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History of the Christian Church
Introduction
------------------------------------------------- Top of FormThe Protestant Reformation referred to a religious movement in the 16th century that resulted in the division of Christianity into Catholics and Protestants. Europe was split into the Northern part which was occupied by the Protestants and the Southern part remained occupied by the Roman Catholics (Schaff 105). Christian humanism, on the other hand, refers to an intellectual movement that originated from the Renaissance, and it had the aim of eliminating corruption of the church and also in reviving the classical learning (Schaff 108).Comparison between the two movements These two movements were both aimed at eliminating corruption of the Roman Church, but they used different approaches. Christian Humanism aimed to reform the church by blending in some of the best classical learning to the Christian religion so as to formulate an ethical lifestyle. Protestant Reformation, on the other hand, had deeper demands that were based on doctrinal and theological grounds (Schaff 125). Christian Humanism did not agree with the Roman Catholic Church’s educational approach and hence they wanted to incorporate Renaissance humanism’s educational system which could provide them with solutions to the current problems they were facing at that time. For instance, Jacques Lefevre worked tirelessly so as to formulate an accurate text of the Holy Book with the belief that if people understood the scriptures then they will increase their devotion to Christianity. These humanists perceived that a combination of their intellect, appropriate education in classical learning and Christianity, would be the key in establishing an upright and formal reform. On the other side, the Protestantism also held the same perceptions of reforming the church intellectually, but for them, they wanted to address all the current religious issues based on the teachings that were in the Bible (Schaff 128).These differences between the two movements lead to a heated debate between Luther and Erasmus, who were the leaders of Protestantism and Humanism respectively. Despite their common ground in believing that the Roman Catholic was corrupt, they still had differences amongst them.Effects of the movements to Religion The effect of Christian Humanism was that scholasticism reign was over and hence it freed science from the supervision of the church. The individuals become more matured on issues relating to their faith, and they were able to read through religious books and pamphlets. On the negative side, humanism did not manage to pierce through the core of the gospel and hence remained unresponsive to some questions of salvation. The effect of the Protestant Reformation was that there was a massive change in the church art as it destroyed all the imagery that was associated with the Roman Catholics such as pictures, sculptures, reliquaries and containers used in the Eucharist. They only remained with small, humble paintings that they believed displayed a personal relationship with God. The Protestants believed that an individual should have a personal relationship with their God as there was no intermediary who could intervene for someone. It is for this reason that Protestants felt they needed detach themselves from the Roman Catholic Church completely so as to start their church, unlike the Humanists (Schaff 145).Ways in which Renaissance presented a break from the Medieval world The Renaissance movement aimed to change the society in the Middle Ages so as to bring the sun into the people’s lives by modifying dark cultures. This movement had emerged in Italy around the 14th century before it spread to other countries within Europe (Thurston 205). This movement affected the culture of the people from their literature, religion and art. This movement was mainly concerned with the humanity and the daily surroundings. This humanistic idea is what took Europe from the dark ages. For example, the ‘Black Death’ that occurred in Europe within the same century triggered the scientist, scholars and artists to be more concerned on the current issues at hand rather than in focusing on their afterlife that was the most common thing in the Middle Ages (Thurston 210). Renaissance changed everything in the middle Ages, and it spread throughout Europe changing the art, religion and philosophy. During the Renaissance movement, art was improved because the Medici families who were very rich supported the artists and also gave them permission to produce brilliant art pieces (Thurston 219). Another example of how the Renaissance broke away from the medieval times was the introduction of new ideas and philosophy in the religion during the time of the movement. This worked to improve the relations between God and man and made them more religious. Renaissance and optimism I believe that the Renaissance movement was an optimistic movement. This is because it brought about different reforms that were of use to the people in the 14th century. For instance, the printing press was one of the inventions that resulted from the Renaissance movement, and it is well known for its benefits in improving the life of humanity. Conclusion In conclusion, the church has undergone numerous changes since the Middle Ages to the modern period as a result of the various movements. Some changes were negative while the majority of the reforms were positive. The movements were, therefore, beneficial as they enabled Europe to break away from the Dark Ages and brought light into the continent.Bottom of Form |

Works Cited
Thurston, Hugh. "The European Renaissance." Early Astronomy. Springer New York, 1994. 205-233. Print.
Schaff, Phillip. History of the Christian Church Volume VII. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. Print.