Abstract
The modern period witnessed dramatic changes in Western societies, and we continue to live with the legacy of those cultural transformations. In fact, the sheer scope and pace of change during the modern period have led many to view it as a decisive break from previous eras. Within the Christian tradition, too, modernity has had positive effects in spite of the difficulties it has presented to Christian theologians. Modernity is often thought to begin with the intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment, which is also called the Age of Reason. An important development in Christian moral thinking during the modern period has been the general acceptance of human rights as a fundamental aspect of morality. Although some would simply accommodate modernity and others flatly reject it, a number of highly creative theologians reformulated the Christian faith so as to bring it into accord with certain modern sensibilities.