Absolutely. Since I hear about the Golden Age from almost every student, you'd think that sooner or later I'd run into someone who would identify this age as the golden one. And in each, the gospel was proclaimed. But the Golden Age mentality struggles to see any of the good in this age. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2021, Christianity.com. (I’m not saying that we should, of course, just that it wouldn’t be an unreasonable claim.). 7:15; Col. 2:8; 2 Peter 2:1–3) and church officers falling (3 John). The Golden Age of Hymns: A Gallery of the Hymn Writers’ Hall of Fame. But, for the most part, these periods were mostly flawed examples of what happens when the Church goes astray. But this is a far cry from direct decrees to kill or subdue nonbelievers because of their unbelief. The brilliant light from the halo blinds them to the flaws and foibles of that age. But, at the same time, the shadow it casts shrouds every other age in darkness. It’s almost as though they’ve placed a shining halo on top of their chosen age. Against all odds, we have entered the golden age of Christian-Jewish relations, and the Bible is becoming the number one source of unity. Then, in 1959, came Wilt Chamberlain, who would score one hundred points in a single contest in 1962. If you didn’t live in North America or Europe, you might well be open to seeing this as one of the Church’s great Golden Ages. If this is the Golden Age of Christianity, we’re setting the bar kind of low. 31:34). The one blinds us to the possibility of the other. There were doctrinal failures—legalism (Galatians and Hebrews), false spirituality (Colossians), and pretentious, heartless religion (Ephesians; see Rev. Do we even know? The flip side is that the other generations are never as bad as the Golden Age mentality makes them out to be. Maria Maggiore, Rome, has been hitherto universally accepted as fixed by the inscription on the Arch, as of the fifth century therefore. The final separation won’t happen until the consummation of the kingdom. 4. There was no golden age. In many ways, these critics are right—there are many things that the church needs to heed from our earliest forefathers. Here Are 10 Events You Need to Know. If we are to lament anything in the modern church, it should be our susceptibility to neglect those ordinary means of building the church in search of something more extraordinary. And, to be honest, whenever I hear that many people agreeing on something, I get a little suspicious. Start your review of The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and How It Died. As I’ve just said, we’ve seen God move in some amazing ways in the last fifty years. From the slow pace of play in the early decades, to the lack of defense in the 1980s, to the eschewing of set plays in favor of hoisting three-pointers today, the point is that each NBA era has had its share of the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s often suggested that the early church represented this age. But why not? The natural consequence of this well-intended attitude is a disparagement of the modern church. The great example here is the so-called "Middle" Ages. Only then will she exchange her rags for the unblemished wedding dress her Husband has prepared for her (Rev. Even at its lowest, the Church is still the Church. This much He has promised. C. THE "GOLDEN AGE" OF PRE-CHRISTIAN ERINN. In reality, the early church devoted itself to the same things that we should be devoting ourselves to—the sacraments, the Word of God, fellowship, and prayer (Acts 2:42). We must correct our drifting and return to the values and practices of the early church, the argument goes. Discouragement with the state of the modern church and an overly optimistic view of church history have caused some Christians to believe that the church once had a golden age. Our Age isn’t as bad as we think it is. The start of the twenty-first century ushered in Shaquille O’Neal and then Kobe Bryant, who recently passed the baton to the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant. magazine The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins offers a revolutionary view of the history of the Christian church. As religions go, then, Christianity (at only 2000 years of age) is one of the younger ones. Those who fall away prove themselves to be those for whom Jesus hasn’t prayed (John 17:9) and those who never truly belonged with us (1 John 2:19). Philip Jenkins HarperOne 2009-11-03. In this video, the Rev. Someone slept through their history classes. If you even suggest that it might be, people will either stare at you blankly, laugh at you openly, or offer you a nice soft place to sit while they try to find you some professional help. Our age isn’t perfect, but that shouldn’t blind us to all that God is doing and will continue to do. And Islam is even younger still (by about 600 years). The Golden Age mentality is geocentric. If you doubt, just read the books and letters written during each “Golden Age.” None of those people thought they were living during some great era of the Church. For the life of the church between the first and second advents of Christ, there have always been Judases among Peters. Aug 11, 2011 [Name Redacted] rated it … What about those professing evangelicals who are dropping like flies by rejecting orthodoxy? What Does it Mean That Our Citizenship is in Heaven? I. It has been called by such different names throughout the centuries… I often ask my students to give me a quick summary of church history. Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. This is the eschatological path the church is on. THE BLESSED OR GOLDEN AGE A SUBJECT OF EARLY PROPHECY. Islamic Spain is sometimes described as a 'golden age' of religious and ethnic tolerance and interfaith harmony between Muslims, Christians and Jews . Who were the mendicants, where did they come from, and how did they forever change the Church? Visit him at marccortez.com. That will be golden. As early as the reign of Ard-Ri Cormac the First—the first years of the third century—the Christian faith had penetrated into Ireland. Paul Westermeyer. 