Western intellectuals and politicians are writing and speaking about the triumphs and salvific powers of democracy. But according to Swedish historian and philosopher Tage Lindbom, there is a widening gap between democratic rhetoric and concrete reality. In this provocative and highly engaging volume, Lindbom analyzes some of the most important elements of the protracted process that finally produced the modern myth of self-governing man. Turning the tables on our progressive age, Lindbom asks readers to consider the possibility that democracy is quintessentially the manifestation of spiritual debacle, the attempt to replace the true sovereignty of God with the "kingdom of man."