Angels in The Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth
Overview
Christianity presents a glorious vision for culture, a vision overflowing with truth, beauty, and goodness. It’s a vision that stands in stark contrast with the anemic modern (and postmodern) perspectives that dominate contemporary life. Medieval Christianity began telling a beautiful story about the good life, but it was silenced mid-sentence. The Reformation rescued truth, but its modern grandchildren have often ignored the importance of a medieval grasp of the good life. This book sketches a vision of “Medieval Protestantism,” a personal and cultural vision that embraces the fullness of Christian truth, beauty, and goodness.
Top Highlights
“The medieval period is the closest thing we have to a maturing Christian culture” (Page 19)
“As the Lord sums up all the curses He would bring upon the people for disobedience, He tells them in effect that they will be expelled from the land for not having had a good enough time there. The godly have learned that idolatry is a sin; they have not yet fully learned that idolatry is a drag.” (Page 76)
“Instinctively we do know that true beauty proceeds only from Deity. Our problem is that we have deified ourselves and have assumed, contrary to the visible results, that whatever proceeds from us must be beautiful.” (Pages 25–26)
“In order to recover a sense of the beautiful, we must come to see it in connection with the two other great questions—‘What is true?’ and ‘What is good?’” (Page 26)
“Although unbelievers may still produce works of great beauty, they are dependent upon Christian culture as they do so.” (Page 34)
- Title: Angels in The Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth
- Author: Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson
- Publisher: Canon Press
- Publication Date: 1998
- Pages: 224
Douglas Jones graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.A. in classical studies and an M.A. in philosophy. He is pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, and Senior Fellow in Theology at New Saint Andrews College. He is also the founder and editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine.