Tags: humanism, The Renaissance,
Byzantine artists, Benedict, Saint Augustine, Middle Age philosophy, philosopher, early
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Stern, Francesco Petrarch, Cicero, Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron
During the Middle Ages Western
philosophy was more of a part of Christian theology than an independent system of enquiry.
The philosophy of the classical Greeks and Romans survived only in relation to their
influence on medieval thought. God was the focus of all contemplation, but unfortunately
it was at the expense of the significance of mankind.
An example of how this was implemented
can be illustrated by looking at the art of the time. Michael Gough in The Origins of
Christian Art (1973) commented that art had changed from "The acceptance of an
element of the naturalistic realism to a preference for the fantastic and unreal."
Looking for more spiritual virtue than
the Western world, the Byzantine artists drifted to a formalized style. This art gradually
spread to the West where only religious themes were given importance, as people became
depicted as symbols rather than real people. This emphasis eventually lead to a decline in
learning in the West though the monastic orders organized around the rule of Benedict
(480?-547?) sought diligently to preserve the ancient writings through the process of
copying and re-copying the old manuscripts.
Saint Augustine was the greatest
philosopher of the early Middle Ages. His profound work The City of God was written
to a Roman culture in order to defray the accusation that Christianity was the downfall of
the Roman Empire. He did not hesitate to subject Christianity to intellectual scrutiny and
boldly defended it against the intellectual arguments of the philosophers of his day.
Emphasizing a true Biblical Christianity, he did much to weaken pagan religion in Rome and
intensify the spread of Christianity. In the book, Augustine depicted human history as a
conflict between faithful Christians living in the City of God who will receive an eternal
reward, and the pagans and heretics living in the city of the world who will inherit
eternal punishment.
The Apostle Paul himself had not
developed a negative attitude regarding classical Greek and Roman learning. When it suited
the purpose of supporting the Gospel of Christ he cited Greek authors and employed
rabbinic lines of reasoning which he had learned from his teacher Rabbi Gamaliel.
Following in the footsteps of this remarkable predecessor, Augustine learned to appreciate
and utilize Classical learning. However all this was done in the context of a noble
curriculum of Christian education that provided the model of thought for Western man.
In spite of the lofty defenses of the
pure Gospel by the EarlyChurch, eventually, the concept of God as depicted in the New
Testament became garbled in a new form of humanism that raised its head as the Dark Ages
proceeded. With the fall of Rome came the demise of the authority of the philosophers she
was so endeared to. When Rome burned, her formal philosophies were castigated as well. But
Rome was still going to have its say as she entered the church under the veil of paganism.
As pagan thought began to supplant
Biblical teaching in the Church, slowly the authority of the Church took precedence over
the teaching of the Bible. Salvation, for example, became a concept that was based on
man's merit rather than the grace of Jesus Christ. Though Christendom was the primary
emphasis of the era, the religious system was inundated with features of Greek and Roman
origin and local pagan ancestry that were alien to the pure Christian belief. This allowed
the mind of humanism to find its place in Western thinking by inserting itself right into
the center of the church.
Francis Schaeffer commented in his book How
Should We Then Live, ". . .if a robust Christian faith could handle non-Christian
learning without compromising, it was all to easy for Greek and Roman thought forms to
creep into the cracks and chinks of faith which was less and less founded on the Bible and
more and more resting on the authority of church pronouncements. By the thirteenth century
the great Aquinas (1225-1274) had already begun, in deference to Aristotle (384-322 B.C.),
to open the door to placing revelation and human reason on equal footing." The Church
had taken on the philosophy of Greece and Rome to follow a new prophet, Aristotle.
In the thirteenth century, Thomas
Aquinas attempted to integrate philosophy and science into a system of reason and
revelation. Considering Aristotle as the "philosopher of authority", by virtue
of his near perfect employment of reason, Aquinas contended that the nature of reality can
be apprehended through the use of both reason and Biblical revelation.
