Indeed, the trappings of modernity, at least in a tcchnological sense, seem to be almost everywhere. Yet, we may ask, where did modernity come from? According to sociologist Rodney Stark in his book The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success (which I read with interest last summer), modernity derives from Christianity. This is because modernity is associated with science--which originally had as its philosophical basis the Christian belief in a rational God who created a rational universe-- and technology--which is made possible only by a belief in the possibility of progress, a notion that had its origins in Christianity. Thus, as Stark puts it, "the modern world only arose in Christian societies" (p. 233). This is a rather controversial claim, but Stark presents some credible evidence (it seems to me at least) in support of it.
Another assertion Stark makes is that "all the modernization that has since occurred outside Christiandom was imported from the West, often brought by colonizers and missionaries" (p. 233). In other words, while Christianity was necessary for the development of modernity, a non-Christian society can still at least acquire some of the aspects of modernity. An example of this thesis might be Japan. Japan is a country that most would view as quite modern, and yet it could hardly be described as a "Christian society". Christians only constitute about one percent of Japan's population, and historically, Buddhism has been the country's primary religious influence. However, Japan arguably did not begin to be a modern country until the latter part of the nineteenth century. during the so-called Meiji period, when Western technology and institutions were imported
in an effort to catch with the West. This modernization process was not undertaken by "colonizers and missionaries" but the Japanese themselves. Nevertheless, it was heavily dependent on ideas from Western societies that had been deeply influenced by Christianity. Moreover, even after its adoption of Western technology and institutions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it could be argued that Japan was still not a fully modern society because pre-modern notions, like the divinity of the emperor and his absolute right to rule, continued to be upheld. It was not until after its defeat in the Second World War, during the U.S.-led occupation of the country, that the Japanese were forced to accept the principles of liberal democracy, among which was the notion of the inherent dignity and rights of human beings, which derives from the Christian belief that mankind bears the image of God. Although after the Occupation the Japanese may have modified some of the innovations introduced by the Occupation authorities, liberal democratic values were not rejected and remain essentially unquestioned. Consequently, it could be said that even in the case of a largely non-Christian society like Japan, modernity has had its ideological basis in Christianity.
What, then, about China, the country in which I currently live? China is certainly aiming to become, and has to some extent already become, a modern country--in a technological sense at least--as demonstrated by my experience in the Beijing airport. However, China's government is officially atheistic and Christians constitute at most around ten percent of the population. The current policy of the Chinese government seems to be to adapt modern technology while maintaining rather different values from those of the cultures from which that technology derived. Indeed, the present economic system in China is officially described as "socialism with Chinese characteristics." In a sense, this policy is a continuation of the approach taken by Chinese reformers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries--to combine Western technology with a distinctly Chinese value system. I suspect many historians would judge that effort to have been a failure. In fact, it was the perceived need for a more radical solution to China's problems that led many Chinese to embrace Marxism, an ideological import from the West, but one that rejected many of the liberal (in the classic sense) values that ultimately derived from Christianity. In other words, China does not seem to be following the example of Japan in its modernization efforts. Whether it can succeed in creating a truly modern society while rejecting those values that arguably underlie modernity is still an open question.