The Myth Of Western Christianity: The Next Christendom By Philip Jenkins

The Myth of Western Christianity

When analyzing The Next Christendom, by Philip Jenkins, a particular section stood out to me in particular. In chapter 2, Jenkins begins discussing the “Myth of Western Christianity”. Jenkins states that “The whole idea of “Western Christianity” distorts the true pattern of the religion’s development over time.”(Jenkins, 22). For instance, Christianity’s beginnings are often portrayed in popular Western culture as a European religion with a predominantly fair-skinned following. This is far from the truth, as Christianity originated in modern day Palestine, then spread through Asia Minor and Greece, until it reached Italy. Jenkins emphasizes how important the location of Jerusalem was for both a theological connection as well as Christian expansion, stating that, “ This image made splendid theological sense, in that Jesus’s sacrificial self-giving occurred at the very center of the world he was saving.”(Jenkins, 23). Besides

That is, until The Roman Emperor Constantine permitted Christian toleration in the Roman Empire in 313. People began worshipping openly, as well as building churches throughout the Empire. By 380 Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, making Rome the Westernmost Christian state. Eventually, the Eastern churches and Western churches began disagreeing about the divine and human natures of Christ, which lead to those that disagreed with the Orthodox being deemed heretic in 451. With the Orthodox Church in command of the empire many of the very places that were once the center of Christianity were oppressed by tyrant rulers from Rome and Constantinople. Many Western Christians are not aware of the the violence and oppression that Eastern Christians have been faced due to differences in beliefs of the same God, or how these differences have skewered the modern-day practice of Western