The learning curve for Seminary seems to have taken on less of an upward move and has leveled off; at least a little. Last semester I felt overwhelmed and did not feel as if there was any good in my work. Now that there has been some work to gauge how to do things, this semester seems to be flowing at a better clip.
Continuing to process through this adventure called Seminary, one of the books I read called, How Christianity Changed the World. In essence it shows the impact on Western culture directly by Christianity.
A couple of things that struck me as quite interesting, and alarming, is how our society is trying desperately to increase the distance between religion and science. The reality is modern science has its roots in Christianity. Copernicus, Leonardo da Vinci, William of Occum, were all devout Christians and strong theologians who made significant discoveries for science. Copernicus discovered the earth rotates around the sun; this impacted how we date the world including significant religious festivals, and other things. Davinci, not just a great artist, but a great scientist. His drawings on the human body helped science understand the body at a whole new level. For example doctors long believed the body pumped air through the heart. DaVinci's studies proved air does not go through the heart but through the lungs. There are many discoveries made by DaVinci's drawings of the human body as well. William of Occum's summation that the simplest explanation is probably the best is well known in sacred and secular circles alike.
There are many other examples of how Christianity has had direct involvement in areas of education, women's rights, etc. My one point of contention was his take on music. But I'll let the reader decide.
The book is a fairly easy reading book that keeps the reader engaged and interested. It is well documented.
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