B) frequent conflicts between Christians and Jews C) advances in mathematics, science, and medicine D) policies to reduce trade between the Middle East and China. At some point in history, the church got things right. Ecclesiastically, there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. The final separation won’t happen until the consummation of the kingdom. And, to be honest, whenever I hear that many people agreeing on something, I get a little suspicious. Covering topics including Christianity and Culture, Contemporary Christianity, 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. Even the great Reformers of the 16th century struggled with infighting, jealousy, arrogance, and even outright persecution and violence. Vinita Hampton Wright. To that end, He prayed to the Father to “keep them in your name, which you have given me” (John 17:11). People romanticize a particular era. Our age isn’t perfect, but that shouldn’t blind us to all that God is doing and will continue to do. The Golden Age mentality is geocentric. Or perhaps it is a consequence of being educated at a madrasa. All rights reserved. 3:12). For example, the perennial debate from about 2009–14 was whether LeBron James had surpassed Kobe Bryant. 19:8). Have you ever witnessed a debate between people representing different generations concerning who is the greatest NBA player of all time? 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. Will there be a Golden Age before Christ Returns by Lee Irons, B.A., M.Div. 1:6). J” Erving, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And in each, the gospel was proclaimed. Paul Westermeyer. But, for the most part, these periods were mostly flawed examples of what happens when the Church goes astray. There were doctrinal failures—legalism (Galatians and Hebrews), false spirituality (Colossians), and pretentious, heartless religion (Ephesians; see Rev. 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. Who were the mendicants, where did they come from, and how did they forever change the Church? Do we even know? To identify the early church as the golden era and to yearn for its exact replication is misguided and dangerous. They recognize the "dark side" of Aquarius as well -- coldness, subsuming individuals for the sake of the group, turning freedoms into mandates or structures, and other possible flaws. 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. “Jenkins is one of America ’s top religious scholars.” —Forbes. But, at the same time, the shadow it casts shrouds every other age in darkness. Spiritual Movements around the world through the generations have experimented with the concepts of bringing Heaven to Earth. Second, if these Not-Golden ages were really that bad, if the gospel was almost entirely lost and the Church virtually ceased to function as the people of God, what does that tell us about God's faithfulness and the work of the Spirit over time? 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. It's a good way to see what they know, and, more importantly, what they think they know. This could be the early church, the Reformation, the Puritans, or some other group. Christianity and Culture, Contemporary Christianity, Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius The Arch of Constantine is _____ in that it celebrates a victory of a Roman, Constantine, over another Roman, Maxentius, at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Absolutely. & Historical Theology. 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. Absolutely. In fact, never again would these two spheres be united so strongly in the Church. The flip side is that the other generations are never as bad as the Golden Age mentality makes them out to be. Someone slept through their history classes. Even Peter, rock of the church that he was, exhibited his share of brokenness. David T. Koyzis. 1:9). In many ways, the early church looked just like us. 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. 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. And the same could be said for every Golden Age. But none of them got it "right," whatever that even means. I often ask my students to give me a quick summary of church history. Trevin Wax | October 27, 2014. However, in Eastern Christianity, there were no such dark ages, and the Carolingian Renaissance led to developments that continued in various ways toward the 'Golden Age' of medieval Christianity, a period of increasing development in theology, architecture, music and devotion. So that's the story. 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. And the reason this generation really stands out is because the other generations got things so badly wrong. Churches in South America, Africa, and Asia have exploded with new conversions, spreading their influence in ways no one would have thought possible even a single generation earlier. 31:34). 31:34). I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Comparing the modern church against the early church is like comparing Bill Russell with Michael Jordan. THE "GOLDEN AGE" OF PRE-CHRISTIAN ERINN. They weren't perfect, of course. Even the great Reformers of the 16th century struggled with infighting, jealousy, arrogance, and even outright persecution and violence. Good News for the Living Dead: A Fresh Take on the Gospel Story, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. First, it's almost impossible to emphasize how terrible a generation was and seek to learn from it at the same time. Every cherished Golden Age had its share of problems. Christianity - Christianity - The Middle Ages: Christian myth and legend were adapted to new traditions as the faith expanded beyond its original cultural milieu of the Mediterranean into northern Europe. 