Pendulum Swings throughout Christian History

The Christian community, at any given time, finds itself swinging between extremes on a number of spectra. Does the artwork offer any clues or insights on where the Church might have been on any of the following spectra in the artist’s time & place? Note that while these are posited as extremes or opposites, at any given time the Christian community is not likely to have been at either extreme but somewhere in between. What does the artwork indicate?

• persecuted ----- triumphant
• reaching out to others ----- concerned with members
• warring ----- peaceful
• authoritarian ----- liberal
• expanding ----- contracting
• ideological ----- practical
• unified ----- split
• threatened ----- safe
• virtuous leaders ----- unethical leaders
• closely related to the government ----- separate from the government
• plague & famine ----- good health & agricultural abundance
• humble ----- proud
• urban ----- rural
• formal ----- casual
• creative ----- reductive
• emphasizing many sacraments ----- emphasizing few sacraments
• prayerful/contemplative ----- prophetic/active
• mystical ----- concrete
• organized ----- chaotic
• fearful ----- trusting
• material ----- spiritual
• wealthy ----- poor
• supportive of the arts ----- removed from the arts
• educated ----- illiterate