Christian Values Vs. Civilization | Yaron Brook Show
🎙️ Recorded live Dec 20, 2025
Did Christianity Build Civilization—or Hold It Back? Faith, Sacrifice, and the War on ReasonDid Christian values create Western civilization—or quietly undermine it?
In this explosive episode of The Yaron Brook Show, Yaron takes on one of the most taboo questions in modern culture: Are faith, humility, and self-sacrifice compatible with civilization—or are they its enemies?
From the Dark Ages and the Renaissance, to Islam’s role in preserving Greek philosophy, to today’s political and cultural collapse, Yaron argues that reason—not faith—is the engine of human progress. Along the way, he dismantles cherished assumptions about morality, suffering, pity, and humility—and explains why even “modernized” Christianity remains in conflict with a rational, flourishing life.
The second half features a wide-ranging live Q&A, tackling Ayn Rand, Objectivism, Christianity’s aesthetic revival, the Enlightenment’s fragility, military service, Mormonism, free speech, and more.
If you care about civilization, reason, and the future of the West, this episode is not optional viewing.
👉 Watch live replay here: https://youtube.com/live/zSLDvYeDOFA
🕒 Timestamps – Main Topics
0:00 Introduction
1:03 Do Christian values advance—or sabotage—civilization?
6:23 Islam, Greek philosophy, and religion’s mixed legacy
13:01 What is civilization—and where did it come from?
20:01 Faith, self-sacrifice, and humility under the microscope
31:12 Renaissance art: Christian inspiration or rebellion?
37:22 Faith vs. science in the Dark Ages
41:04 Why humility is incompatible with human greatness
48:09 How self-sacrifice corrodes civilization
57:06 Reason vs. faith as the true driver of progress
1:00:06 Show announcements & upcoming events
🎙️ Live Audience Questions
1:04:14 Can former Catholic believers fully escape the morality of suffering?
1:11:00 Do charismatic leaders matter—or are they mirrors of culture?
1:14:13 Is Christianity’s new aesthetic revival a cultural warning sign?
1:19:41 What would Ayn Rand think of Chernobyl—and today’s Russia?
1:22:55 Is the Enlightenment stronger than Christianity—or more fragile than we think?
1:25:06 Yaron on the struggle of writing his book—and overcoming it
1:30:25 Is pity a dangerous emotion Christianity teaches us to indulge?
1:33:05 Ayn Rand: “Do not teach your child to be humble”
1:33:46 Should we confront “good” Christians about their values?
1:35:09 Will Yaron debate Steven Pinker at OCON?
1:37:05 Will ARI outlast the Church in 100 years?
1:40:55 When did Europe actually become civilized?
1:43:31 Does moral self-sacrifice ultimately mean self-destruction?
1:45:14 How do we remove religion from government without censorship?
1:48:56 Why is Christianity stronger in America than Europe?
1:54:38 Can military service be genuinely self-interested?
1:56:44 Yaron’s thoughts on Mormonism
See comment for time stamps of full questions.
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