Section 14

Effect on Religion

In the years between 1500 and 1750 Christianity gave rise to new and potent religions movements.

Religious awakenings of the age touched every class.

they owed their forms partly to the political and social environments.

The Reformation stimulated the life of the spirit issued in a fresh surge of mysticism.

Economic Theory and practice

Surviving traces of feudalism was fading, commerance was mounting.

Calvinism was a major source of capitalism.

Guilds through which industry and trade had been conducted in the Middle Ages were disappearing.

England Puritanism had its chief strong holds in the middle class in the cities.

Aspects of social life

Christian faith gave rise to many efforts on behalf of underprivileged and social reform.

Protestants were slower than Roman Catholics to do much for poor, sick and the orphans.

Both Roman Catholics and Protestants did much for women.

In Sweden, Olavus Petri, denounced the use of torture as a means of compelling criminals to confess.

Art and Music

Christianity inspired some of the greatest paintings, sculpture, architecture and music ever produced.

The Reformation, both Catholic and Protestant, called forth superb music.

Christian churches continued to call forth the genius of Architects.

More prominence was given to the pulpit and greater care was devoted to so building the churches that the sermon could be heard.

Effects on Intellectual Life

Deists attacked the reliability of the Bible and in general denied miracles.

Philosophy had influence on many minds.

Some literature was pagan.

From Christianity came impulses to creative thought which did not issue in departure from the faith, but to reinforce it.

Effect on Individual Lives

Affected individuals over a larger proportion of earth’s surface than at earlier time

Christianity had more different expressions than in any preceeding age.

Christianity was producing distinctive and characteristic fruits.

Christians traits contrary to the Christian virtues were accentuated.