This love for the ancients substantially
invaded Aquinas' theology. He truly believed: 1) since Christian revelation is
authoritative and 2) since all truth is one, then philosophy and Christianity are
complementary to one another. In this he represented a humanistic break from the teachings
of Augustine. The authority of the Bible under his system of thinking became subjugated to
other criteria. For example like Aristotle, he resolved that knowledge of what occurs in
the natural world comes from observation and analysis by making deductions based on
presumed universal principles, rather than something that results from observations and
conclusions. This in turn encompassed his belief that the physical world is a significant
entity all by itself. Creation was worthy of appreciation with or without God in the
picture. In many ways the Renaissance movement, revolving around the rebirth of an idea
that placed man as the center of the universe, began with Aquinas.
Without a doubt, Aquinas was a great
theologian who provided a lavish contribution to Western thought. His great work Summa
Theologica covers every major theological issue; taking up the nature of God, the
attributes of God, nature and the destiny of man, human morality, law, and political
theory. Believing that good reason and revelation can never contradict each other, he
presented in the book some of the most powerful arguments based on philosophical logic to
establish the existence of God.
However, his view of the Fall of Man was
off base. Aquinas believed that it did not affect the whole of man but only part. The
demise of Adam was no more than a good and natural outgrowth of man's social impulse. This
is because, he reasoned, the totality of the human being is not corrupted by the sinful
nature as the Apostle Paul described. Aquinas agreed with Augustine when he acknowledged
that the human body, though a source of temptation, was in itself good. But because
Aquinas saw a human being as a separate composite of body and soul, he determined that it
was only the soul of man that was impacted by the Fall. That left a big portion of man
which remained in its pristine pre-fall condition. The mind of man therefore, escaped the
effects of the Fall that impacted only Adam's soul. Therefore, the mind is free from the
influence of sin.
Because Aquinas believed that the human
mind had escaped the corruption of the Fall, philosophy became the pursuit of his life.
Therefore he contended in Summa Theologica, "It seems to me that, besides
philosophical science, we have no need of any further knowledge."
Aquinas did agree that there were things
regarding God that man could not reach through his ability to reason. In Contra Gentes
he appraised that there were truths that "surpass the ingenuity of human reason, for
instance the Trinity. But others can be attained by the human reason, for instance the
existence and unity of God, also similar truths demonstrated in the light of the
philosophical reason."
"To be sure," he wrote in On
Kingship, "the light of reason is placed by nature in every man, to guide him in
his acts towards his end."
In spite of his high appraisal of
philosophy, Aquinas insisted that all human thought must submit itself to the authority of
God's Word if it is to be considered valid or true. "Philosophical truths cannot be
opposed to the truths of faith," he explained in de Trinitate, "They fall
short indeed, yet they also admit common analogies; and some moreover are foreshadowings,
for nature is the preface to grace."
Therefore, though man cannot, through
the power of his own mind, ascertain all truth, his mind is capable of discovering truth.
Though reason cannot get man all the way to the truth of God, it can get him as far as he
needs to go to realize salvation. Therefore, given his mind alone, man, in the estimation
of Aquinas, can gain the knowledge of God.
But since the human mind has not been
given the capacity to uncover the totality of the knowledge of God, Aquinas in Summa
Theologica resolved, "It was necessary for the salvation of man that certain
truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by Divine Revelation. Even as
regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary
that man should be taught by Divine Revelation; because the Truth about God such as reason
could discover, would only be known by a few, and that after a long time, and with a
mixture of many errors. Whereas man's whole salvation, which is in God, depends upon the
knowledge of truth. Therefore, in order that the salvation of men might be brought about
more fitly and more surely, it was necessary that they should be taught Divine Truths by
Divine Revelation."
According to Aquinas, people could rely
on their own wisdom. In discerning the truth they could mix the teachings of the Bible
with the teachings of non-Christian philosophers. This denial of the complete fallen state
of man is the cornerstone of the humanistic movement that aspires to enshrine man in the
cloak of his own goodness.
What a wretched man that I am! Who
will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Rom 7:24-25a niv) The humanist aspires to emancipate himself from the "tyranny"
of God through the potency of his own will. The Biblical Christian seeks to liberate
himself from bondage by willingly submitting himself to the authority of God.
