The roleof Christianityin civilization has been intricately intertwined with the historyand formation of Western society. Throughout its long history, the Church has been a major source of social services like schooling and medical care; inspiration for art, culture, and philosophy; and influential player in politics and religion.
Who defended Christianity in the 2nd century?
In the 2nd century, several Christian writers—Aristides, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Tertullian—defended Christianity against the popular and political charges brought against it by non-Christians.
Why did so many German Christians support the Reich?
Most German Christians supported the Reich; many continued to do so in the face of mounting evidence that the dictatorship was depraved and murderously cruel. Elsewhere in Europe the story was often the same. Only with Christianity’s forbearance and frequent cooperation could fascistic movements gain majority support in Christian nations.
What is the importance of history in Christianity?
The last importance of history in Christianity lies in our testimonies. We may not realise but our experiences with God are part of that history as well, even if they do not get recorded down in the annals of history. Of course, with social media, it is easy to share these stories. But each of us plays a part in God’s history.
Did Christianity have the capacity to stop Nazism?
In contrast, Christianity had the capacity to stop Nazism before it came to power, and to reduce or moderate its practices afterwards, but repeatedly failed to do so because the principal churches were complicit with—indeed, in the pay of—the Nazis.
What did the church do in the Middle Ages?
As this storyline goes, the church went on to ban books, suppress science and womanhood, and plunge once noble Europe into the Dark Ages. Bent on taxing people to fund their material and moral excesses, the church’s leadership crusaded across the Middle Ages, skewering infidels, racking skeptics and burning dissidents. Thankfully, however, some courageous intellectuals finally revolted against the church’s Darth Vader-like grip and birthed the Renaissance. They followed it up with the magnificent Enlightenment, staving back blind religion. In time, thank Man’s goodness, these bright thinkers managed to invent the modern era and bring us to the present moment when—if with John Lennon we dare to imagine —we can be free of the Christian disease once and for all and enter a new age of progress and peace. In fact, we would have had that better world a whole lot earlier if that Easter hoax had never happened.
Why is atheism a foothold today?
The painful truth is that atheism has a foothold today in part because there have been many times in history when people of Christian faith (or marching beneath some other religion’s flag) have sinned boldly against God and people.
Who caricatured Christianity as having brought down the grandeur of classical civilization?
This view of history first gained prominence back in the late 18th century with the widespread reading of Edward Gibbon’s book The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon caricatured Christianity as having brought down the grandeur of classical civilization—fettering the human spirit and the life of the mind to which Greece …
Does evidence support what secular institutions teach us?
Evidence does not support what many secular institutions teach us.
What is the issue with Christianity?
The issue with Christianity is that the Bible does not claim that the narratives in it are myths or legends. These are narratives based on real history. Therefore, when we read the narratives, we are actually reading a record of history. This applies as much to the narrative of Abraham to the narrative of Esther and Nehemiah.
Why is the correction of theological errors and false practices important?
The correction of theological errors and false practices is another importance of history in Christianity. The present is usually the product of the past and the seed to the future. Paul reminded us in Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11 that the events of the past are to help us avoid the evil and emulate the good. Ignorance of the Bible and the history of the church is a major reason why many advocate false theologies or bad practices.
Why did the Israelites have stones?
The reason for the stones is mainly so that the Israelites will remember the history of how they crossed the Jordan river. Even in the Psalms and the Prophets, God continues to remind them of His history with the nation. This applies to our New Testament accounts as well.
Why is Christianity based on history?
Because Christianity claims itself to be based on history, the defense and study of Christianity hinges on our study of it. There are many points to be made here. Firstly, when we study the Bible, we need to be aware of the historical background of not only the purpose and occasion of the books, but also the cultural historical backgrounds of the contents. For example, in the book of Philemon, we study not only why Paul wrote the epistle, but also need to study the concept of slavery and patronage amidst all things. This requires us to dwell into history.
How does history relate to the gospel?
History links the past of the Christian gospel with the proclamation and application of that gospel in the future. It shows the Spirit of God in action through the church during the ages of its existence. It also shows a meaningful link between exegetical and practical theology as the student sees how systematic theology has made an impact on previous human thought and action. As we begin to trace the development of these Christian thoughts, we begin to appreciate that we truly stand on the shoulders of giants. This gives us assurance that God will continue to work in the future just as how He worked in the past.
How many gospel accounts are there in the Bible?
In the Bible, we have four different gospel accounts that accounts different details of Jesus’ life and death. If we have understood historiographical method, we will know that in any historical narratives, the author will always have a purpose and message to argue for his narratives.
What is the central thesis of Christianity?
Our central thesis and truth for Christianity is that God sent His Son to become man incarnate to die for our sins. So, what this means is that Christians cannot afford to be apathetic to history. We read history when we are doing our devotions.
What is the unity that results?
