Kerby Anderson
Yesterday, I talked about some of the transformations in 1776 that Andrew Wilson discussed in his book, Remaking the World. They are identified by the acronym WEIRDER. W stands for “western” and globalization while E stands for “educated” and the Enlightenment.
I stands for “industrialized” and focuses on the industrial revolution. One event was James Watt’s invention of the steam engine. Western society no longer depended upon muscle power or horsepower.
R stands for “rich” and focuses on the “great enrichment.” Adam Smith published the Wealth of Nations in 1776. The industrial revolution and capitalism led to a significant increase in life expectancy and the rise of social development.
D stands for “democratic” and focuses on the American Revolution. Of course, the Declaration of Independence was ratified in 1776, and the Constitution starts with “We the people.” This Spirit of 76 has spread throughout the world.
E stands for “ex-Christian” and focuses on the rejection of Christianity. During this time, we see the rise of deism, agnosticism, and atheism. Although some believed the Bible, many others rejected the biblical view of God and the authority of the Bible.
R stands for “romantic” and focuses on the romantic revolution. This is when Rousseau developed the concept of self and expressive individualism. And the seeds of the sexual revolution in the 20th century were first sown in 1776.
Andrew Wilson catalogues these transformations but also believes there are many opportunities for Christians and the church in what is becoming a post-secular world. We need to speak truth into this post-Christian culture.

Kerby Anderson
The year 1776 changed the western world in significant ways. That is the conclusion of Andrew Wilson (pastor at King’s Church in London) in his book, Remaking the World. He was on my radio program to discuss his book.
He explains, “The big idea of this book is that 1776, more than any other year in the last millennium, is the year that made us who we are.” He describes it as “a year that witnessed seven transformations taking place—globalization, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the Great Enrichment, the American Revolution, the rise of post-Christianity, and the dawn of Romanticism.”
He describes this society as one that, “relative to others past and present, is WEIRDER. Each letter is an acronym (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic, Ex-Christian, and Romantic). He concludes that “The vast majority of people in human history have not shared our views of work, family, government, religion, sex, identity, or morality.”
W stands for “western” and focuses on the issue of globalization. One key event is the voyage of Captain James Cook. His travels generated certain questions like: Why were some natives more advanced than others? Western society began to get to the deep roots of culture and wondered why Western society developed before other cultures.
E stands for “educated” and focuses on the impact of the Enlightenment. Obviously, the Enlightenment started nearly a century before, but one high point was 1776. That was the year that Immanuel Kant drafted his Critique of Pure Reason and the year that Edward Gibbon published his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Tomorrow we will look at other events in 1776 that led to the remaking our of world.