released 2/13/2026
In this 2003 essay, David Bentley Hart explores what the consequence is for Western civilization “when Christianity, as a living historical force, recedes.” He argues that if it rejects Christ, the only remaining option for a post-Christian culture is conscious or “narcotic” nihilism, which takes the form of absolute, meaningless volition. This is the “god” of our age against which Christians must struggle in our adherence to the First Commandment. Because Christianity was victorious over the ancient world’s enchanting but ultimately tragic pagan gods and myths, there is no returning to them. That victory laid bare the nihilism behind those gods, bringing that dark power out into the open. But it also “baptized and redeemed” all the good treasures, wisdom, splendor of creation, and stirrings toward transcendence in the pagan religions, revealing them to be fulfilled in the God of Christianity. Hart concludes with a call for Christians to recover the wisdom of the ascetic tradition to keep the First Commandment and to counter the “bland solace, inane charms, brute viciousness, and dazed passivity of post-Christian culture.”
This essay is provided courtesy of First Things and is read by Ken Myers. It was first published in the October 2003 issue and may be found here.
A glossary of terms in the essay is provided below for your convenience and edification.
66 minutes
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Glossary
abyssal – referring to the abyss or the great deeps of the ocean
aqedah – (Hebrew) binding; refers to Abraham’s binding of his son Isaac on the altar
antinomian – relating to the view that Christians are released by grace from the obligation of observing the moral law
apophthegms – short, pithy, and instructive sayings
apotropaic – having the power to avert evil influences or bad luck
Attic tragedy – tragedy drama of ancient Greece
chorismos – (Greek) separation between the true, unchanging reality (Forms) and the phenomenal world of appearance
chthonian – concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld
dithyramb – a wild choral hymn of ancient Greece, especially one dedicated to Dionysus
ecpyrosis (or ekpyrosis) – (Greek) conflagration, or fiery destruction
eidetic – relating to or denoting mental images having unusual vividness and detail, as if actually visible
emollient – something that softens or smoothes
encomia – glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise
étagère – (French) a piece of furniture consisting of a set of open shelves for displaying small objects
gratia non perfecit, sed destruit naturam – (Latin) “Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it”
inextirpable – something that is impossible to remove, destroy, or root out
qurban– (Arabic) a ritual sacrifice to draw near to God
manqué – (French) having failed to become what one might have been; unfulfilled
minatory – expressing or conveying a threat
peripety – a sudden and unexpected reversal of fortune or change in circumstances
précis – (French) a concise summary of essential points, statements, or facts
propria persona – (Latin) for one’s self, or in one’s own person
pusillanimity – lack of courage or determination; timidity
sepulture – burial; internment
spolia Aegyptiorum– (Latin) the practice of taking the “spoils” from the defeated party in war and putting them to new use
sublunary – belonging to this world, as contrasted with a better or more spiritual one
subordinationist – Christian heresy claiming that the Son and Holy Spirit are ontologically inferior or subordinate to the God the Father
ululations – long, high-pitched vocal sounds to express intense emotions; often used in religious or cultural ceremonies
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