Christian Humanism
Christian humanism was the humanists’ efforts to unite classical
learning with the Christian faith. The Christian humanists rejected what they
regarded as medieval Christianity’s excessive emphasis on other
worldliness. They desired to bring their knowledge of the classical languages
to bear in their effort to attain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the
Christian faith. Christian humanism was properly nothing but a reclaiming
of the basic inheritance of history and the natural connection of culture
with the religious vistas of the human being.
Desiderius Erasmus was probably one of the biggest and most
outstanding of the Christian humanists. He was known as the “Prince of the
Humanists”. He mostly devoted his life to classical studies. His Adages, a
collection of Latin proverbs, established his scholarly reputation. Most of his
other early works attacked corrupt church practices and the scholasticism
developed by churchmen. In the Praise of Folly, his most famous work,
made fun of many attitudes of his time which were ignorance , superstition ,
and greed.
Another big time humanist was Thomas More. An English
statesman and writer, known for his religious stance against King Henry
VIII costed him his life. He was England’s greatest humanist. More’s most
famous work Utopia described an ideal world where society was based on
reason and ignorance. The citizens practiced a Christianity that was free of
ignorance and superstition. There was no private property and no desire for
profit and there was no war except in self-defense. More contrasted this
society with the evils existing in his own society.
These Christian humanists had similar characteristics and helped
Martin Luther in his reformation process. They both wanted huge reform in
the Roman Catholic Church. In Erasmus’s Colloquia his continuing assaults
on the evils and errors of the church authorities and on superstition made
him vulnerable to the accusation that he was a Lutheran. They both used and
emphasized on scripture. Even though Erasmus denied being a Lutheran and
at times even verbally attacked Luther, he is often regarded as a precursor of
the Reformation. The humanists work in translating and analyzing original
sources often uncovered discrepancies among these sources, which led to
questions about the Catholic Church's practices and encouraged efforts for
reform. Erasmus got this ball rolling and Luther just blew it up. There was
just one difference between Erasmus and Luther. Christian humanists
believed strongly in the unity of the church and the preservation of a
Martin Luther is known to be a key initiator to the Protestant Reformation, although he had no intention of doing so. He was going to become a monk, so he read deeply into scriptures, but this only led him to discover inconsistencies between traditions and the Bible. These inconsistencies lead him to demand changes in the Catholic Church; however that did not include
...ding himself, then someone else is. Those who hold a higher rank to him and have more power in the world can easily manipulate an unguided man. If Erasmus had not saved the Europeans from the corruption of the Church, there would be no telling how today’s Europe would be characterized as. He defined what it meant to be a true follower of God.
Each chose to discuss this topic in different ways; More with a fictional example and Luther applying it to everyday life. While very different, a similarity between these two can be found in the concept of freedom. More approaches the concept of human nature, saying each individual does good to contribute to the community or greater good. More discusses the the good within individuals, yet admits that he doesn’t foresee this happening. He states, “Unless kings became philosophers themselves they would never accept the counsels of philosophers, seeing that they are warped and corrupted by false values from childhood” (More, Utopia, 43) Where does freedom fall into this equation? Luther struggles with a similar issue. To Luther, we are free to God, but enslaved in “neighbor love.” Both authors struggle with concept of individual freedom. Do individuals have a say so within government? Where does divine appointment come into play? More and Luther similarly struggle with the idea of freedom and how freedom contributes to human
Established in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to counter the limited ideals of medieval scholasticism, Renaissance Humanism were educational and social reform ideals that sought to emphasize individualism as a central value in contrast to religious beliefs. Humanists revered the dignity of human kind and called for a life of virtuous action. The writings of Petrarch and Pico exemplify humanist thought by displaying the values of self-knowledge, individualism, and studying lessons from the past; appealing to the authorities of the Greek and Latin classics by Cicero, Vergil, Horace, Plato and Livy. Petrarch and Pico’s thinking can be constituted as a marked departure from medieval attitudes and beliefs, due to the origins of humanist resources being classical and biblical rather stemmed from medieval philosophers and theologians.
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.
