British historian Christopher Dawson is best known for his indispensable books that establish the necessary connection between religion and culture. He influenced a generation of Christian and conservative thinkers, including T. S. Eliot and Russell Kirk. He possessed one of the 20th century's sharpest minds and was the first Catholic Studies professor at Harvard University. A critic of modern ideological and totalitarian politics, he identified the threat posed by political religions to Christian civilization. He grasped the sources of decadence in modern education and proposed remedies. In general, he sought resources in the religious foundations of our culture to renew it in our time.

Joseph Stuart first began researching and writing on this topic during his time as a Wilbur Fellow at the Kirk Center. Dr. Stuart is now Associate Professor of History and Fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.