Page 105 - History of Christianity - Student Textbook

Study Section 20: The Enlightenment Begins 1720-80

20.1 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….

20.2 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.

20.3 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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