Churchy, church, church... how'd we get a church?

I can't exactly pinpoint why, but I love this SO MUCH. 

So, have you got that whole Trinity thing down? Good!

Wow! Today we dove into some pretty heady stuff, huh? Lots and lots to think about. Remember our central goals:

1. How did the institution of the Catholic Church come about?
2. How did it justify its authority? 
3. What institutional ideas are present that are going to allow the Church almost unquestioned authority over the lives of Europeans? 
4. How might the values endorsed by the Church influence the day to day lives of Europeans?

As we alluded to in class, and you'll see in your reading, the Church will dominate every aspect of the lives of Europeans throughout the Post-Classical Age and even further into history. Sophomores should remember that even as we begin to get stronger and stronger political authority in Europe, those leaders will struggle against the power of the Church. And, all of that power can be summed up in the following picture: 

Hate the sin, but love the sinner.

As we venture further in the Middle Ages, we will be discussing some not-so-nice things that are done by the Church. Remember, this is the human institution of the Church we're talking about - not the Christian religion. Human institutions are filled with... well... humans. And, humans can be a little messed up and not always make the best decisions. If history teaches us nothing, it teaches us this fact. 

Want to learn more? 

I happen to find religious history pretty darn fascinating. You may not feel the same, and that's okay. But, if you do like this sort of thing and want to learn a bit more. may I direct you towards a fantastic source. There is a great PBS Frontline series titled From Jesus to Christ. It traces the earliest history of the Christian church. You can actually watch the whole thing here. 

Soundtrack of the Week

What did you think of my Bruno Mars/Morris Day and the Time comparison? Do you hear what I hear? Maybe... maybe not. Well, let us venture on nonetheless. 

No other musical genre dominates popular music these days more than EDM. Once a totally marginalized musical style that people thought was nonsense; it is pretty much all that you hear nowadays (with a little 21 Pilots thrown in for the illusion of variety). Whether you want to be or not, I know you are all familiar with this hit song from Calvin Harris and Rihanna:

It's like there's a Federal law demanding that we listen to this song at least 10 times a day. 

EDM music working its way from odd novelty to market crushing behemoth starts with pretty much one song - Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer's hit song from 1978, "I Feel Love." This is one of the first pop songs ever created with entirely electronic instruments. Moroder is a god to all the big EDM DJ's and producers working today, and Donna Summer redefined what a female vocalist could be. Take a listen to this classic song and see if you can hear where Calvin and Ri-Ri get their groove. Here is "I Feel Love" by Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer: