play in contempary moral controversies. All in all, an excellent book.

[J Gallop · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Scrivener's take on values alone is worth the time to listen to this book. It seems all of us in the west, Christian and non-Christian alike, are prone to get so focused on values that we forget their source.

[lejogo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was shocked by how many values we hold in our Western societies that we believe are secular but actually originate in Christianity. This book made me understand that all-encompassing influence much more broadly. In that sense - as the author says - "we are like the fish that does not realize that the environment where it swims is water." The author's style is fun and profound. Although he makes an argument for Christianity it is not saturated with religious language.

[Andrew Sinclair · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved that it was read by the author. It made an excellent and persuasive book even more excellent and persuasive. A delight to listen to.