Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
French revolution into the 19th century
French revolutions 19th century
French revolutions 19th century
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: French revolution into the 19th century
I. INTRODUCTION
The nineteenth century was a time of great revolution both in the fields of agriculture, communication, transportation, technology, market and in the industrial sectors. It is in this period too that the collapse of great empires likes Portugal, Spain, Mughal, China, and the Holy Roman kingdoms was experienced and in their stead, arose the German, the British, the Japan and the United States realms. Great philosophical and religious leaders also dotted this century, like William Booth; the founder of the Salvation Army, Karl Max, Ellen White, John Stuart Mill the great philosopher, among others .
This century also marked the beginning of great evangelical revivals in a number of protestant churches and countries across Europe and America. It also marked the beginning of the effects of modern scientific theory and reasoning on Christian thought and beliefs. Scientific theories like Darwinism had great impacts on the churches leading to many of the Christians starting to question some of the beliefs and values they once held . These theories led to a mass move of initial Christians from the regular and traditional observance of religion and belief in Christian teachings, to secularism and a belief in a ‘personal god’ .
As the radical effects of scientific secularism continued to take its toll on the Christian churches, several theologians and scholars like Friedrich Schleiermacher arose to defend Christianity . Unfortunately, his defense did not protect Christianity from the criticism since it led to the emergence of liberal theology and liberal Christianity. Liberal theology is a flexible method of understanding and knowing God through the use of scriptures by making use of the same hermeneutics and princip...
... middle of paper ...
...han on the authority of the church or scriptures.
In conclusion the attempts by the nineteenth century theologians and scholars to defend the bible against he influence of Darwinism was not a defense. This attempt was a mere way to accommodate the beliefs in humanism that Darwin portray into Christianity, which eventually led to the emergence of a new religion; the liberal Christians. This compromise is what led to the continual attacks on the authority of the bible, leading to further splits of Christianity.
Works Cited
Ayers, Philip, E. What Ever Happened to Respect? Bloomington: Author House, 2006.
Barnes, Michael, H. Understanding Religion and Science: Introducing the Debate. London: Continuum International Publishing, 2010.
Webster, John. B and George P. Schner. Theology after Liberalism: A Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2000.
In Charles Darwin’s life he had helped make a significant advancement in the way mankind viewed the world. With his observations, he played a part in shifting the model of evolution into his peers’ minds. Darwin’s theory on natural selection impacted the areas of science and religion because it questioned and challenged the Bible; and anything that challenged the Bible in Darwin’s era was sure to create contention with the church. Members of the Church took offense to Darwin’s Origins of Species because it unswervingly contradicted the teachings of the book of Genesis in the Bible. (Zhao, 2009) Natural selection changed the way people thought. Where the Bible teaches that “all organisms have been in an unchanging state since the great flood, and that everything twas molded in God’s will.” (Zhao, 2009) Darwin’s geological journey to the Galapagos Islands is where he was first able to get the observations he needed to prove how various species change over t...
Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution, was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, transforming the thinking of the entire world about the living things around us (Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)). After working on his theory for nearly 20 years, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. As soon as the book was released, the controversy began with each sides gaining followers until the climax on July 10, 1925. The idea that animals could “evolve” and change into new species, including humans, was one that challenged not only how people thought about the natural world, but challenged the story of the creation from the Bible itself. Even though Darwin himself never said that humans “evolved” from apes, everyone took it as a logical extension of his new theory. It went against the idea of argument for design that had unified theology and science for decades (Moran 5). This new threat to Christianity and the social culture of the time was one that would transform state laws on their educational curriculum.
Religion and opinions are both products of humans. Our intelligence gifts us with the freedom of thought and capability to apply it to our views on deep life questions. Intelligence provides us the right to believe in any sort of God, afterlife, or way of living. Brad Gregory describes the Protestant Reformation’s effects on the present society’s Christian qualities in a book he wrote titled “The Unintended Reformation.”1 (After my awareness of the outcome of the western history of the Protestant Reformation, I gained an opinion on today’s religious views that do not completely agree with Gregory’s valuation.) The Protestant Reformation was vital to the progress in the knowledge about the Christian faith.
