Where Did Human Rights Come From? with Sarah Irving Stonebraker
Episode Summary:
Kyle Worley and Rebecca McLaughlin are joined by Sarah Irving Stonebraker to discuss the history of ideas around human rights, where Christians find the foundation for human rights, and where we are today.
Questions Covered in This Episode:
Sarah, what is your story, how did you become a Christian?
What is the idea that universal human equality is Christian fiction? How does the history of ideas point to this idea?
When we say “human rights,” what are we walking about?
Has there been an attempt to disguise the Judeo-Christian origins of human rights?
Does it matter that we don’t have a shared sense of values and principles? Where are we at in the global west when we are talking about human rights?
Is it hard for people to see how strongly human rights are tied to Judeo-Christian origins?
People can say that Christians have a terrible track record with human rights, how do we grapple with that?
What would you say is the one thing you found most attractive about Jesus?
Helpful Definitions:
Human Rights: The idea that there are certain entitlements or rights that belong to all human beings regardless of their religion, sexuality, gender, etc., and regardless if laws recognize those rights.
Guest Bio:
Sarah Irving-Stonebraker is an Australian-based academic, focusing on the history of Britain and the colonial world and especially the intersection of religion, science, and politics. Her first book, Natural Science and the Origins of the British Empire, investigates the way that England’s colonial empire became tied to the Protestant redemptive project of restoring humanity's original dominion over nature. Sarah and her husband, Johnathan, have three children, Madeleine, Charlotte, and James.
Resources Mentioned:
Genesis 1:26-28
“Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
“Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World” by Tom Holland
“After Virtue” by Alasdair MacIntyre
“The Abolition of Man” by C.S. Lewis
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