The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 39): Thomas Hobbes–Leviathan Arises
Almost 150 years after the publication of The Prince, another book of tremendous influence was published in 1651 AD: Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan. Hobbes’ political...
Category: Western Culture
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 38): Niccolo Machiavelli, and the Subversive-Secular Revolution (aka Luther’s Evil Twin)
Even though the waves of reform in the 11th and 12th centuries had swept much of the corruption out of the Catholic Church, by the 1400’s the Catholic Church ha...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 37): Wrapping up the Protestant Revolution, Touching upon the Catholic Reformation, and Drawing the Battle Lines for the Wars of Religion
If it seems I have been too harsh regarding the Protestant Revolution, I want to explain the reason. I am assuming that most of my audience is predominantly Pro...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 36): John Calvin and TULIP! (Yes! Total Depravity, Predestination…all that!)
Along with Martin Luther, John Calvin is perhaps the most well-known Protestant revolutionary/reformer. Born in 1509, Calvin was a mere eight years old when Lut...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 35): Martin Luther, the Anabaptists, and a Revolution in Church/State Relationships
Despite my labeling Martin Luther’s movement as the Protestant Revolution, Luther was not originally looking to actually start a religious revolution. He truly ...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 34): Martin Luther: Salvation, Free Will, and Human Reason
Similar to his understanding of authority and Scripture, Luther’s understanding of salvation was also affected by his over-reaction to the admittedly distorted ...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 33): Martin Luther–Sola Scriptura and Autonomous Reason–Was He the Godfather of Enlightenment Thinking?
Yesterday, I began to talk about Martin Luther’s view of Scripture, and pointed out that there was a fundamental flaw with it. I’d like to elaborate on that a b...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 32): Martin Luther, Sola Scriptura, and Authority (But whose? And for what purpose?)
When a young college professor named Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door at Wittenberg Cathedral in 1517 in hopes of opening the door to debate over ...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 31): The Protestant and Secular Revolutions (1500-1700)–A Short Introduction
In most overviews of Western civilization, the typical progression not only incorrectly lumps over one thousand years of culture and history under the umbrella ...
The Ways of the Worldviews (Part 30): Last Thoughts on the High Catholic Age (aka…”Those filthy peasants have no Christian Faith!)
One final thing needs to be mentioned regarding the day to day life and faith of the common man during the High Catholic Age. What I’m about to say can be relat...