The truth of the matter is that, though
man is made in the image of God, he cannot trust in his own goodness. Sin has left his
flesh in a corrupted state which continues to war against the members of his body. (Rom
7:22-23) Therefore, the mind is constantly being submitted to this corruption of the flesh
and it is defiles. It is through the act of the will that the mind is brought into
captivity to Christ. (II Cor 10:5) But this can only be accomplished through the guidance
and power of the Holy Spirit. It is for this reason that Paul admonished, Neither yield
ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God,
as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God. (Rom 6:13 niv)
The positive side to the teachings of
Aquinas was that before his time there was little emphasis on the day-to-day world and
man's meaning in it. However, this theologian's rational to include Aristotle in his
thought life set the stage for the humanistic elements of the Renaissance that put man
back in the center of things as he had been among the Classic thinkers.
In the fresco painted in 1365 by Andrea
da Firenze (?-1377) in the Spanish Chapel in Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Aquinas sits
on the throne, flanked by the ancient heros of ancient humanism, Aristotle, Cicero,
Ptolemy, Euclid, and Pythagoras. These humanist philosophers were seen elevated to the
same height as Saint Augustine. "As a result of this emphasis," wrote Francis
Schaeffer in How Should We Then Live?, "Philosophy was gradually separated
from revelation -- from the Bible -- and philosophers began to act in an increasingly
independent, autonomous manner." The Greeks and Romans were beginning to ascend back
to their familiar thrones.
Pope Urban IV had managed to get the
study of Aristotle out of the universities. Aquinas was able to get the ancient
philosopher accepted, thus re-throneing ancient non-Christian philosophy in the Western
world. This gradual and subtle drifting away from sound Biblical doctrine created the
atmosphere for the explosion of man in the Renaissance dated at the fourteenth, fifteenth
and early sixteenth centuries.
With the awakening of cultural thought
and piety of the Middle ages and the increased distortion of the teachings in the Bible
and the early church; Rome was officially reborn. Western man began to assert that he was
at the heart of all things. The statue from Nebuchadnezzar's dream was taking its form in
the mind of humanistic man.
Most of us have had the occasion to
visit a Renaissance fair at some point of our lives. These festive occasions are generally
of such a nature that provokes a great deal of delight for all who attend them.
I recall once, while gathering with
relatives in a picnic on the beach at Ventura, my attention was suddenly drawn to several
oddly dressed individuals. They were donned in rather strange attire for the beach
environment, but anything has come to be expected in California. Momentarily I was struck
with wonderment about what they were up to, when I noticed some tents on the lawn.
Utilizing my exceptional mental prowess, I determined they were having a Renaissance fair.
The participants were having a gay time dressing in costumes befitting of the era and
behaving in a manner that portrayed the liveliness and lightheartedness generally
attributed to that particular age.
In my many years of choir singing, there
was little I enjoyed more than singing in a Madrigal group. During that time we had the
opportunity to sing the intricate contrapuntal melodies that were so characteristic of the
Renaissance. Gaily we vocalized the "fa-la-la's" and "cho-cho's" that
were so characteristic of this age of awakening.
In choir we sang the marvelous motets
composed by the master composers of the period. At the university there was a particular
stairway that ascended upward uninhibited to the apex of a tall tower. The reverberation
in the edifice was so profound that it provided a near perfect environment for acapella
singing. Every once in a while the director would take us over there to sing one of the
Renaissance motets we were working on. Never have I experienced such a rush as I have when
singing one of these magnanimous religious pieces in this setting. As I closed my eyes I
could swear I was in one of those vast Gothic cathedrals in Europe.
However in actuality, the Renaissance
was neither a gay time nor was it one that exalted God. The fact is that it was a time
characterized by famine, plague, war, political upheaval, destruction, domestic turmoil,
and economic depression. Likewise it wasn't the aim of the Renaissance humanist to lift up
God at all. His endeavor was to elevate man.
The rise of humanism in the Renaissance
(1300-1520) in FlorenceItaly was a sharp contrast to the understanding of the Medieval
scholars who believed that life on earth should be despised. It raised its head among a
people who had come to abhor the Middle Ages. The name itself means "rebirth," a
notion that went into every phase of life; be it politics, religion, art or science.
Their break from the medieval past with
a fresh way of looking at life began as a revival of learning in Italy in the 1300's to
eventually spread to France, Germany, the Netherlands, and England. By learning though,
they meant returning to the Roman (and later some Greek) culture whose classics flourished
in that earlier urban civilization -- a way of life that was so much coveted and
romanticized by them.
