The Human Quest for Meaning: a Comprehensive History of Christian Theology With an Overview of Other Major Religions and Philosophies

What if the greatest crisis of our time wasn’t political, economic, or even scientific, but spiritual?After centuries of intellectual evolution, from the worship of nature to the rise of monotheism, from Augustine to Nietzsche, Western culture has now canonized a materialist worldview that insists life is an accident, and meaning is a myth. And yet, as author Grant J. Hallstrom shows, even self-proclaimed atheists exhibit religious fervour in causes like climate justice and social activism. The problem? We’ve rejected the very roots that once gave us a sense of self, morality, and destiny. Why, even in a secular age, are we still haunted by questions of purpose? This is where The Human Quest for Meaning, an unflinching, scholarly, and soul-searching excavation of humanity’s deepest longings, emerges as both an answer and a challenge.Grant J. Hallstrom’s work cuts through the fog of postmodern relativism and the sterile worship of science to confront the core dilemma of our time: how can a civilization without God still hunger for transcendence? Drawing from ethnological studies, ancient texts, and forgotten philosophical wisdom, Hallstrom traces the arc of religious and philosophical history; not to convert, but to clarify. In a world obsessed with novelty, this book dares to remember.In this book, readers will delve into the surprising belief systems of some of the most primitive cultures, exploring why they revered a moral Supreme Being contrary to modern theories of religious evolution. The text also revisits the foundations of Christianity, not as dogma, but as a cultural and metaphysical force that shaped the Western mind. It offers a critical examination of how animism, totemism, and fetishism were once dominant scholarly explanations for religion’s origin and why these theories have ultimately failed. The book further explores how modern secularism has gradually replaced meaning with a mechanistic worldview and why this replacement is now collapsing. It presents concise, accessible summaries of major world religions, from Hinduism and Buddhism to Islam, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism to help broaden a reader’s global spiritual literacy. Additionally, the book sheds light on how political and academic institutions often suppress worldview shifts, drawing parallels with the way the Church once silenced Galileo’s revolutionary ideas.In the face of cultural amnesia, this work offers clarity and equips readers with the tools to forge their own enduring philosophy of life. Hallstrom writes with scholarly rigor but aims for accessibility, avoiding dry academic jargon while still delivering a serious intellectual exploration that reads smoothly like a story. While books on religion and philosophy are not new, Hallstrom brings a refreshingly countercultural lens.Whether you’re a skeptic, a seeker, or a believer, The Human Quest for Meaning will challenge your assumptions, deepen your worldview, and perhaps even awaken something within you.