A concise description of modern culture

I was reading an article this morning about myths of the Middle Ages and Islam. There was only one thing in the article that I remember, but I found it poignant, so I thought I would share. I think it's true of our generation and of our culture as a whole.

"The West is not what it once was. Rather than Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, we have Andres Serrano and his infamous Piss Christ. Instead of the optimism of the Renaissance, we have the modern pessimism that sees Nature's gods plotting their revenge on over-populating, polluting humanity. Instead of a confident West seizing its imperial mission to spread peace, commerce, charity, and morality, the modern West is ambivalent about asserting its own values."

The article was entitled "Five Myths About Christianity, Islam, and the Middle Ages", by H.W. Crocker III.

(love that name.)