Lord of the World

This novel, "Lord of the World," is a dystopian story set in the early 21st century that depicts the final conflict between secular humanism and religious faith. After a century of rejecting the supernatural, the world has achieved unprecedented global peace and material prosperity under a single government. This new world order finds its ultimate expression in a charismatic, messianic political figure named Julian Felsenburgh. The plot follows two parallel protagonists: Oliver Brand, a devout politician of the new Humanist world, and Father Percy Franklin, a Catholic priest witnessing the final collapse of his faith. The story culminates in a direct confrontation between the forces of organized Humanity, led by Felsenburgh, and the last remnants of the Catholic Church, led by Percy.

The story opens in a technologically advanced, socialist future where religion has been almost entirely replaced by a secular, materialist creed known as Humanitarianism. In a prologue, an elderly statesman, Mr. Templeton, explains to Father Percy Franklin how this came to be. He recounts the 20th century's gradual erosion of faith, the fall of monarchies and churches, and the rise of Communism and a global government. The world is now organized into three great powers—Europe, America, and the Eastern Empire—all united by a common philosophy that worships Man as the supreme being. The Catholic Church, by contrast, is a tiny, despised minority, regarded as a dangerous and outdated superstition. Templeton's history ends on a note of despair, predicting the Church's imminent and total collapse.