The Rivers North of the Future

Book excerpt: In this provocative new book, respected Canadian journalist David Cayley compiles and reflects upon the thoughts of Ivan Illich, one of the 20th century's most visionary cultural critics. Illich believed that the West could only be understood as a corruption of the Christian New Testament. Cayley presents Illich's exploration of this idea, illuminating Illich's thoughts on the criminalization of sin, on how the Church has become a template for the modern nation-state, and how contemporary society has become a congealed and corrupted Christianity. These critiques are as timely and valuable as Illich's prescription for fixing them.