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. But the Golden Age mentality tends to get stuck in that mode, blinded to the amazing things that God is doing in this age. Instead, they all wrote about the great challenges and terrible failures of the day. 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). In the summer of 1949, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA), a league made up of seventeen teams. We would do well to reform our piety and practice to better conform to Scripture, which reform perhaps was modeled better by previous generations of Christians. But they got as close as we're likely to get this side of heaven. But each generation has its own voice, and we silence those voices to our own detriment. At the beginning of the 1980s, two NCAA championship rivals—Magic Johnson and Larry Bird—began their almost two-decade-long NBA rivalry. Excerpt from The Golden Age of Classic Christian Art The date of the great pictorial cycle of mosaics decorating the interior of the basilica of 8. Synopsis : Constantine Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age written by Jonathan Bardill, published by Cambridge University Press which was released on 10 January 2021. But the Spirit that came upon those at Pentecost is the same Spirit that indwells us. But this is a far cry from direct decrees to kill or subdue nonbelievers because of their unbelief. It’s almost as though they’ve placed a shining halo on top of their chosen age. I. 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. Maria Maggiore, Rome, has been hitherto universally accepted as fixed by the inscription on the Arch, as of the fifth century therefore. Rev. But that's never happened. It was revived by the gradual arrival from Spain and Sicily of translations of the entire corpus of Aristotle, often accompanied by Arabic and Hebrew commentaries and treatises. C. There was no “Golden Age.” Or maybe we’d be better off saying that every age is a Golden Age; that is, a time when God is still faithfully working through his people to spread his gospel and display his glory throughout this broken and fallen world. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. This is the eschatological path the church is on. Only then will she exchange her rags for the unblemished wedding dress her Husband has prepared for her (Rev. What’s the difference, then? New saints and martyrs emerged during the process of expansion, and their miracles and other pious deeds were recorded in hagiographic works. How was it for them? But it’s worth noting that this development didn’t occur over one or two seasons. 4. The visible church has always been a mix of true and false believers. THE BLESSED OR GOLDEN AGE A SUBJECT OF EARLY PROPHECY. Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. There was no “Golden Age.” Or maybe we’d be better off saying that every age is a Golden Age; that is, a time when God is still faithfully working through his people to spread his gospel and display his glory throughout this broken and fallen world. Pockets of Christians began advocating for the restoration of the Jews to Palestine as early as the 1800s. 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 winnowing fork is separating the wheat from the chaff before our eyes (Matt. Against all odds, we have entered the golden age of Christian-Jewish relations, and the Bible is becoming the number one source of unity. 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). 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. Islamic Spain is sometimes described as a 'golden age' of religious and ethnic tolerance and interfaith harmony between Muslims, Christians and Jews . Chronicling the NBA in terms of its greatest players also misses the point that each era has its drawbacks. Depending on your perspective, such evaluation either romanticizes what was and disregards what is, or it romanticizes what is and disregards what was. 2:1–7). The early Christians faithfully employed the divinely ordained means of grace (v. 42), they shared the gospel with deep fervor, they exhibited tremendous generosity, and so forth. But, whoever it was, they nailed it. And Islam is even younger still (by about 600 years). 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. And the same could be said for every Golden Age. The Church was at its zenith both spiritually and politically. 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. Bill Russell, for instance, played for the Boston Celtics beginning in 1956, bringing eleven championships to the franchise in his thirteen-year career. 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 part of the problem with the Golden Age mentality is that it blinds us to the weaknesses of these great generations. The primary difference is with regard to methodology, not source. Philip Jenkins HarperOne 2009-11-03. The results are fascinating. At this point in the story, every student agrees on one thing: we are not in a Golden Age now. "Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. If you don’t believe me, try to reason with a Chicago native (like me) that LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan, and he’ll chronicle Jordan’s career as if he never missed a shot. Many who embrace New Age beliefs view the Aquarian Age as a Golden Age of spiritual advancement, total equality, and unparalleled achievements for humanity. 