In 1860 the historian Jacob Burckhart
commented that the "Renaissance was a 'golden age' of individualism, beauty, and the
building of the modern state as a work of art." Indeed the 18th century liberals
considered the Renaissance as the dawn of modern history. At its apex in the 1500's, the
movement became an international fellowship of scholars. Though most of the early
humanists were religious, they broke away from the teachings of the Middle Ages that
rejected the world and its pleasures. Rather, they sought to recognize the realities of
humanity.
One of the principal characteristic of
the Renaissance in Italy was the revival of the Greek and Roman classics. This was made
possible when the church council in Florence in 1439 opened the door to relations with the
Eastern Orthodox Church that for centuries was a sanctuary for the Greek scholars. The
fall of Constantinople in 1453 resulted in these men fleeing for their lives to Florence
and other northern Italian cities with their manuscripts in hand. The Byzantine Empire in
the east had become the asylum that preserved the ancient humanist doctrines of the
distant past to find their germination in the Florentine humanists of the Twelfth Century.
The Medieval scholars utilized the classics, but they were always in subordination to
Christian theology and scholastic philosophy. Now these Classical Humanists began to look
at pagan antiquity in a brand new way. It was in that vein that in Florence, Italy, the
Renaissance began.
One particular manifestation of this
return to Rome can be seen in the politics of the time. In the early Middle Ages, the
legal structure in Europe was primarily Germanic in inspiration. This system based on
custom was particularly strong in Northern Europe where Roman Law had disappeared after
the fall of the Empire. This code of law governed relationships among a feudal society
dominated by the noble aristocracy. In this caste system, the common man was but a mere
serf under the imposing hand of his lord and a dominating church with no hope of improving
his state in life. The peasant's life was dominated by this German law that determined his
manoral obligations to his lord.
This law of customs though also limited
the power of Europe's kings so that none could be established as an absolute and sovereign
tyrant. It was this law that underpinned the Magna Carta. It allowed England's democratic
Parliamentary regime to remain successful under a strong monarchy founded on Germanic Law,
with its customs-based limitations on authority firmly established long before the more
authoritarian Roman Law came in.
Italy, where traditions of Roman law
never disappeared, became the center of Roman legal studies in the High Middle Ages. Roman
law was revived in the 11th century, starting in Italy and spreading north to become the
dominant force in France, Germany, and Spain by the 13th century.
The foundation of this medieval Roman
law was the Corpus Juris Civils of Justinian. Although the original Roman legal tradition
had initially contained a strong constitutional cast, by the time of Justinian it became
primarily autocratic in nature. As this Roman legal tradition gained a greater hold, the
monarchs of the Middle Ages effectively utilized it for the purposes of extending their
power, as Europe's governments gradually became more systematic and absolute. For example,
in contrast to the situation in England (under the influence of Germanic restraints
regarding absolutism and where democracy flourished alongside Roman law) the situation in Florence
dominated by the Roman Justinian code always leaned towards a dictator.
At first during the Dark Ages the Church
was all powerful as popes ruled over Europe with their mighty ecclesiastical hand. Popes
used their power of excommunication to rule over kings and kingdoms. If a king went
against the Roman Catholic Church, the pope would simply kick him out, thus undermining
the ruler's authority. The Church also sought to revive the Western Roman Empire by
ordaining a king to rule over Europe. This Holy Roman Empire had the pope at its head. But
as the Holy Roman Empire proceeded to dissolve from its former position of authority, the
monarchies of the Late Middle Ages began to institute efforts to create national states.
The townsmen of these states added the precepts of Roman Civil Law to their judicial
system. Jurists and officials were trained in Roman law as the preparation in that area of
legal expertise became a way of gaining prestige and honor. This was all done in the light
of the new secular government's attempt to downgrade the traditional Ecclesiastical law of
the church. In government, Rome was without question supplanting the influence of the
Church by the time the Renaissance arrived.
One way that the Renaissance humanist
determined to assert his new-found-self was through the avoidance of the historical Latin
in lieu the use of vernacular languages in his writings. The spoken vernacular became the
medium for all literary form as a means to express their new lay cultural attitudes.
Through the language of the people, the humanists in rhetoric, poetry, and historical
study propagated classical Roman moral and aesthetic standards to the educated and social
elite.
