The church in transition
The church had gone from being a persecuted group on the edge of society to a legal faith to the official faith of the state. One might assume that these changes would have been a great blessing. But that assumption would be mistaken.
A century before Constantine embraced Christianity Tertullian wrote: It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to label us. “See," they say, "How they love one another!" For they themselves are animated by mutual hatred. "How they are ready even to die for one another!" For they themselves will sooner be put to death. ... The family possessions, which generally destroy brotherhood among you, create fraternal bonds among us. One in mind and soul, we do not hesitate to share our earthly goods with one another. All things are common among us but our wives.
But with Constantine’s conversion, being in the church became necessary for advancement in society and the heart of the church was captured by the state. The means of advancement in society became the means of advancement in the church. Those in the church began to play power politics at a deadly level. In Constantinople, the Emperor Constantius (one of Constantine's three sons) removed a Bishop. Notice how in one generation the authority of the state invaded the church. While Constantius' action aroused much of the conflict, the "Christians" went to war over the choice of bishop. Socrates Scholasticus wrote: “By this internal war among the Christians, continuous seditions arose in that city, and many lives were sacrificed in consequence of these occurrences.” People calling themselves Christians began killing other people called Christians over who would be their “spiritual” leader.
Similar conflicts occurred in other cities. One has to ask, “Was the legalization of Christianity good for the church?” There was an end of persecution and oppression. But at what price? Christians responded to their new found security and comfort that resulted from having the favor of the emperor by fighting like cats for power. It also gave rise to nominal faith. You could be a “Christian” without a commitment to Christ that might upset your preferred behaviors. It was a major transition for the church, from outcast to dominant power. But it did not last. The fall of Rome to the barbarians ended the cozy relationship and left formerly influential power brokers with little power to broker.
Political power and a facade of nominal faith, sound like anything we might see? The decline of Christian faith in our nation is both a cause of and a result of the church’s effort to be a power broker at the political level. On both sides of the political spectrum “Christians” have delivered the voting block of the church in exchange for access to power. It was hoped that this would allow the church to make the changes needed in society. And let me add, “without the hard and messy work of evangelism and disciple making.”
What do we do to face the ugly truth that we, having not been making disciples, are not relevant in our own society. At this transition we can long for the “glory days of yore" when America was, at least in our delusion, a “Christian” nation. We could continue down the path of trying to attract crowds with grander and more extravagant shows on Sunday morning. But the church can never and shouldn’t even try to be the political power. The church must stop trying to “out-Disney, Disney” to attract a crowd. What we could try is returning to the practice of making disciples, like Jesus commanded.
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