1702 Isaac Watts, “the liberator of the English hymn,” becomes Minister of Mark Lane Church in … Even North American and Europe have seen God working in incredible ways. The way we usually tell the story comes with two dangers. Roman Catholicism - Roman Catholicism - The golden age of Scholasticism: Philosophy, hitherto concerned almost exclusively with logic and dialectic, had stagnated in the late 12th century. We should celebrate them as well. The Coming Great Golden Age Book I Becoming Zion. The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the Works and Days of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the Golden Race of humanity (Greek: χρύσεον γένος chrýseon génos) lived. It has been called by such different names throughout the centuries… The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins offers a revolutionary view of the history of the Christian church. They want it to be free of denominationalism and separation. As I’ve just said, we’ve seen God move in some amazing ways in the last fifty years. The final separation won’t happen until the consummation of the kingdom. But none of the Not-Golden Ages deserves that reputation. The poets who put words in our mouths. It is believed that we have in these verses a very ancient oracle, first delivered by the earlier prophet Joel (see Joel 3:10), and from him repeated by Isaiah and Micah (Micah 4:1-4). The Golden Age of Muslim culture was best known for its A) attempts to colonize North America. 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. The Golden Age Mentality is Pessimistic. Or is someone just being naughty! Therefore, we should be patient with Christ’s bride because we know that she will make it to that final day. And it's one that I hear from almost all of my students. Since then, the game of basketball has undergone significant changes in almost every area imaginable—style, pace, attitude, strategy, rules, fan base, and revenue, among others. But there are at least five problems with that way of telling the story. Constantine, Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age offers a radical reassessment of Constantine as an emperor, a pagan, and a Christian. The Mirage of “Golden Age” Christianity Trevin Wax Trevin Wax is an editor, author and blogger at "Kingdom People." As religions go, then, Christianity (at only 2000 years of age) is one of the younger ones. That will be golden. That doesn't mean these generations can’t inspire us with their examples of Christian faithfulness in a broken world. More hymnwriters who penned memorable lines we love. Don’t get me wrong. Tsk! For the life of the church between the first and second advents of Christ, there have always been Judases among Peters. The younger crowd largely heralded LeBron, while the ’80s and ’90s kids didn’t appreciate the premature disrespect of Kobe. 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. Again, it would be unfair to discount the exemplary characteristics of the early church. Everyone thinks the players they grew up watching represent the golden era of the NBA. Only a few years later came Michael Jordan. Does the church have amazing men and women accomplishing great things for the Kingdom of God today? 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. A Forgotten Golden Age. The Mirage of “Golden Age” Christianity. Paul had to rebuke his fellow Apostle Peter for abysmal conduct with regard to prejudices (Gal. Yes, we should be aware of our failings. What Does it Mean That Our Citizenship is in Heaven? In the last fifty years, we’ve seen unprecedented growth in our ability to reach new people groups with the gospel. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2021, Christianity.com. There were wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and How It Died. This presupposes there is no golden age of the church, only multiple eras of the church during which the affection of Christ rested on her even in all her mess. 3. & Historical Theology. That fascinates me. This doesn’t make the church any less “spiritual”; rather, it accounts for the intentional shift from the Apostolic foundation-laying stage to the more permanent ordinary age. Even the name suggests that nothing good really happened during this time. Such compromises are discouraging, but, as many have noted, the stark contrast between true disciples and false disciples is becoming well defined. Even at its lowest, the Church is still the Church. I’m not saying this generation is perfect, or even great. What about those professing evangelicals who are dropping like flies by rejecting orthodoxy? Following Wilt were Oscar Robertson, Moses Malone, Julius “Dr. 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. The Spirit who made the ascended Christ present to them in and through those means is the same Spirit who does so for us today. magazine The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins offers a revolutionary view of the history of the Christian church. As I said earlier, I find it fascinating that no one ever lists our own age as one of the Golden Ages of the church. Bruised, battered, and broken, but still God's people. Every student agrees that we're in a Not-Golden Age. The great example here is the so-called "Middle" Ages. And this highlights one of the problems of the Golden Age mentality: it tends to focus on one, narrow part of the Church. Chronology of hymns and hymnwriters. On the other hand, the golden age of the church is yet to come. Write a review. But, as we’ve seen, that’s been true of every generation. As Head, Christ will complete the work that He has begun (Phil. The underlying culprit of these debates is a lack of consideration for historical development. They want the church to be more “Apostolic.” They want it to be more communal (see Acts 2:44). 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. You don't learn from someone by ignoring their brokenness. 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