Is Christianity a Western Religion? (Full series)

Oh East is East, and West is West, and never the two shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth.”
-Rudyard Kipling, “The Ballad of East and West”

Is Christianity a Western religion? That may not strike us as a significant question, may not register as something necessary to establish as true or false.  But there are two reasons why it is important to dispel the illusion that Christianity is a “Western” religion.

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Is Christianity a Western Religion? 12: Pillars of Western Values

Is Christianity a Western religion? Does it share values with the West, and/or with America in particular?

If we examine founders of Western thought, and if America in particular is to be seen as a culmination or premiere epitome of Western values, then Christianity is an affront to the very country that represents Western values.
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Introducing the Crucible with A Satire Blues Song

How do you introduce The Crucible to students?  How do you cover McCarthyism and satire in a mini-lesson?  How do you treat students to some good music in the process?  I came up with a way to sneak a Bob Dylan song in.

I used “The Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues” to demonstrate satire, cover the flaws of McCarthyism, and pair with The Crucible.


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