31:34). Bruised, battered, and broken, but still God's people. But the Spirit that came upon those at Pentecost is the same Spirit that indwells us. Or his letter to the Galatians and their problems with legalism. Everyone thinks the players they grew up watching represent the golden era of the NBA. And it's one that I hear from almost all of my students. Chronicling the NBA in terms of its greatest players also misses the point that each era has its drawbacks. & Historical Theology. Those whom the Father has given Christ will be protected—because Jesus’ prayers are efficacious. Every cherished Golden Age had its share of problems. Christianity and Culture, Contemporary Christianity, Some conservative, Bible-believing Christians believe that before Christ returns the church will experience a Golden Age of unparalleled success, victory, and glory in this world - numerically, spiritually, and culturally. Other Important Hymn Writers. If perfection is the criterion for an age to be classified as golden, the early church didn’t qualify any more than ours does. We need to be careful that we don’t deny that Christians in certain eras got certain things more right than Christians in other eras. Even Peter, rock of the church that he was, exhibited his share of brokenness. The first Christians dealt with moral failure—sexual immorality (Romans and Corinthians), greed and dishonest gain (Jude), disunity and quarrels (Philippians and James), and laziness (Thessalonians). If this is the Golden Age of Christianity, we're setting the bar kind of low. But they got as close as we're likely to get this side of heaven. Evidence of a Golden Age If we are to define a Golden Age of Jewish-Christian interaction as a period of amicable rela- tions, prosperity and mutual creativity, then there is certainly enough evidence to support its application to medieval Spain during the high and late Middle Ages. The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-and How It Died Paperback – Illustrated, November 3, 2009 by Philip Jenkins (Author) › Visit Amazon's Philip Jenkins Page. But we can do this without closing our eyes to their blights and blemishes. Therefore, we should be patient with Christ’s bride because we know that she will make it to that final day. Why the Pilgrims Really Came to America (Hint, It Wasn't Religious Freedom), All Saints' Day, November 1 - Meaning and History, Church History Matters! Ecclesiastically, there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. A Forgotten Golden Age. Moral and doctrinal failures will permeate the air until Christ’s second advent. 2:11–14). The Golden Age of the Catholic Church. Rev. Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age skewers the notion that secularism is the result of a straight-shot progression from religious superstition to objective rational belief in science. But that's never happened. At the beginning of the 1980s, two NCAA championship rivals—Magic Johnson and Larry Bird—began their almost two-decade-long NBA rivalry. But none of the Not-Golden Ages deserves that reputation. Or perhaps it is a consequence of being educated at a madrasa. 3:12). That will be the true golden age—the age when the church triumphant will be made up of only those for whom Jesus prayed and the Great Commission will have ceased (Jer. 2:1–7). There were wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. But these situations aren’t unique to the modern church. But to identify the early church (or any other age) as the golden era and to yearn for its exact replication is misguided and dangerous for a number of reasons. This could be the early church, the Reformation, the Puritans, or some other group. The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and How It Died. The time is prophesied about, written about, sung about and dreamed about for aeons of time. I understand the frustration in reading the book of Acts and concluding that the Holy Spirit was more visible in His work in the early church. An eternal hopefulness lived in the heart of the great prophets, like a light shining in a dark place, amidst all the scenes of national sin and depression. They weren't perfect, of course. The extraordinary, foundational Apostolic office—with all its accompanying gifts—eventually gave way to a more permanent church structure featuring the simple offices of elder and deacon. During the late Middle Ages, the Catholic Church flourished — especially under Pope Innocent III. Beyond the unsurprising fact that most know very little about the story of God's people between the end of the New Testament and the day before yesterday, the stories usually have at least one thing in common: a Golden Age. Tsk! Instead, they all wrote about the great challenges and terrible failures of the day. The poets who put words in our mouths. This is just the part of the story you have to endure if you want to get from the high-water marks of the early church and the Reformation. After the end of the first age was the Silver, then the Bronze, after this the Heroic age, with the fifth and current age being Iron. During these periods, you still have the faithful minority, the Christians who reflect the values of the Golden Age and somehow manage to eke out a faithful existence among the depraved majority. That will be the true golden age—the age when the church triumphant will be made up of only those for whom Jesus prayed and the Great Commission will have ceased (Jer. At this point in the story, every student agrees on one thing: we are not in a Golden Age now. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. We need even more care to ensure we don’t unintentionally usurp Christ’s authority as sovereign Head of the church. Only a few years later came Michael Jordan. What’s the difference, then? David T. Koyzis. Don’t get me wrong. To identify the early church as the golden era and to yearn for its exact replication is misguided and dangerous. That doesn't mean these generations can’t inspire us with their examples of Christian faithfulness in a broken world. But, whoever it was, they nailed it. The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins offers a revolutionary view of the history of the Christian church. The visible church has always been a mix of true and false believers. Third, the degree to which Ancient Christianity “died” in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East remains unclear, even though Christianity’s ancient “Golden Age” and public visible presence faded, at least temporarily. And we should celebrate those people and the times in which they lived. Again, it would be unfair to discount the exemplary characteristics of the early church.