This diversion from the traditional
ecclesiastical Latin was a direct affront to the established Roman Church. The cultural
unity of Medieval Europe and therefore the domination of the church rested on this common
language of learning, administration, and liturgy. The use of the vernacular threatened
the church's iron grip on society as it increased the diversification of cultures.
Political boundaries eventually became linguistic frontiers. Likewise the themes of these
new writings were very naturalistic and threatened the underpinning values of the church.
Originally God had unified the language
of Europe in order to facilitate the spread the Gospel of Christ. Through the might of the
Roman Empire, the common language of Greek was universalized, and because of it many came
to a knowledge of the true and living God. Now in the Renaissance, the Florentines had
something other than the spread of the Gospel in mind. It was their goal to revive and
relive the humanism of Rome in order to build their own modern tower of Babel. They hoped
to lift themselves up as Gods.
But fortunately the radical elements of
the humanism that came out of the Renaissance in FlorenceItaly, as potent as it was,
became diffused as it was diversified throughout Europe. The self-imposed language
barriers of the Renaissance created a situation where it did not have its full impact in
territories beyond Italy. For the time being the bulk of the continent was spared of the
entire blow of this fatal Florentine doctrine that is the mother of modern humanism. God
again confused the languages.(Gen 11) God was checking the spread of humanism so that He
could initiate His divine plan just waiting to be revealed.
Dante (1265-1321) was one of was one of
the first men to write an important work in the vernacular; one of the devices the early
humanists of the Renaissance utilized to emphasize the risen man. His attempt to bring
literature to the eyes of the common man was intended to bring to him knowledge of things
that was of a different vein than what had been heard for a long time. It was a return to
the humanism of Rome.
In works such as "The Divine
Comedy," he followed the outlook of Aquinas that attempted to mix the Christian
and classical pagan world. In the story he tells of his own journey through hell,
purgatory, and paradise into the presence of God Himself. To illustrate how the two worlds
of the pagan and Christian were synthesized in his mind, Dante's guide through hell was
the Roman poet Virgil; and the worst sinners in hell were Judas who betrayed Jesus and
Brutus and Cassius who betrayed Caesar. These were accompanied by the natural scientists,
Florentine businessmen, and the Pope who were likewise all cast into the inferno.
Dante was infatuated with the woman
Beatrice who he had seen only a couple of times. It was this idealized woman who lead him
into paradise in his "Divine Comedy". He held her high as a romantic
ideal, writing in La Vita Nouva, "Seeing her face is so fair to see. . . love
sheds such perfect sweetness over me."
He deified this woman believing that
feminine beauty and goodness wields a regenerative influence. His wife however only kept
house and never had any part in his poetry. This separation of love into two planes
produced a characterization of the wife as dull and the idealized woman as an apparition
or dream.
* * *
One evening in my home I was suddenly
struck with horror by a few-second blurb that flashed on my TV as "E" promoted
their next feature. A perfect man and idealized woman were involved in a heated moment of
passion while living out the fantasies Hollywood desires to promote to Americans right in
their homes. People must be buying into it, for this stuff continues to pop up like
"Candid Camera" to surprise them with ecstasy when it's least expected.
Have you noticed how Howard Stern who
"E" featured as an interviewer was only interested in one thing? Every time I
saw a spot advertising his next airing, he was discussing the sexual escapades of some
sleaze-bag artist he chose to speak with. He only seemed to be concerned with how many
times they have rolled in the hay with an assortment of how many people.
Those who are promoting this perverted
mode of love have found nothing new. The romantic and deceptive form of love nurtured by Hollywood
is nothing more than a re-statement of the lust of Dante. However it is no longer a
distant fantasy that is only lived in the mind, for the sexual escapades of any of Hollywood's
stars are within reach of a DVD. Similarly much of the music that blasts from American's
stereos, centers itself on the idealized love affair of Dante. Today this romanticizing
has degenerated into a discussion on unnatural and indecent sex. It is continually being
re-stated in the family rooms of America to be lived and re-lived by partners who find the
lust that they cannot find with each other in living color magnified by the big screens
that cover their wall with indecency. The humanism of Dante is alive and well in America
today.
