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The secularization of culture happened as soon as Adam was thrown from the Garden for eating forbidden fruit. He had sinned, and cut off from direct union with God human civilization became a largely irreligious affair—Christians have been trying ever since to increase their influence in the arts, politics, academics and the popular sphere.

To hear a lot of modern apologists, however, you'd think the shift away from historical Christianity to worldly attitudes was recent. Some look back as far as the Enlightenment, some as little as thirty or forty years ago, showing how political and moral trends evidence the departure. For them, the real bad guys are Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, sometimes even Soren Kierkegaard (one of the really great Christian writers of the last 200 years).

While those outside the Christian tradition could perhaps be forgiven such shortsightedness (intent on tracing Modern Progress as they are), for Christians to share these views is unforgivable. Western civilization can be traced to ancient Greece, and before that to Egypt, two of the most pagan and corrupt cultures of all time. The ideas popular now have their roots in the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Democritus and Thales.

Every modern philosophy has a Classical era corollary, if not its direct match at least the primitive form of the current idea. Anaximander suggested men evolved from animals 2500 years before Charlie Darwin was born; Heraclitus posited rudimentary postmodern philosophy two millennia before the advent of modernism; Diogenes was a nihilist before the nation of Russia existed, and about 300 years before Christ.

The best way to understand 20th century literature is not as a brand-new canon promoting recent anti-Christian thought, but as a body of work manifesting the newest iterations of secular philosophy and Christian responses. Great writers of the past, from Shelley and Robert Louis Stevenson to Rabelais and George Eliot, were fully as secular (even atheistic) as any Hemingway, Camus or Douglas Adams of the last 100 years.

Just as secular—and in many instances, just as brilliant. While there's more bad writing available than ever before as a result of the democratization of publishing, for every Stephanie Meyer there's at least one Faulkner or Annie Dillard. The novel came into its own in the 20th century as writers understood its limitations. Good writers have something universal to say about humanity, avoiding merely regional or too-specific interests.

Not all of it is "fun" reading—some of the best writers like Kafka, Thomas Mann and Solzhenitsyn can be hard to get through, though they can also write riveting passages of elegant prose. Others are a joy to read, like Steinbeck, G.K. Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw, combining a talent for poetic narrative and humor reminiscent of Dickens and Twain.

Like the ideas it embraces, the purpose of 20th century literature remains the same as the literature of any other era: to examine life, to celebrate it, to understand it better, and to connect readers with each other and with new ideas. Of course you'll want to be aware when you're reading secular authors and examine their work closely, but the same is true of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography or Virgil's Aeneid.

