Editor and Christian writer Phyllis Tickle talks about 5 “hinge times” in Christianity:
- Great Transformation (dominance of the Roman empire)
- Great Fall (the Roman Senate dissolves; beginning of the Dark Ages)
- Great Schism (the Catholic Church splits between Rome and Constantinople)
- Great Reformation (14th and 15th century)
- Great Emergence (present day)
At each major phase, over-regulation of religion robbed faith of much of its meaning. The resulting reaction was a search for a new direction. This interesting article contains this quote:
“You’re here to serve the kingdom of God, not to save the church.”
Tags: Christianity, hinge times, Phyllis Tickle