Page 18 - Heros of the Faith - Textbook w videos short

Study Section 3: Heroes from 1225 AD – 1628 AD

3.1 Connect.

When we were young and in school, we wanted to be popular or liked by everyone. Everyone wants
to be liked or admired. It makes us feel good when people like us and appreciate what we do. But
sometimes, doing the right thing is not the popular thing to do. Sometimes standing up for what is
right will get you into a lot of trouble. Today we are going to study about some men who stood up
for truths in God’s Word and found out that the main line church did not like what they had to say.
To stand up was to be willing to give your life up for Christ, and they were willing to go that far. This
lesson should inspire you to stand for righteousness. Let’s get started…..

3.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to explain why the “dark ages” was called that and how enlightenment
came to the masses.

2. The student should be able to describe the life of Thomas Aquinas and find out how he helped us
understand the connection between reason and revelation.

3. The student should be able to describe Martin Luther as he walked to the door at Wittenberg to see why he
nailed the 95 theses on the door.

4. The student should be able to explain how William Tyndale translated and brought the Scriptures to the
common people.

3.3 The Middle Ages

We now move ahead in time to the middle ages or sometimes called the “dark ages.” It was
dark because the “church” had walked away from the truth of the Scriptures and had created
its own set of rules and regulations to control the masses. The church taught that salvation
came through the ordinances of the church and obedience to the rules and regulations set up
by the church. The church became a political institution to control the lives and thinking of the
people.

The Bible was not available to the common man. It had not been translated into the common languages and
distribution of God’s Word to the masses was forbidden. The church believed that it was the only institution
that could properly interpret its meaning to the people. So the church became corrupt and the masses lived in
spiritual darkness. In this setting, God used men and women to stand up and declare truth.

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