What caused the Dark Ages according to this teaching?
The Dark Ages were precipitated when the church grew so powerful that it removed the Scriptures from the common man and confined them to monasteries, operating on the belief that only monks and the educated could discern the Word of God.
Les explains that the Dark Ages were precipitated when the church gained such power that it pulled the Scriptures away from the common man and brought them into the monasteries, because church leaders felt only monks and the educated could discern the Word of God. He contrasts this with the Reformers' desire to put the printed Scriptures into the hands of every plowboy in England, the least educated class, proving that anyone can comprehend Scripture. Les stresses that God intends every believer to become a student and study, not merely read, the Book, as Paul wrote to Timothy about studying to show ourselves approved and rightly dividing the Word of Truth.