La position des apologistes conciliateurs

Christian apologetics in the second half of the 18th Century, far from being rigid as has been claimed, was influenced by history and a fervent desire to adapt to the modern world. Protestants like Formey appealed to reasonable Christianity, rejecting asceticism and mysticism, while Catholics like abbé Yvon, both apologist and Encyclopaedist, represent another category. Others moved the threshhold of ideological toleration by recognising the philosophical contributions of Locke and Montesquieu (abbé Baudisson, Essai sur l'union du christianisme avec la philosophie, 1787). Finally another thread, even more open to new ideas, claimed, by a sort of backhanded legitimation without any theological reference, that the Christian religion was the best way to achieve happiness in this world (père Lamourette). On the eve of the Revolution, the opposition was mainly between Christian conciliators and radical apologists.Masseau Didier. La position des apologistes conciliateurs. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°34, 2002. Christianisme et Lumières, sous la direction de Sylviane Albertan-Coppola et Antony McKenna. pp. 121-130