If not for schools established by the Church/Carolingians/Holy Roman Empire there would be little Roman and even less Greek writings for the Italians to study. The renaissance is more than wealth or art, it is the rediscovery of ancient Greek writings, math, and science; the application of Scholastic methods; and the unique “commune” city-states that existed in Italy. They all played a part. Christianity can not be dismissed, it was essential.
Too indirect for me. You may as well say the renaissance came about because of man’s ability to domesticate animals, use tools, or speak a language.