The book Hospicing Modernity is about the transition out of modernity. I approached this book with some caution, as discussions like this can be humanist and therefore critical or challenging to Christian faith. In this case, however, I find that it is leading me to explore how modernity shapes our view of the world and, therefore, influences our modern concept of faith and the Gospel.
Our Christian faith has its origins before the birth of modernity. Modern Christians are, therefore, expressing our faith through a contemporary prism of Modernity. How has that changed our understanding of the Christian message, and does it really matter?
Machado de Oliviera seeks, through a series of exercises and meditations, to take us outside of modernity to gracefully hospice it. What will our faith look like once we are free from that prism?
Modernity is the dominant Lebenswelten (life world) of Western civilisation. Modernity refers to the historical period and cultural paradigm that emerged in the West from roughly the late 17th century onward, characterised by the rise of rationalism, scientific inquiry, industrial production, secular governance, and the belief in continual progress. It brings with it institutions such as nation‑states, market economies, mass education, and technologies that reshape daily life.
Key features commonly associated with modernity include:
| Aspect | Typical characteristic |
|---|---|
| Epistemology | Emphasis on reason, empirical evidence, and the scientific method as primary ways of knowing. |
| Economy | Capitalist market structures, industrial manufacturing, and later digital/knowledge economies. |
| Politics | Nation‑state sovereignty, democratic representation, and bureaucratic governance. |
| Society | Urbanisation, individualism, mobility, and the separation of church and state. |
| Culture | Secularism, universalist ideals (e.g., human rights), and a forward‑looking belief in human agency to shape the future. |
Modernity is often contrasted with pre‑modern societies (where tradition, religious authority, and localised economies dominate) and with post‑modern critiques that highlight its limits, contradictions, and the ways it can produce alienation, inequality, and ecological strain. Modernity provides a sense of structure and certainty. Modernity is so much taken for granted that it is difficult for us in the Western world to imagine how things could be different.