Many say that Christians who maintain the historic, traditional doctrines are behind the times, are too exclusive, and are “on the wrong side of history.”
Two recent books that cast doubt on this view are from historian and biblical scholar Larry Hurtado: Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World and Why on Earth Did Anyone Become a Christian in the First Three Centuries?.
The earliest Christians were widely ridiculed, especially by cultural elites, were excluded from circles of influence and business, and were often persecuted and put to death. Hurtado says Roman authorities were uniquely hostile to them, compared to other religious groups.
Why? It was expected that people would have their own gods, but
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They were committed to worship their God exclusively. While the Jews had the same view, they were generally tolerated since they were a distinct racial group, and their peculiarity was seen as a function of their ethnicity. Yet Christianity spread through all ethnic groups, and most believers were former pagans who suddenly, after conversion, refused to honor the other gods. This refusal created huge social problems, making it disruptive and impossible for Christians to be accepted into most public gatherings. If a family member or a servant became a Christian, they suddenly refused to honor the household’s gods.
Christianity’s spread was seen as subversive to the social order—a threat to the culture’s way of life. Followers of Jesus were thought to be too exclusive to be good citizens.
Three Reasons Christianity Exploded
But in light of the enormous social costs of being a Christian in the first three centuries, why did anyone become a Christian? Why did Christianity grow so exponentially? What did Christianity offer that was so much greater than the costs?
Hurtado and others have pointed out three things:
1. Christians were called into a unique ‘social project’ that both offended and attracted
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Christianity offered assurance of eternal life.
Every other religion offered some version of salvation-through-human effort, and therefore no one could be sure of eternal life until death. But the gospel gives us the basis for full assurance of salvation now since it is by grace, not works, and by Christ’s work, not ours.
Early Church and Today
I hope by now you can see the relevance of these studies. The earliest church was seen as too exclusive and a threat to the social order because it would not honor all deities; today Christians are again being seen exclusive and a threat to the social order because we will not honor all identities.
The earliest church was seen as too exclusive and a threat to the social order because it would not honor all deities; today Christians are again being seen exclusive and a threat to the social order because we will not honor all identities.
Yet the early church thrived in that situation.
The Early Christians had numerous different practices. Some of them sacrificed animals, others held mass, and some even died in order to go with God. This helped with the spread of Christianity because it allowed people to attend mass and be forgiven of their sins. It also showed how cruel the Romans were and that religious freedom was being taken away from them.
The Christian religion, like all other religions has its strengths and weaknesses in our modern society. Perhaps the strengths out weight the weaknesses as this is one of the largest religions in the world. Hundreds of people follow the Catholic/Christian religion yet still a greater number follow yet other religions. Perhaps this is because they see the weaknesses or perhaps it is simply because their parents have taught them that it is a sin to follow this religion.
In the essay "Worldviews in Conflict," Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey compare and contrast the ideas of Christianity and the views of today's society. Throughout the essay they provide information about how the changes in society affect views regarding Christianity. Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay was written to contribute information so others could understand their views about the shifting cultural context and how it affects society's beliefs.
“Religious exclusiveness was the foremost principle of their society. The spiritual beliefs that they held were strong. This strength held over to include community laws and customs. Since God was at the forefront of their minds, He was to motivate all of their actions. This premise worked both for them and against them” (Kizer).
All comes to show, that Christianity took hold on the ancient world because it was easy, convenient and powerful. Christianity is a strong religion seeming as it still stands
...o Pilate, JesusÆ main enemy, or trouble, was the Roman Empire. Their religion was polytheistic; they had, among many others, a god of war, (Mars), a god of wine, (Bacchus), and a goddess of love, (Venus). They also believed that their Emperor, at the time Caesar, was a living God. This included Jesus, one of his titles being "King of the Jews". At the time of JesusÆ death, this number was sizeable, and as the early church grew, after the resurrection, the followers grew in number too. Literally. All of the people who attended these secret meetings, to tell or listen to the tales of Jesus Christ, were disciples. They were risking their lives to spread the good news. Stephen was viciously stoned to death after his great speech at the Sanhedrin (Acts 7), and Peter was crucified. There are many examples of modern day disciples around. Oscar Romero was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador. Endangering your own life by fighting oppression, injustice, and going up against bigger powers, or giving your life to helping others. There are still some people today who take the faith as seriously as the first Christians do, but not many. TodayÆs society is too materialistic.