Most of all, enjoy these books. The best of them explore deep and important ideas, but the best of them are also great artistic achievements, not mere dissertations but independent organisms alive and dangerous and beautiful. For all the technology and machines of our modern age, good literature is still organic, and the ability to enjoy it comes from an unmapped region of the soul where every Kerouac, Cather and Marquez had to go for their masterpieces.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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	Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Autobiography of G. K. Chesterton by G. K. Chesterton from Ignatius Press Autobiography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $15.16
	Ball and the Cross by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Allegory for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.96
	Best of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton from Everyman's Library for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.96
	Busman's Honeymoon (11) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 11 by Dorothy L. Sayers Reprint from HarperCollins Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	C. S. Lewis: The Signature Classics Audio Collection The Screwtape Letters, the Great Divorce, the Problem of Pain, Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis from HarperAudio for 10th-Adult in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO) $59.99
	Clouds of Witness A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 2 by Dorothy Sayers from ImPress Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Clouds of Witness (2) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 2 by Dorothy Sayers Reissue from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Collected Poems of T. S. Eliot 1909-1962 by T. S. Eliot 1^st edition from Harcourt for 10th-Adult in Poetry (Location: POET-GEN) $30.00
	Complete Father Brown Stories by G. K. Chesterton from Wordsworth Classics for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.39
	Dear and Glorious Pysician A Novel of St. Luke by Taylor Caldwell from Doubleday & Company for 9th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Endless Knot Song of Albion 3 by Stephen Lawhead 1^st edition from Chariot Victor Publishing for 9th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton from Ignatius Press History/Philosophy for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.56
	Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications History/Philosophy for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Everlasting Man Christian Heritage Series by G. K. Chesterton, introduction by Kevin Belmonte from Canon Press History/Philosophy for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $12.95
	Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis Reissue from Cambridge University Literature Guide/Resource for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99
	Favorite Father Brown Stories Dover Thrift Editions by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Mystery for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $4.40 $2.00 (3 in stock)
	Fellowship of the Ring Lord of the Rings Trilogy #1 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Fellowship of the Ring Lord of the Rings #1: Deluxe Hardcover by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Fellowship of the Ring Lord of the Rings Trilogy #1 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Flying Inn by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Satirical Fiction/Social Commentary for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Four Adventures of Richard Hannay Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle, Mr. Standfast, The Three Hostages by John Buchan from David R. Godine Action Adventure for 8th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Four Loves Reissue from HarperOne for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Gaudy Night (10) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 10 by Dorothy L. Sayers Reissue from HarperCollins Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	God in the Dock by C. S. Lewis from Eerdmans Religion/Philosophy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegory for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis for 11th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis, with a foreword by Madeleine L'Engle from HarperCollins Death/Grief for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis from Bantam Books for 10th-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Have His Carcase A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 7 by Dorothy L. Sayers from Harper & Brothers Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Have His Carcase (7) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 7 by Dorothy L. Sayers Reprint from HarperCollins Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Heretics by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.96
	Heretics by G. K. Chesterton from Hendrickson Publishers Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in Hendrickson Christian Classics (Location: XCL-DEV)
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien 2^nd edition from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $35.00
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $15.99
	Hobbit There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 5th-9th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.99
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Mass-Market Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien Mti from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $35.96
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Softbound Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $72.00
	Lord of the Rings - Hardbound Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $67.20
	Lord Peter by Dorothy Sayers Reprint from Harper & Row for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.99
	Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.16
	Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. Chesterton from Waking Lion Press Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton Reprint from Penguin Putnam Mystery for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $10.40
	Manalive by G.K. Chesterton from Dover Publications for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.16
	Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Religion/Philosophy for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99 $9.00 (2 in stock)
	Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers, with an introduction by Madeleine L'Engle from HarperCollins Christian Philosophy for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Miracles by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Religion/Philosophy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot from Harcourt Drama for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $9.99
	Murder Must Advertise A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 8 by Dorothy Sayers from Harper & Brothers for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Murder Must Advertise (8) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 8 by Dorothy Sayers from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Narrative Poems RUC by C. S. Lewis Reprint from HarperOne Narrative Poetry for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Nine Tailors (9) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 9 by Dorothy Sayers from Harcourt Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.99
	Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton from Ignatius Press Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $11.96
	Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton from Dover Publications Philosophy/Religion for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.76
	Orthodoxy The Romance of Faith by C. K. Chesterton from Moody Press for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.99
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $24.00
	Out of the Silent Planet Space Trilogy Book 1 by C. S. Lewis 46th Printing from Collier Books for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Paradise War Song of Albion 1 by Stephen Lawhead 1^st edition from Chariot Victor Publishing for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Perelandra Space Trilogy Book 2 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Perelandra Space Trilogy Book 2 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $25.00
	Pilgrim's Regress by C. S. Lewis Reissue from Eerdmans Allegory for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Religion/Philosophy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Reflections on the Psalms by C. S. Lewis Reprint from HarperOne for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $15.99
	Return of the King Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Return of the King Lord of the Rings #3: Deluxe Hardcover by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Return of the King Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Return of the King Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Allegory/Religion for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken from HarperOne Biography for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $15.99 $9.50 (1 in stock)
	Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $18.99
	Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien Fantasy for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $75.00
	Strong Poison A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 5 by Dorothy L. Sayers 1993 Reissue from Harper Perennial Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Strong Poison (5) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 5 by Dorothy L. Sayers Reissue from HarperCollins Murder Mystery for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	That Hideous Strength Space Trilogy Book 3 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Fantasy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	That Hideous Strength Space Trilogy Book 3 by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Allegorical Fantasy for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $30.00
	Thirty-Nine Steps Dover Thrift Editions by John Buchan from Dover Publications Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00
	Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan from Penguin Classics Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $13.00
	Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan from Houghton Mifflin Action Adventure for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Two Towers Lord of the Rings Trilogy #2 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $8.99
	Two Towers Lord of the Rings Trilogy #2 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Towers Lord of the Rings #2: Deluxe Hardcover by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Two Towers Lord of the Rings Trilogy #2 by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 8th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $17.99
	Unnatural Death A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 3 by Dorothy Sayers from Harper & Brothers for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Unnatural Death (3) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 3 by Dorothy Sayers Reprint from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 4 by Dorothy Sayers from Harper & Brothers for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (4) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 4 by Dorothy Sayers Reissue from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Waste Land & Other Poems by T. S. Eliot from Harcourt for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $9.00
	Watership Down by Richard Adams from Charles Scribner's Sons Animal Fiction for 7th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $19.99
	Watership Down by Richard Adams Reissue from Atheneum for 10th-Adult 1972 Carnegie Medal in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB) $29.99
	Weight of Glory And Other Addresses by C. S. Lewis from HarperCollins Religion/Philosophy for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Well and the Shallows by G. K. Chesterton from Ignatius Press Philosophy/Social Commentary for 10th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Whose Body? A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 1 by Dorothy Sayers 1^st edition from Harper & Brothers for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
	Whose Body? (1) A Lord Peter Mystery, Book 1 by Dorothy Sayers Reprint from HarperCollins for 9th-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)

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