* * *
Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) has been
called "the father of the new humanism." He continued in Dante's theme of
feminine inspiration. His illusion was called Laura. He had a deep love for ancient Rome
and ardently fostered the writings of the classical Roman writers (in particular Cicero).
In Cicero's writings Petrarch found a
model of literary style and moral philosophy. Since Cicero was an active statesman,
Petrarch developed concepts of "civic humanism" which were moral philosophies
encouraging involvement in public affairs. As a result, he inspired a line of professional
humanists such as the Florentine chancellors Salutati(1331-1406) and Bruni (1370-1444) who
translated Latin, wrote speeches, and acted as secretaries.
Petrarch considered religion as a moral
philosophy rather than a system of Biblical doctrine. Like so many today in the body of
Christ who have opened the church's door to the influence of humanism, he was declaring in
essence that the Bible was only intended as a book of guidelines rather than God's express
Word. Because of this Petrarch saw no conflict between Cicero and Christ.
Over and over again history has
consistently proven that those who attempt to synthesize their belief in God with the
council of the world are destined to stumble over themselves in untruth. With the
intention of insisting on living in one world at a time Petrarch declared, "The care
of things mortal should come first; to the transitory will then succeed the eternal."
How unfortunate it is that those who serve such a wise and faithful God would stoop to
endear themselves to the finite when they could bask in the glory of the eternal.
The writer Giovanni Boccaccio
(1313-1375) learned Greek in order to study the classics better. His translation of Homer
revived Greek literature and became one of the foundation stones of the Renaissance. Cicero's
civil humanism and standards were transmitted to Florence through Boccaccio making him an
essential vehicle in the revival of ancient Rome in Italy.
Boccaccio's work Decameron
flaunted traditional ideas of respectability to attack the church for its hypocrisy. In
one tale from the collection he proposed the equal validity of Christianity, Judaism, and
Mohamedism. In another, a Jew was converted to Christianity on the premise that an
institution so degenerate could only have endured so long with divine intervention.
Without a doubt, the Established Roman
Church of the Middle Ages, due to the fact that she had strayed from her calling to attire
herself with the lust for power and paganism, had made herself extremely vulnerable to the
attacks of the secular humanists. Those out there who sought to deny Jesus because of the
churches' manipulative endeavors had a lot of ammunition with which to engage their enemy
with. They sounded a lot like the many today who refuse to give their lives over to God
because "Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites!"
The Church critic, Boccaccio, had the
"hots" for his mistress Fiametta from whom he got his inspiration. I suppose it
was his loins that motivated him to attack a faith rich in the confessions of Christian
patriarchs. Sin is always the underlying motive for the humanist who desires to revile
Christianity. Whenever you hear someone assailing the Christian faith on account of the
actions of the followers of Christ, you can bet your bottom dollar that lust is the
buttress of the complaint. The Christian persuasion that Boccaccio (as directed by his
passion for a woman) assaulted so vehemently, was communicated to man in the writings of
the prophets who had attained their inspiration from God. Later in life Boccaccio
regretted the fact that he had written Decameron in the manner that he did.
In spite of his contrition, upon
Boccaccio's death Florentines enthusiastically fashioned study groups to re-examine the
classics. In this pursuit they turned away from traditional theology, metaphysics, and the
preoccupation with death; to turn their attention towards human relationships. Ignoring
Biblical doctrine enticed them into believing that there was no conflict between the pagan
philosophers and Christianity.
Thomas Aquinas had opened quite a door
when he fused Christianity with Aristotle. He had induced the church to open her arms to
the world and accept the ungodly teachings of the heathen.
The paganism that raised its ugly head
in Florence was directly linked to compromise in the church. As the Renaissance
progressed, the Papacy and Hierarchy tended to accept classical humanism's standard of
values. To the extent that they did, the churches' authority was consistently undermined.
The position of the Church has always been undermined by its own concessions to humanism.
It is interesting to note in contrast,
that every time during the period of the Renaissance when doctrinal religion in the church
was re-established, the classical pagan studies that had been lifted up by the
"thinkers" of the Renaissance became subordinated to their former diminutive
role as they had been in the Middle Ages. Biblical doctrine overcomes the influence of
humanism every time. The primacy of the authority of the Bible always elevates the
authority of the church. Sound doctrine results in right living. Humanism always results
in moral decadence.
