How First Century Christians Changed The World
(Part 1)
This blog post was started August 9, 2012 on my way back from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, after visiting my failing mother. It had been a wild 6 weeks and during that time I had not posted any new blog posts. I apologize for that but I’m sure you understand. On September 18, I was once again at my Mom’s bedside as she was in her final days . As I looked out the window from her room I could see the scene mentioned below once again. (1)
I’m writing at about 35,000 feet on my way back to Toronto from visiting my mother who is in a palliative care facility in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada 2. Bobby’s Hospice is a first rate facility located in a former Roman Catholic convent. A hundred and fifty years ago as new waves of immigrants to Canada faced an epidemic of cholera, starvation and hardships, the Sisters of Charity founded the convent. Across the street is a huge Roman Catholic Church and beside it the Manse3. Looking out the window of my mother’s room you can see the homes and local store that surround the church and convent which formed the hub of the community.
The church, whether it be protestant or catholic, as the centre of the community, was a part of the European and North America culture for hundreds of years. There was a general respect for the church. Even if you didn’t go to church, you knew the church was important to our culture. No one questioned its relevance. But I as I overlook the scene before me, I am reminded that this is no longer the case. The church no longer holds a special place in our culture, as a matter of fact we are in days of not only increased marginalization but increased hostility.4 I’m reminded of a few lines from an old Bob Dylan song, "There’s a battle outside. And it is ragin’. It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. For the times they are a-chagin’."
As I stood there looking out that window I wondered about the first century Christians. They were not at the centre of their community. As a matter of fact, they were marignalized, harassed, misunderstood and often persecuted. How was it that in such an environment they were able to actually transform the entire Roman Empire until Christianity became the official religion of the empire? I think the answer to that question has tremendous implications for North American believers who find themselves in an increasingly hostile culture. I read all kinds of books about methods and plans and strategies to transform our culture and be more missional, but somehow I’m not convinced that all this strategy is the answer.5 How did the first century believers live in a hostile environment?
In 64 AD two thirds of Rome was burned to the ground by a huge fire. Some accused Emperor Nero of igniting the fire for his own entertainment. In order to deflect the accusations Nero blamed the small group of Christians in Rome. The first great persecution broke out which lasted until at least 68AD. It is believed that both the Apostles Paul and Peter died in this persecution.
The historian Tacitus Cornelius (54-120) claimed that although Nero unjustly attacked the Christians he was convinced that they merited the most severe punishment because of their superstitions.
"To cut short the public outcry, Nero had to find someone guilty, and blamed a race of men despised for the perversity of their rites and commonly called Christians. The name comes from Christus (Christ), who was put to death when Pontius Pilate was pro-Consul and Procurator of Judea. Now, this pernicious superstition has broken out anew, not only in Judea, the place of origin of this scourge, but even in Rome, where all that is shameful and abominable comes together and is accepted.
At first were arrested those who openly confessed their belief. Then, after their accusation, a great multitude were imprisoned not just accused of having caused the fire, but because they were regarded as being burning with hatred against the human race. They were put to death with refined cruelty, and Nero added scorn and derision to their sufferings. Some were clad in the skins of wild beasts and thrown to the dogs to be devoured; others were nailed to the cross, others burned alive, and still others covered with inflammable material which was then set on fire to serve as torches after sunset. Nero allowed his gardens (on the Vatican hill) to be used for this spectacle, which also included circus games. ....
Tacitus wrote that Christians were despicable people, capable of horrendous crimes. They were accused of ritual infanticide (they spoke of the Lord's Supper, as the killing and eating of a child ) and incest (clearly a travesty of the kiss of peace "between brothers and sisters" which occurred in the celebration of the Lord’s Table). Of course these accusations were based solely on popular gossip, but were used to gain imperial authority for the persecution.
As I read about how the early Christians were misunderstood and demonized by their tormentors, I realize that this is increasingly happening in our day. The scriptures say that the things of God cannot be understood by the unbelieving world because they are spiritually discerned and unbelievers have no spiritual life.6 As our culture abandons its Judeo Christian roots, the unbelieving world does not understand believers and we are often at odds with the value system of the world. We are increasingly misunderstood, misrepresented and increasingly marginalized by the culture around us.
I find it amazing that the world of imperial Rome drew erroneous and wild conclusions about believers and misrepresented their actions to the point of accusing them of being an evil and a menace to the Empire. This is increasingly happening in our culture. We see raging atheist like the late Christopher Hitchens and others insisting that religion, and in particular Christianity, is a danger to society. The media shows gross misunderstanding of evangelical Christians and thus misrepresents our beliefs, or motives, and our actions.7 Because we do not share the value system of the culture around us we are accused of being hate mongers, bigots, and trouble makers and more.
The question is, how should we respond to all of this? When the world misunderstands us, misrepresents us, resents us, wants to exclude us from the public form, and eventually even persecutes us, how are we to respond? And even more, in such a climate how can we possibly make a difference? How can we possibly transform our culture when our culture increasingly writes us off as odd balls, superstitious and unworthy of serious consideration.
I think the answer as demonstrated by the first century believers will surprise and encourage you. They who turned their world upside down8 are our examples and provide a road map of how believers can live, and not just to survive, but to thrive in a post-Christian world in a way that makes the world stand up and take notice and even transforms our culture.
* I guess you could call this a serial blog because you’ve got to come back to get the rest of the story. Watch for the next blog post when we’ll look at the how the first century believers faced and triumphed in a hostile environment. The simplicity by which the first century believers changed their world will astound you.
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(1 ) My Mom passed into the presence of the Lord on September 19, 2012 and this blog was not completed until today November 9,2012.
(2) There are readers of Pastor Rick’s Study around the world including Canada, the United States, China, Russian, Africa, Asia etc. Some of you might have fun checking out Saint John on the Web. It’s a city of fascinating Canadian history.
(3) House where the Priest lives.
(4) Writing continued from this point on November 9,2012
(5) Don’t misunderstand. I think its good to strategize and plan. The Apostle Paul planned his strategy for evangelizing the world. It’s just that there seems to be something missing in all these plans and the fact is that average believers don’t go around strategizing about their lives.
(6) 1 Corinthians 2:14
(7) It doesn’t help that there are Christian crazies out there that sometimes have significant television air time on which they can make wild statements that put all believers in a bad light before the unbelieving world.
(8) Acts 17:6
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