I just finished reading Keith Crider's new book, Church History, Resurrection to Reformation, newly released by Christian Light Publications. Here are a few things that impressed me.
1. Disagreements in the church on doctrine and practice are nothing new. The apostles had to deal with some controversial issues. The disagreement between Paul and Barnabas was so strong they split and went different ways with different companions. But in the end and were on friendly terms and worked together. The history of the church is a long series of disagreements and splits, many of which are not resolved peacefully and often not at all.
2. Persecution ended when Constantine made Christianity the state religion in 313 AD but it was a detriment rather than a victory for the church. People were church members without being born again and trusted in their church membership rather than in Christ. One result of Constantine's rule was the churches that were built on the "holy sites" in Israel. While in some respects those sites were spoiled by the churches, yet that prevented them from having Muslim mosques built on those spots (years later) like the one that stands on the temple mount today.
3. A multitude of non-conformist groups existed through the centuries. These groups were persecuted by the state church. Some were more Biblical than others but there was always a remnant of faithful believers, even through the Dark Ages when only a small minority were literate. Jesus said "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." That the Word of God and true faith survived the Dark Ages is the fulfillment of that promise.
4.What caused the Dark Ages? The answer is complicated and multifaceted. With the fall of the Roman Empire, cities and roads fell into disrepair and its common language was lost. Vandals, Goths, Huns, and other barbarians from the north and east sacked Rome and made inroads deep into Roman territory. They spoke a variety of languages which gradually mixed to become what we call the Romance languages. A large percentage of the population of Europe died due to war and plagues.The barbarians did not understand the climate or methods of farming the land they conquered. They were illiterate and education was not available to the majority of the population. Europe was chaos and a hodgepodge of small kingdoms, tribes, and chiefdoms that fought each other. Life was a struggle to survive with the average life span for a man only 33 years. With Rome gone and no central power in Western Europe, the church stepped in to fill the void and provided at least a measure of stability.
4. The barbarians were pagan idol worshipers. When they invaded "Christian" countries the church set out to Christianize them. To make Christianity more attractive, the church sometimes substituted a "Christian" superstition for a pagan one and replaced a pagan feast with a Christian one. Easter replaced a pagan spring feast and Christmas replaced the festival of the winter solstice. Pope Boniface obtained relics of saints (bones, hair, etc.) which were placed in churches and served as replacements for the idols the pagans had to give up.
5. The tribes that overran Western Europe mixed with the former Roman inhabitants and eventually became the "natives." My Swiss-German ancestors probably had Hun, Vandal, Visgoth and other pagan ancestors. By the 700s and 800s the barbarians had become Europeans. Israel did the same thing when they conquered and settled the land of the Canaanites. A more recent example is the European invasion and settling of America from 1500-1900.
6. The Anabaptists of the 1500s were a radical movement in the Reformation but they followed in the footsteps of many nonconformist groups before them. The Cathari, Albignese, Waldenses, and others preceded the Anabaptists and were persecuted (sometime to extinction) because they would not conform to the state church.
These are just a few highlights from the book. You really should get a copy and read the whole thing.
4.What caused the Dark Ages? The answer is complicated and multifaceted. With the fall of the Roman Empire, cities and roads fell into disrepair and its common language was lost. Vandals, Goths, Huns, and other barbarians from the north and east sacked Rome and made inroads deep into Roman territory. They spoke a variety of languages which gradually mixed to become what we call the Romance languages. A large percentage of the population of Europe died due to war and plagues.The barbarians did not understand the climate or methods of farming the land they conquered. They were illiterate and education was not available to the majority of the population. Europe was chaos and a hodgepodge of small kingdoms, tribes, and chiefdoms that fought each other. Life was a struggle to survive with the average life span for a man only 33 years. With Rome gone and no central power in Western Europe, the church stepped in to fill the void and provided at least a measure of stability.
4. The barbarians were pagan idol worshipers. When they invaded "Christian" countries the church set out to Christianize them. To make Christianity more attractive, the church sometimes substituted a "Christian" superstition for a pagan one and replaced a pagan feast with a Christian one. Easter replaced a pagan spring feast and Christmas replaced the festival of the winter solstice. Pope Boniface obtained relics of saints (bones, hair, etc.) which were placed in churches and served as replacements for the idols the pagans had to give up.
5. The tribes that overran Western Europe mixed with the former Roman inhabitants and eventually became the "natives." My Swiss-German ancestors probably had Hun, Vandal, Visgoth and other pagan ancestors. By the 700s and 800s the barbarians had become Europeans. Israel did the same thing when they conquered and settled the land of the Canaanites. A more recent example is the European invasion and settling of America from 1500-1900.
6. The Anabaptists of the 1500s were a radical movement in the Reformation but they followed in the footsteps of many nonconformist groups before them. The Cathari, Albignese, Waldenses, and others preceded the Anabaptists and were persecuted (sometime to extinction) because they would not conform to the state church.
These are just a few highlights from the book. You really should get a copy and read the whole thing.
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