What Is Christian Humanism?
Christian humanism refers to two related concepts. In one usage, the term is applied retrospectively to sixteenth century Christian thinkers who were Renaissance humanists. Part of the Centrist family.
Definition
Christian humanism refers to two related concepts. In one usage, the term is applied retrospectively to sixteenth century Christian thinkers who were Renaissance humanists.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Christian humanism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Human dignity rooted in faith.
- Reason, education and culture.
- Moral responsibility in public life.
Origins
Renaissance thinkers such as Erasmus.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Erasmus, Thomas More, Jacques Maritain
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Christian Humanism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 50 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 58 | near the center | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 22 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 46 | near the center | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 24 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 55 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 30 | toward civil liberty |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 46 | near the center |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 63 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 14 | strongly toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 32 | toward egalitarian |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 58 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 24 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 48 | near the center |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Medical gender transition should not be available to minors. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Adults should generally be free to make personal lifestyle choices without state interference. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Localism, Christian Humanism sits 21 points further toward cosmopolitan on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Social Market Economy, Christian Humanism sits 17 points further toward non-intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Direct Democracy, Christian Humanism sits 25 points further toward traditional on the social dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Christian Humanism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Christian humanism
- Wikipedia: Christian Humanism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Religion and Political Theory
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.