There was a time when society itself was inspired by Christian principles. Art, government, society itself emulated, as much as possible, the search for perfection dictated by the call to virtue. However, Christendom's grand experiment had both peaks and troughs. Ultimately, the twentieth century's many disasters and Christendom's failure to stop revolution and world war have discredited Christianity itself in the eyes of many. Nevertheless, I am convinced that only Christianity can revitalize a culture that has lost most of its connection with beauty and that glorifies banality, variety, and diversity as ends in themselves. This would not be a retread of historical Christendom, but a new vision, predicated on the new realities of an increasingly Neo-pagan and Transhumanist West. Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin puts even more bluntly: "The Gospel teaches not flight from the world, but the Christianization of the world. Thus, the sciences, the arts, politics, and the social order can all be those spiritual hands with which the Christian takes the world. And the calling of a Christian is not to chop off those hands, but to imbue their work and toil with the living spirit of Christ. Christianity has a great calling, which many do not ever realize. This purpose can be defined as the creation of a Christian culture." This book is Ivan Ilyin's attempt at a spiritual and practical handbook at creating Christian culture in an increasinly post-Christian world. Translated by Nicholas Kotar "I've read this multiple times already and it still amazes me how insightfully written and translated it is." - Eric Swenson "Nicholas Kotar has done us a great service in sharing the wisdom of Ivan Ilyan with a new audience. It describes the Christ and Christianity that I fell in love with; a faith that natural creates beauty and fills the soul with joy. The essays at the end (to include one by Kotar himself) are also excellent. The language and concepts are simple, easy to follow, and profound. I plan on sharing this book widely!" - DAPerkins "Worth reading. Apropos today." - J. Gibson "When I hear "culture" I immediately think geopolitics, sociology and small t traditions. This book doesn't talk about any of that! As a pragmatic Western Christian, I was blown away with this book's view of art & beauty as the formative ingredients of culture and indeed the sum and substance of Christian culture. The eastern mind on this topic is a very refreshing point of view. Very easy & accessible read. 5 stars & highly recommended. 😎👍" - Jason Schultz Nicholas Kotar writes epic fantasy and science fiction inspired by Slavic fairy tales. He is an award-winning author of 7 fantasy books, 3 non-fiction books, a TV script that was looked at by Netflix, a full-length classical music libretto, and a soon-to-be-published sci-fi novel. In addition to his work as an author, Nicholas is also a translator of Russian fairy tales and a podcaster and speaker whose engagements have taken him throughout the United States to present on storytelling, classical education, and Russian literature, history, and culture.Nicholas lives in "cow-country," New York where he conducts a seminary choir and pretends to be a homesteader with his wife and four children. Join his community at nicholaskotar.com.