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Christianity and Secularism
1882 · 340 pages
Christianity and Secularism
by George Sexton
George Sexton was among the most scientifically credentialed of the Victorian secularist lecturers — a colleague of Charles Bradlaugh — before he converted to orthodox Christianity and became one of its apologists. This collected volume brings together his written debate with the secularist Charles Watts and the sermons and lectures in which he explained why he renounced infidelity, presenting his post-conversion case in his own words.
The changed life
One of the leading platform advocates of Victorian secularism, Sexton renounced his unbelief for orthodox Christianity and spent his later years arguing the case for the faith he had once opposed.
Summary
Christianity and Secularism gathers George Sexton's post-conversion writing into a single collected volume. At its center is his written debate with the secularist Charles Watts, arguing which of the two systems is better suited to meet the wants of mankind — a set-piece exchange that shows Sexton making his case against an able opponent from the movement he had left.
Around that debate the volume assembles the sermons and lectures in which he explained his change of mind: addresses such as "Light in the Cloud," giving his reasons for renouncing infidelity; "History's Testimony to Christ"; "The Folly of Atheism"; and "Biblical Difficulties Dispelled." Together they set out, from several angles, why a man who had lectured for secularism came to defend orthodox Christianity instead.
Because Sexton left no single tidy autobiography, this collected volume serves as the fullest firsthand statement of his post-conversion position. It is valuable precisely as the testimony of an insider — a practiced secularist advocate turning his training on the platform to the defense of the faith, in his own words.
Who was George Sexton?
George Sexton (1825–1898) was a Victorian lecturer noted for his scientific attainments, among the most credentialed of the secularist speakers of his day and for a time a colleague of Charles Bradlaugh, specializing in bringing the latest science before popular audiences. He was a prominent figure on the freethought platform before his religious views changed.
Sexton converted to orthodox Christianity and became an apologist for it, carrying his lecturing and debating skill into its defense. He did not leave one continuous autobiography; his post-conversion case survives chiefly in the debate and discourses collected here, which record in his own words why he renounced infidelity.
Common questions
- Who was George Sexton?
- He was a scientifically trained Victorian lecturer and one of the leading secularist speakers of his day — for a time a colleague of Charles Bradlaugh — who converted to orthodox Christianity and became an apologist for it.
- What does this collected volume contain?
- It brings together Sexton's written debate with the secularist Charles Watts and his sermons and lectures explaining why he renounced infidelity, including "Light in the Cloud," "History's Testimony to Christ," "The Folly of Atheism," and "Biblical Difficulties Dispelled."
A note on the text. Christianity and Secularismis in the public domain. What you're buying is our edition — the careful typesetting and design. The original text is also available free here.