The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World

Plato. Aquinas. Descartes. Kant. Freud. These great thinkers are still impacting the culture today―from public-policy decisions to world events, theology, the arts, education, and even everyday conversations. In this classic book, the late R. C. Sproul expertly surveys history’s most influential streams of thought, proving that ideas are not just passing fads―they have consequences for generations to come. Helping readers better understand how many of these ideas have shaped their own thinking, this book will empower Christians to be a Christlike influence in the world.

R. C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Florida. He was also first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida; first president of Reformation Bible College; and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. His radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Sproul contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, colleges, and seminaries around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God; Chosen by God; and Everyone’s a Theologian. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible.

Founder, Ligonier Ministries