Secular Humanism and Biblical Worldview are beliefs with different worldview meanings. Secular Humanism is a belief that doesn’t believe in the God. Biblical worldview is a belief in God and his word. Secular humanism worldview believes that man exist and found only nature. In secular humanism world science is source for knowledge and existence. In the Christian worldview has belief in everything that existence such as man, God, and other things. Christians also believes there will be eternal life and secular humanism believes when man dies life is over.
Humanity is made in the image of God. Therefore, all people have unique and valuable gifts to contribute to society. Every individual is also a sinner in need of redemption through Christ’s death and resurrection. Developing a relationship with Christ is the foundational purpose of my Christian educational practice. Instruction must be differentiated because each student is a unique creation. Effective differentiation is impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the use of research-based instructional methods and formative evaluation. Powerful teaching constantly modifies instruction to best address the needs of the each student and provides a foundation of love that recognizes each child as a gift from God.
Although Thomas More was among the most famous English humanists, Wilcox writes in In Search of God and Self that he did not hold humanism as the center of most of his writings, staying with medieval themes of religion. To this Thomas More might respond that a deep devotion to the Christian religion and a belief in the need for reform coupled with a humanistic perspective were at the heart of his writings. This would place More at the center of Northern humanists who believed that a classical education, especially including the original writings of the early Church fathers, would lead to a more deeply pious, spiritual person and a better society. While Italian humanists focused on the individual person, More focused on the betterment of
After reviewing the worldviews in this course, I now have a substantive view of life. I could say yes indeed I hold a Christian worldview. A Christian worldview is a way of thinking that is Christ Center. This may involve trusting and believing Jesus Christ as the core of your life. My core values involve believing and trusting on the word of God. From instructions to promises, every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God is worthy of receiving with faith and obedience. For example, there are healing scripture to believe in. when we receive the word of God in faith, we are operating in faitha worldview.
Some qualities of humanity have remained or altered throughout the years with the development of technology. There are a few customs that we have used during the Foraging Era, that we have changed for the better, and that have stayed the same. Throughout our human history, as trends come and go, our species keep moving forward and tries to improve its ways. We have truly impacted society in both positive and negative ways; however, we have portrayed ourselves as a strong, determined group of humanity.
There are religions everywhere regardless of where a person goes in this world. A person could experience many different religions if they were to travel the world; however, many religions can be practiced within one country, especially within the United States. The diversity of religion is very common in many countries and usually all religions are pretty accepting of others. Christianity is one of the most widespread religions that are practiced throughout the world, especially in the United States; although, Christianity was started in another country. This particular religion may be widely practiced but some may still not quite understand what Christianity actually is. By going through the central themes, this religion can be understood a little bit better by many.
My discourse community is Christianity. My discourse community involves people who believe in God and lives up to the guidelines of the Bible. The people from this community are trying to enhance themselves by learning the Bible. An impeccable member attends church, strive for better lives, and aim to help others spread and disseminate words of wisdom. There are several reasons why Christianity is a discourse community. My discourse community has all of the six characteristics defined by John Swales. In my paper, I will describe how my discourse community meets all of Swales characteristics.
Written and material evidence offer insight into Christianity’s relationship in classical culture. Evidenced in literature and art, it is clear that the culture of the Roman Empire was an influence and was influenced by the rise of Christianity.
Christianity began circa 30 CE in Palestine, known today as Israel. God sent an angel to a woman named Mary that told her that she would be having a baby. While in a stable in Bethlehem, she gave birth to Jesus, who would eventually become the founder of Christianity. At the age of 30, Jesus was baptized, or welcomed by the Christian faith, by his cousin John. Jesus' followers believed that he was their "messiah," or savior, and God in human form. However, as Jesus began to spread Christianity, his popularity threatened Jewish authorities, resulting in the arrests of many Christians. Despite this, Christianity still spread throughout the world.
Humanism, a completely new perspective in life emerged during the Renaissance. Once humanist figures, such as Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Erasmus, spread their knowledge about it, people started to adopt the thought of humanism, secularism, and individualism. They realized how important and valuable humans are in this world. Once humanism became more popular, it was