Christianity has its challenges. It places demands on us that set us apart from the rest of our world. The bible calls us a peculiar people, who navigate the challenge of living IN the world, without being OF the world. When we say ‘no’ to temptations that are enjoyed by the masses, we are labeled as self-righteous snobs, religious weirdoes, or worse. But we persevere, and we press toward that invisible line the Apostle Paul drew in the sands of time…for the high calling in Christ Jesus.
The Christians were in an area called Christendom, which is now called Europe. People used to center their lives around the church. Most people that time were Christians. If you weren’t a Christian, you would be considered second-class. Many Jews were persecuted in the era.
In conclusion, it is important to realize that it was not one single factor which was responsible for the spread of Christianity, all these figures came together to give the perfect platform for a new religion to develop, " Never before in the history of the race had conditions been so ready for the adoption of a new faith by the majority of the peoples of so large an area" (K.S Latourette).
Society’s ability to remain culturally distinct lies in the expectations placed on the members of its society. Society’s values shape its culture while differentiating society from ‘outsiders‘. These self-designated values generate a sense of identity and community. Henceforth, society begins to view ‘outsiders’ as different as they do not uphold the same values as they hold. In St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries a sharp division is established between monks and secular Christians. While within the Franciscan Order there are distinctions between the monks and the secular Christians, but it is not as well defined evident in the constant interactions between the society of the Franciscans and the secular world.
The main factor for the popularity of Christianity was the political instability in the Roman Empire. Christianity ultimately triumphed over paganism because it answered people’s doubts and improved the lives of its adherents in a far more immediate way. One of the most important factors was the doctrine of the future life of the soul, which combined Judeo-Christian beliefs with the Greek notion of the immortality of the soul. The Christian afterlife and salvation included everybody and was open to not only Jews but pagans too; it was for the rich and especially for the poor. This was the first time that a religion focused on social issues such as feeding the poor and healing the sick, this religion professed that, as an adherent, it was
Christianity, originally, was thought of as an outsider religion, and wasn’t accepted by most Romans. The Romans could learn to live with other religions, but not when they were harmful to public order. At one point, Romans viewed it to be just that. Christians tended ...
Persecution was viewed by those of the early church as a declaration of one’s ultimate allegiance with Christ and martyrdom was considered a privilege with some even believing they were appointed for these horrendous sufferings by God himself. Because Jesus had warned his followers that they would be hated just as he was because their standard of living would be at odds with the earthly government and its worldly population, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14, KJV). Being considered unacceptable by a secular governmental entity was one mark of the early church’s separation from the profane things of the mortal realm. While the church was scripturally obligated to respect civil laws and principals, at the same time it was to abstain from any mandate that would steer it away from the principles and doctrines of the Word of God, “And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar 's, and unto God the things which be God 's” (Luke 20:25,
Lutzer, Erwin. The Doctrines That Divide: a Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1998.
Since its origin, Christianity has had an unquestionable overwhelming impact on the world from ancient to modern times. Although the impact that Christianity has had on the world is highly debatable, seeing as it has had both a negative and positive effect on the world. Some groups and individuals have used their Christian values and beliefs for their own secular gains both leading to negative and positive effects on the world. Over the last 2000 years, from the crusades in the 11th to 13th centuries to the abolishment of slavery, from William Wilberforce to the negative impacts of the KKK in the 19th century, Christianity has been having a significant impact on the history of the world with both positive and negative impacts.