Glasgow, Scotland (PRWEB) July 12, 2015
Holy Fire Publishing (http://www.christianpublish.com) releases “Le Beau Dieu, Christian Culture and Education [1160–1280]” (Paperback, U.S. $19.99, ISBN#978-1-60383-508-4). Donald S. Gillespie’s book covers a special period in church history, times of social and economic turmoil, when she - and not the state - developed the essential constitutional and institutional models for renewal, as well as the extraordinary objects of lasting beauty and academic interest enjoyed today.
In her prophetic and sapiental missions, she created all that is taken for granted in the modern world; including hospices, universities, law and the sciences, no less the models for commerce and great human enterprises that grew out of her mission to man, all described by Dante. It was the age of great “summas,” which embraced not only Europe but the world with its concept of the universal alma mater, the Church Universal; Le Beau Dieu.
Ethical confusion and moral declension in modern society can clearly benefit from subsuming the principles of these medieval models founded upon man’s unchanging nature and aspirations. Indeed, much that is good in our institutions today stems from these treasures, which men and women created from very sparse resources. What the church could do today with vastly greater resources at her disposal can scarcely be imagined.
“The aim of the book is educational: to inform lay Catholics and Christians by providing a well-authenticated account of the profound influence of the Church at the order of culture: even in periods of severe cultural decay, when the groundwork was laid in our period for the ‘Renaissance’ which came later. Readers interested in Church history, education and religious arts will gain a realistic historical sense of the period in which the human spirit excelled. And for those interested in extra-mural education, there are 280 slides available for presentation purposes.” Donald S. Gillespie
“In his extensive research in ‘Le Beau Dieu,’ Donald Gillespie provides an account of the unique success of the Middle Ages in allowing the Christian mystery to dwell within western culture in such a way as to afford Christendom what could have been a continual opening to new vistas. Far from being consigned to darkness in popular myth, the Middle Ages are rediscovered in the rich new spectrum of lights that cast an entirely different perspective on modernity than is the common view. After reading this work, I feel sure many young people and students of the Enlightenment will wonder if they should not seek out again these more ancient lights.” Rt. Rev John Keenan LL.B., S.T.B., Ph.L. Glasgow University Chaplaincy, now Bishop of Paisley
Donald S. Gillespie was born and educated in Scotland. Having completed his mechanical engineering studies in Glasgow, he attended London Bible College, thence to Glasgow University, where he was trained in the ministry for the Church of Scotland. Years of aggressive liberalism compelled him to immigrate with his family to Canada, where he converted to Catholicism. His non-fiction and historic writings reflect his deeply held Christian beliefs. He continues to write, and enjoys travelling on spiritual “caminos” in the footsteps of St Paul. He lost his late wife, a medical doctor, to pancreatic cancer but continues to enjoy visiting family in the UK and USA. His three adult children are professionals in education, medicine and psychology. His personal charity for autistic children receives all royalties from his writings.
Holy Fire Publishing (http://www.christianpublish.com), publisher of hundreds of Christian books, helps Christian authors reach the world through the printed word.
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