A Fresh Perspective - 02/13/09
One of the great challenges in American Christianity is to get Christians to think. I read somewhere that in the third century one known as Julian the Apostate was determined to blot out every trace of Christianity. What he discovered, however, was a law of spiritual thermodynamics; the more he applied the heat of persecution, the more the church seemed to expand and flourish.
Frustrated with his attempts to wipe out the movement, he made this assessment: “Christianity provokes too much thinking. Even the slaves are thinking.” Imagine that.
When did the church stop thinking? Constantine may have had something to do with it when he made Christianity the official religion of the empire. It was a political move to consolidate power. No longer were Christians persecuted “by” the establishment; they became part “of” the establishment. Once Christianity gained favor and cuddled up to the powers-that-be many Christians simply stopped thinking. The great irony of it: now it was too risky to think for oneself.
When the followers of Christ lived by risk and suffering, they could be free-thinkers. They were prepared for hardship, even death. But when the church started enjoying the comforts and luxuries of the culture the church became soft. No longer were they risk-takers living on the edge. They became too timid to challenge the system for fear of losing their power, place, and position. They enjoyed too much the comforts of the system.
This was the response of the majority of Christians in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. They feared losing their place and power. Rather than take the risk, it was much easier to adjust their faith to fit the system and ignore the injustice. There were dissidents like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others who became part of the Confessing Church movement, but the majority of Christians in Germany were complicit in one of the most pervasive domination systems in history.
I wonder how many Christians in towns like ours across the country just go along with the Christianity of their culture, afraid to rock the boat, stir up any waves, or upset their family and friends. They’re comfortable—“at ease in Zion.”
Dare to be different. Think for yourself. In reliance upon the Spirit, come to your own conclusions. Read and discuss interpretations and perspectives different from your own. Allow them to challenge you. Then you might be able say with some meaning: “I was blind, but now I see.”
My column will now appear every other week. My next column will be February 27.