Defending "Western Christian Civilization"

 Which of these best understands the heritage of “Western Civilization”?

"The thumos, as the ancient Greeks called it – the fire of passion, strength, courage, pride – is the heart of great civilization. And without it? Without it, nations lose their will to fight, the will to strive, the will to survive.”

– Marco Rubio, Remarks from the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, October 7, 2026

Or

“I believe that while statesmen are considering a new order of things, the new order may well be at hand. I believe that it is even now being built, silently but inevitably, in the hearts of masses whose voices are not heard, but whose common faith will write the final history of our time. They know that unless there is belief in some guiding principle and some trust in a divine plan, nations are without light, and peoples perish. They know that the civilization handed down to us by our fathers was built by men and women who knew in their hearts that all were brothers because they were children of God. They believe that by His will enmities can be healed; that in His mercy the weak can find deliverance, and the strong can find grace in helping the weak.”

– Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945), Letter to Pope Pius XII, December 23, 1939

Passion, strength, courage, pride vs universal brotherhood, healing of enmity, and caring for the weak – these are two very different understandings of our cultural heritage. Only one of them reflects the Christian influence on that heritage.

In the Bible and the Christian tradition:

    Passion is a synonym for sinful, selfish craving

    Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins

    The best example of courage is martyrdom

    The only strength that really matters is the strength to love

In the New Testament thumos = sinful anger or wrath, something we “must put away” (cf. Romans 2:8, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:20, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8)

These are not the values we want to endorse.