The Air We Breathe

The Air We Breathe
by Glen Scrivener

1. Would you Recommend this Book?
Highly recommend, this is probably the book I have referenced most in conversations over the
past year.

2. What is the Main Point?
The subtitle of the book is, “How we all came to believe in freedom, kindness, progress, and
equality.” Scrivener’s main point is that the core values that we all in Western society take for
granted as good and true are almost entirely Christian in origin. He points out that for all of
human history before Jesus, no one held to ideas like all humans are equal in value, or that the
weak and vulnerable should be protected instead of oppressed, or that consent was necessary
in things like sexual encounters, or that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a good thing, or
that freedom is a right and a good, and on and on. We only see these things as self-evident
because Christianity is “The Air We Breathe;” like a goldfish doesn’t notice the water in which he
swims, we don’t notice we are swimming in Christianity. Scrivener points out that even people
who argue against Christianity usually do it from presuppositions that Christianity alone gave
them.

3. Which Parts should I read if I’m short on Time?
Chapters 1-2 are must read chapters as he outlines his basic premise and gives illustrations for
how the modern world shows it’s Christian foundations even in its secular ideologies, and
displays how this change in culture has happened throughout history.

4. Why does this book Matter?
As the title implies, it is quite easy to be like a goldfish that doesn’t recognize that they are
swimming in water; this book helps us step outside of the water and understand better the world
in which we live. Ironically, because we are Christians we believe gaining knowledge simply for
the sake of knowledge is a good and worthy endeavor, and this book accomplishes this by
giving us the meta-knowledge of stepping back from the trees to see the forest in which we
walk.

5. Is this Book an “Easy-Read?” (Include Length)
Yes, Scrivener is superbly articulate and poetic in his writing and this book is both an easy and
fun read, and it is short to boot.

6. Who is this Author and what did you think of their writing?
Scrivener is from Australia and is an Anglican minister, but I came across Glen Scrivener
through his prominent YouTube channel entitled “Speak Life.” Scrivener is incredibly easy to
read and is poetic in his writing, diction and thought. He is particularly gifted in his ability to
apply theological ideas to modern life and to dissect current events through a theological lense.
He is incredible insightful and profound.

7. What is One Key Take-Away or Application for my life?
Recognizing the impact of Christianity on the world is a great apologetic tool for conversations
with others who hold presuppositions that are uniquely Christian without knowing it, as well as
giving us a deeper appreciation for all God has done in the world through this little movement of
people following a nobody carpenter 2,000 years ago. This book made me see the world
differently.

8. What was One point of Disagreement?
Scrivener could have done more (as he does elsewhere) to emphasize that often even some
(self-proclaiming) Christians have failed to display and live up to these good philosophical
underpinnings of Christian thought; many in the name of Christ for instance were pro-slavery,
pro-crusades, etc.

9. What are any other things that stood out to You?
This book was paradigm shifting for me in thinking about the world we live in, and stirred me
onward to other similar books on the same topic. Scrivener caught the front end of what seems
to be a movement in the modern West of recognizing these things all the more and thus a
general respect for Christianity returning; this will bring with it its own challenges, but I believe it
will be a net good as the truth always is.

10. Have you read any books similar to this one that you would
recommend one to read first to help with this one?
There aren’t any books that I think one needs to read before this one; however, I would
encourage one who enjoys this book to then read Andrew Wilson’s Remaking the World and
Tom Holland’s Dominion to step a bit deeper in these same waters and take a slightly different
angle on the same thesis.