Week Two: The Middle Ages

Thanks to the two new people who came out this past week! We learned about the Middle Ages. Very interesting stuff. Most of us learned in school that the Middle Ages were the "Dark Ages" about which little is known.

Not true.

In fact, there was much scholarly work done, particularly by the church. The church and state were very closely tied during these times which turned out to be both good and bad. Good because Christianity was at the forefront of culture and promoted by even the government. Bad because the great power and wealth of the church and the blurring of earthly and heavenly kingdoms led to many abuses, including the exclusion of the un-baptized (Jews and others) from civic life.

Because of the prominence of "religion," the humanists who dominated the so-called Enlightenment viewed the Middle Ages as being backwards because the focus was not on Man and his importance. Ironically, it was during the Middle Ages that the church began to wander away from universal truth and began looking to man as a source of truth. Scripture was important, but it was not the only truth. Man's ideas and traditions began playing a larger role in the workings of the church.

Tune in this week for the Renaissance. Schaeffer looks extensively at art, and I'll be curious to hear your thoughts.

May God bless you this week and give you the courage to seek His truth and speak it to others.