As the body of Christ gawks in revulsion
at the iniquitous developments that are amplifying daily in the society around them, they
can be assured that they are only looking in a mirror reflecting the image of their own
worldliness. For when the church adopts the philosophies of humanism, she will
consistently reap the decay of the society that surrounds her. If the church desires to
see a revived culture, she had better pray for revived biblical authority in her midst.
Don Wigton
is a graduate of the prestigious music department at CSULB where he studied under Frank
Pooler, lyricist of Merry Christmas Darling, and sang in Pooler’s world renown
University Choir alongside Karen and Richard Carpenter. During this time Don was also the
lead composer of the band, Clovis Putney, that won the celebrated Hollywood Battle of the
Bands. After giving his life to God, Don began attending Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa to
study under some of the most prominent early Maranatha! musicians. Subsequently he toured
the Western United States with Jedidiah in association with Myrrh Records.
Eventually
Don served as a pastor at Calvary Chapel Bakersfield to witness thousands of salvations
through that ministry. As the music/concert director, Don worked for seven years with most
major Christian artist of that time while producing evangelical concerts attended by
thousands of young people seeking after God. Don’s Calvary Chapel Praise Choir
released the album Let All Who Hath Breath Praise the Lord on the Maranatha! label.
The next
years of Don’s life were spent as the praise leader of FirstBaptistChurch in Bakersfield
during a time of unprecedented church renewal. Don teamed with the leadership to
successfully meld the old with the new through a period of tremendous church growth.
During this exciting time, Don’s praise team, Selah, produced the CD Stop and
Think About It.
Today Don is
the leading force behind Wigtune Company. This
webbased project located at www.praisesong.net has provided several million downloads of
Don’s music and hymn arrangements to tens of thousands of Christian organizations
throughout the world. More music can be found at Don's Southern
Cross Band website at www.socrossband.com.
The book Holy
Wars represents Don’s most recent effort to bless the church with biblical
instruction and direction in praise and worship. This heartfelt volume is an offering not
only to God’s people, but also to God Himself.
An Incredible revival is occuring
in Northern India and Nepal. CLICK
HERE to find out more!
More Wigtune Blogs
Are
you one of those people who look with unbelief at that craziness of the world? With all
the nonsense that is going out there are you ever concerned about being dragged away from
you faith unawares? People out there are telling us a lot of things that sound very
spiritual and good. But is it all a lie? Understanding how society thinks is the way to
discover the difference between truth and deceit. This book delves into the thought
processes of the world compared to biblical Christianity in order to come to an
understanding of what to believe.
Click Here to
purchase the E-book edition for only 99 cents!
We pray that these materials have provided
all of you with untold blessings!
"I might not be a religious
man myself but I know good music when I hear it, and this is very good! . . . I don’t think that I have ever given such high
ratings to so many songs before. But the fact is that they are well deserved
because the music is amazing. Simply wonderful religious ballads and they
really get to your heart. . .everytime." Fredrik Cole: Trax In Space
was formed as a service to the body of Christ to encourage scriptural
worship. To accomplish this goal Wigtune Company offers free contemporary Christian praise
and worship music, contemporary Christian rock and hymn mp3 and chart material along with
a free on-line worship study book for personal devotions, Bible study groups, Sunday
schools, pastors, music ministers and ministry training. In order to bridge the gap
between the old and the new the worship study book gives solid theological and
historical support to the use of traditional Christian hymn-singing in conjunction with
praise chorus singing.
Click on one of the links below for praise and worship, praise
tabs, worship chords, praise chorus mp3, hymn stories, pro tools studio, worship leader
materials to enter into the area of the Wigtune site that interests you !
was formed as a service to the body of Christ to encourage scriptural
worship. To accomplish this goal Wigtune Company offers free contemporary Christian praise
and worship music, contemporary Christian rock and hymn mp3 and chart material along with
a free on-line worship study book for personal devotions, Bible study groups, Sunday
schools, pastors, music ministers and ministry training. In order to bridge the gap
between the old and the new the worship study book gives solid theological and
historical support to the use of traditional Christian hymn-singing in conjunction with
praise chorus singing. 
Vision Statement 
Wigtune Story 
Check out this powerful Southern Cross song! 
