|
The Western Church before the Reformation (Continued) |
....... contined from
 Pope Sergius III initiated the 'Dark Age' of the Papacy in 904. |
The Western Church on the Edge
We can explore how those factors operate within Christianity by observing the Western church in the 10th and 11th centuries. It was on the verge of a total collapse which would have added another to the list of failures. The trouble was as much, or more, from within as without. The offices of the church at least as high as bishop were for sale. The papacy was a pawn in the hands of very rich and powerful Italian families. Some ridiculous people were elected to the papacy. It must have seemed to many that there was no hope for the future. But there were spiritual forces in 'reserve which properly harnessed and directed could create the conditions for the Church's revival'. [Vivian Green, A New History of Christianity, Sutton Publishing, 1998] These spiritual forces in reserve were built into the structure of the church. |
|
|
This is where the description of what happened and what resources were available becomes difficult because a good proportion of those resources fall into the category of spirituality. Many commentators have no experience of this dimension of the inner life which puts them at a disadvantage when trying to assess the nature and magnitude of the forces at play. The situation is not unlike someone writing about a town like Sunderland who didn't understand the strength of feeling for the game of football in that community. On the other hand, there are commentators who are so accepting of what is written in scripture that they ascribe supernatural reasons uncritically. I recognise and share in what I believe is the spiritual dimension but I don't believe in an omnipotent god who controls all the micro-activity of individuals or organisations. One of my core beliefs is that almost all human beings have a tendency towards selfishness and greed. The function of 'good' religion is to help individuals and communities to deal with what I consider to be the detrimental part of our human nature. |
||
| The Western Church – Back from the Edge
How the five Reasons for Longevity mentioned above seem to apply to the Western Church at that particular time: |
||
| a. Enabling Criticism : Christianity has clear guidelines on what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. From its Jewish roots it takes the Ten Commandments as the core of Christian ethics. They are made much more challenging by the teaching of Jesus. For instance, in Matthew's Gospel, there are six statements which begin 'You were told', and go on 'but what I say to you is this'. The second concerned adultery. Jesus said, 'If a man looks at a woman with a lustful eye he has already committed adultery with her in his heart'.
This meant that there was a strong consciousness of sin and a need for dealing with it. There were mechanisms for confessing these faults to a priest and for doing so privately during an act of worship. There were private and public mechanisms for forgiveness/absolution by the Supreme Being who is judged to have been offended, hurt or disappointed by his followers behaviour. |
 'The Confession', Pietro Longhi, 1750 |
|
| b. Supporting Change : The Western Church at this time was being true to its roots and developing a self-reflecting way of thought. This brought about healthy habits of self-criticism in individuals and helped the Church face up to criticism. This was vital for maintaining honest opinions, which led to searches for improvement that would inevitably involve change.
c. Inspirational Occasions : The Western church had within its structure the concept of a variety of forms of discipleship. There was therefore scope for individuals of all types to give selfless service to the church and the causes it espouses. e. Behaving Attractively : There were improvements generally and, for a while, the Western Church projected a much more attractive image of itself Conclusion I have tried to show that the reason the Western Church did not collapse is that it used the resources at its disposal in such a way as to open itself to honest criticism. It then used its resources wisely, took the right course of action and survived. Ieuan Johnston
[edited by Neil Munro] |
||