The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation. The Age of Enlightenment did not merely confine itself to religious expression, but spread throughout natural and social science. Thus, the Age of Enlightenment marked the beginning of academic and religious philosophy and allowed great minds to think free from restriction and condemnation of established institution. As the perception of natural
The single most important aspect of European empires, beginning just prior to the fall of Rome, is the spread of Christianity to all areas of the continent in as little as a few hundred years. Many theologians state that Christianities spread is the indirect influence of God and the adoration of people to one true faith. Though it is true that Christianity has brought about people that even atheists could call saints, it is unquestionable that Christianity was so monumental because it united larger groups of people and its spread is contributed to adherence to local customs and its lack of new ideas in comparison to other religions of the day.
The latter half of the 19th century marked a time of major changes that sweep the American landscape. Changes included: the second industrial revolution, the third great awakening, abolitionism, immigration, and new religious movements (NRMs). This time period is referred to as the “Gilded Age”; there was rapid economic growth which spurred wage increases, immigration, and technological advances.
Throughout the first half of the 19th century, and especially after the War of 1812, America has taken on yet another revolution. In this time period, the country saw a rapid expansion in territory and economics, as well as the extension of democratic politics; the spread of evangelical revivalism; the rise of the nation’s first labor and reform movements; the growth of cities and industrial ways of life; a rise in abolitionism and reduction in the power of slavery; and radical shifts in the roles and status of women.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
There are several aspects to consider when exploring the Christian worldview. There are many facets or denominations and they each have their own distinct beliefs and practices, but they all share the same fundamental beliefs. In this Paper we will explore the character of God, His creation, humanity and its nature, Jesus’ significance to the world, and the restoration of humanity, as well as my beliefs and the way that I interact with Christianity and my personal worldview.
The reform movements in the 19th century significantly represented many conflicts, which inevitably lead into the Civil War. Many people thought it was time to stand up for recognition and transform America’s economy. This was certainly among ordinary Americans who felt the deep sense of commitment to highlighting their concerns to the open public. The religious zeal founded in these people emanated from the Second Great Awakening. This wave greatly influenced minorities, such as slaves and women to break from their enslaving chains and emancipate themselves into suitable circumstances.
Within mainstream society it seems as if there is not a great deal of emphasis on the contributions made by theologians in society, as well as contributions by theologians to religious thought. Particularly in Christendom, ecclesiastical assemblies are so consumed with vain ideas of worship, and content on hearing biblical messages that capitulate to their personal desires, that theological studies are often neglected. Yet the contributions theologians have made in society, and the impact these contributions have had on religious assemblies have been pivotal in guiding religious discourse on subjects such as ethics, morality, and social transformation. It is for this reason, that in this essay an attempt will be made to analyze three essays from three world-renowned theologians of the 20th century. The theologians are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Walter Wink, all of which have produced the essays used for this analysis, and have written works that have completely challenged status quo religion, and changed the landscape of Christendom forever.
Reese, William J., Emily Dykman, Michael Lopez-Kaley, and Laura Nettles. Christian Theology: Scripture, Tradition, and Practice. Kearney, Neb.: Morris Pub., 2012. Print.
The nature of Scripture and the authority of Scripture are two characteristics carefully entwined in such a way that creates an impossibility for them to not affect each other. They directly influence each other. Evangelicalism, Liberalism, and Neo-Orthodoxy all have differing views of the nature and authority of Scripture. Evangelicalism takes up the view that the Bible, Scripture, is infallible (Lane, 2006, p. 255). Scripture is God’s word and is therefore fully truth (Lane, 2006, p. 256). People under Evangelicalism equate Scripture with God’s spoken word, and they believe that though God and humans are both authors, the human author was divinely prepared by God to write out His word (Lane, 2006, p. 257). They believe that “the Bible is the supreme authority for faith and practice” (Bingham, 2002, p. 162). Liberalism takes a different view on the Scripture. In Liberalism, religion is “nothing but feeling and experience” (Lane, 2006, p. 238). This reduces the authority and value of Scripture. Scripture is not seen as God’s word or His revelation but as a written record of the experiences of humans, which takes away from its divinity and authority (Lane, 2006, p. 239). Schleiermacher, the father of Liber...
Religion was questioned mainly by the Philosopher Nietzsche whom published work on his atheist theories. He admired personal traits that enhanced survival instead of the basic Christian traits to strive towards. He was influenced a great deal by Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution which was also of much hated debate to this day. Even Classical liberalism was challenged in the fact that it wasn’t progressive enough in its economics which eventual chang...
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.