The Church in Wycliffe’s Day
This historical article by Rev. Angus Stewart examines the ecclesiastical and social conditions of fourteenth-century Europe during John Wycliffe's lifetime, focusing on the crises that undermined papal authority—the Avignon captivity, papal schism, and Black Death—and their role in motivating calls for church reform. The resource provides valuable historical context for understanding the pre-Reformation currents that would eventually lead to the Protestant Reformation and the development of Reformed theology.
Rev. Angus Stewart (slightly modified from an article first published in the Standard Bearer) In John Wycliffe’s day (c. 1324-1384), most of Europe professed to be Christian. The Roman church was dominant in the west and the Orthodox churches in the east. Godly Waldensians worshipped in the Alps and their environs, and there were also heretical groups in diverse places. In Europe only Lithuania yet remained pagan and southern Spain was under Muslim control. Babylonian Captivity, Papal Schism...