Recently, I have been most grateful to see Liberty University's openness to my many requests over the last several years that they add Medieval Studies. My work in this area has not gone unnoticed. When Liberty University adds Medieval Studies, it will be the first evangelical university in the nation to offer such a program. Currently, the colleges and universities that offer Medieval Studies are Mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, and secular. It's important that Evangelical Christians, however, be familiar with the history of the church after Constantine and before Luther.I've always loved the study of the Middle Ages. When I began to learn about Medieval Studies several years ago, I was always excited about the idea of studying the Middle Ages but never felt that Liberty University would add such a program. Liberty, though, has expressed so much more openness to the study of church history before the Reformation than do many other Baptist schools. For Roman Catholics and Protestants alike, Medieval Studies is important for many reasons including knowledge of the great theological debates concerning the authority of the papacy that escalated in the sixteenth century.
The Middle Ages were not the ''Dark Ages.'' Even when Petrarch used this term about the Middle Ages, he did not mean it in the sense of a theological derogatory manner as so many leftists and fundamentalists of today (ironically, this is one area where the two groups often agree; they both criticize Medieval Catholicism). Rather, those of the Italian Renaissance saw the Middle Ages as an era lacking the artistic creativity of the classical world that they sought to imitate. Certainly, Petrarch, a Roman Catholic, never felt that Christianity had been theologically ignorant or corrupt for a thousand years or longer as some on the left as well as right-wing fundamentalists have taught. No current historian believes ''The Dark Ages'' myth about the Middle Ages. This view is common with many in the public, unfortunately. Advancements in technology and alchemy did take place in the Medieval era. This was all the age of history that saw the opening of universities throughout Europe. Additionally, it was during the High and Late Middle Ages that many Europeans gained more fluency in Greek, began early naval exploration, etc.
Medieval Studies is distinct from Medieval history. This is because the former studies all aspects of the Middle Ages including its history and its arts. To me, a certificate in Medieval Studies will be beneficial whether I get my master's in history, English literature, or in Biblical languages. Considering my interest to being a professor of a Medieval subject, this certificate will advance my credentials in whatever field that I teach (and also add to my resume).
For anyone interested in knowing all aspects of the Medieval world, a degree or certificate in Medieval Studies allows them to further study other aspects of the Middle Ages outside of their own discipline. Those majoring in English may wish to know more about the castles of the Medieval world and those majoring in history may wish all the more to glance at the cultural impact of Chaucer and Dante's writings.
Medieval Studies include the study of the Medieval church, the Crusades, intercultural relations between Muslims, Christians, and Jews, the artistic reveals of the High and Late Medieval eras (especially Chaucer and Dante's works), the flourishing of Chilvary, the role Manoralism, etc. I could go on and on about what Medieval Studies includes. No doubt, it is academically ideal for medievalists to study all aspects of the Medieval world.
