Page 40 - History of Christianity II- Textbook

Study Section 8: The Enlightenment begins 1720-80

8.1 Connect
We know that Satan fell from grace because of his desire to usurp God’s authority. He was
selfish to the core. He exalted Himself over every other creature and even above God, his
creator. He became the center of his own universe.

Every man can fall into the same temptation and fall as Satan did. A man can rely on his own
ability to figure out solutions to problems. He can achieve what he desires, even if he has to
walk over others to accomplish his goals. He can make himself the god of his own universe.

As time progressed, we will see a movement in history where that philosophy becomes the thinking of
the day. It’s called the Age of Reason, where mankind finds his own solutions apart from God. Human
reason is exalted above God’s authority. And we will see what happens when mankind rejects God and
makes himself his own god. Let’s study the Enlightenment movement….

8.2 Objectives
1. The student will be able to define the way of thinking during the Age of Reason.

2. The student will be able to give a biographical sketch into the life of Immanuel Kant and
explain how his thinking influenced the world.

3. The student will be able to define what a Puritan is and why this movement was so important in the
course of church history.

4. The student will be able to describe the events and persons involved in the Second Great Awakening.

5. The student will be able to discuss the consequences of the Enlightenment thinking in the French
Revolution.

8.3 The Enlightenment begins 1720-80

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a time when man began to use his
reason to discover the world, casting off the superstition and fear of the medieval world. The
effort to discover the natural laws which governed the universe led to scientific, political and
social advances. Enlightenment thinkers examined the rational basis of all beliefs and in the
process rejected the “authority of church” and state.
Immanuel Kant expressed the motto of the Enlightenment
well -- "Aude Sapere" (Dare to Think!).

This was an age when skeptics rejected God’s authority over their
lives. The fruit of this type of thinking will be dramatically played out
in the French Revolution, yet to come.

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