Posted: May 5th, 2016

What are the medieval times?

REWORD AND GRAMM AND PUNCT IS IMPORTANT

Medieval theologian St. Augustine, who was very well-versed in secular literature, writes in On Christian Doctrine that “wherever truth may be found it belongs to the Lord.” In other words, all truth is God’s truth, wherever it is found. As a teacher of literature, when I discover a universal truth in secular literature, I am reminded of how relevant and inescapable God’s essential truths are. While it’s mostly true that we do not have to read secular literature in order to understand the progressively secular world around us, and that we can just look outside our window, I believe that to limit our reading to only Christian literature is to miss out on the numerous beautiful, compelling, and insightful works of literature that have shaped our world—that have perhaps even shaped ourselves unknowingly. The reason I read secular literature is to become a more knowledgeable, mature, well-rounded, and enlightened Christian that is familiar with the philosophies, ideas, and beliefs of the world around me, past and present. I also read secular literature in order to become a better person by evaluating myself in light of the characters in a particular story. Importantly, I believe that a deeper knowledge of secular literature, past cultures, and present ideologies can help us to decipher the truth from falsehood, and through academic discipline gain a better understanding of who God is and who we are in light of Him.
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