The unity that results gives evidence to the watching world of the healing and unifying power of the Healer named Jesus.
Why is racial unity not so easily reached in our broken world?
But racial unity is not so easily reached in our broken world because of generational, systemic, and individual sin. The Enemy of the church can even convince us that we are unified because our bodies are next to one another on Sunday mornings when, in reality, our hearts are far from one another. There is no formula for unity.
What do Pharisees proselytize?
Like modern-day Pharisees, we proselytize normative white culture, perspectives, worship expressions, and so on, often presenting them as “biblical” truths, behaviors, and teaching.
What is faithfully magazine?
Faithfully Magazine started 2016/2017 with the mission to keep Christian media diverse by centering our content on Christian communities of color for an ethnically-inclusive audience. In that time, we’ve made an impact on Christian media and achieved meaningful milestones — such as creating a volunteer Associate Editor role, launching an Editorial Fellowship, and proudly paying our contributing writers. But we need your support to keep going. In addition to partnering with advertisers, nurturing a subscription/membership, and exploring paid live events, we rely on the generosity of readers who see value in our work and in our mission. We invite you to join us, and keep walking with us, in our mission. Every amount, big or small, empowers us to stay the course. Here are a few ways you can join us:
What do peacekeepers do?
Peacekeepers provide temporary Band-Aids to deep infections such as racism or biases that need surgery.
Who wrote "Rather than becoming students of our context, we develop our organization and try to force our neighbors to fit into?
Church planter Dhati Lewis wrote in a blog, “Rather than becoming students of our context, we develop our organization and try to force our neighbors to fit into it.”
Is there a unity formula?
There is no formula for unity. Christian unity among the high rises of Manhattan look different than unity in the flat farmland of the Mississippi Delta.
What is Schleiermacher’s Christian faith?
Schleiermacher continued this apologetic theme in his comprehensive account of Christian doctrine, The Christian Faith (1821–22; 1831). In his wake, Protestant systematic theology in the 19th and 20th centuries generally sought to operate within the “plausibility structures” of “modernity.”.
Why are the institutions of the Earthly City not without their divine rationale?
The institutions of the earthly city are not without their divine rationale, for they ensure a relative justice amid the fallen condition of humankind. Yet the happiness the earthly city allows is only temporary, and its society is conflicted. Only the peace and eternity of the divine city match the Supreme Good.
What did Augustine show in his criticism of the Christian emperors?
Augustine showed the inconsistency of the critics in failing to blame the civic gods for previous setbacks and in failing to give credit for the divine benefits bestowed on Christian emperors. He asserted that the true God is the ruler of all nations, bestowing both success and calamity for his own purposes.
Why did Augustine start the City of God?
At the beginning of the 5th century, Augustine began his work City of God as an answer to pagan complaints that the sack of Rome—supposedly “the eternal city”—by Alaric and his Goths in 410 was due to the abandonment of the old gods in favour of Christianity.
What does the letter of Peter say about apologetics?
Apologetics: defending the faith . The First Letter of Peter tells its addressees that they must “always be prepared to make a defense ( apologia) to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you ” (3:15). The defense of the faith has been required of Christians when they faced persecution, but “apologetics” have also been undertaken in …
When did doubt take over from faith?
When, partly as a result of the European “Wars of Religion” in the 16th and 17th centuries, doubt took over from faith as a methodological principle in philosophy and the natural sciences, some tried a new apologetic tack.
Who wrote the book against Celsus?
These early apologetics came to a climax in the eight books of Against Celsus, a treatise written by Origen around 246–248 to answer the still troublesome work of a Platonist and critic of Christianity dating from about 70 years earlier and claiming to speak “the word of truth” ( alêthês logos ). Celsus was quite well informed about …
What was the purpose of the Concordat of 1933?
Catholic apologists describe the Concordat of 1933 as a necessary move by a church desperate to protect itself against a violent regime which forced the accord upon it —passing over the contradiction at the heart of this argument. Actually, having failed in repeated attempts to negotiate the ardently desired concordat with a skeptical Weimar democracy, Kaas, Papen, the future Pius XII (who reigned 1939–1958), the sitting Pius XI, and other leading Catholics saw their chance to get what they had been seeking from an agreeable member of the church—that is, Hitler—at an historical moment when he and fascism in general were regarded as a natural ally by many Catholic leaders. [28] Negotiations were initiated by both sides, modeled on the mutually advantageous 1929 concordat between Mussolini and the Vatican.
What was the Catholic Zentrum party?
Though it was not without antimodernists, the Catholic Zentrum party had antagonized the Vatican during the 1920s by forming governing coalitions with the secularized, moderate Left-oriented Social Democrats . This changed in 1928, when the priest Ludwig Kaas became the first cleric to head the party. To the dismay of some Catholics, Kaas and other Catholic politicians participated both actively and passively in destroying democratic rule, and in particular the Zentrum.
Why was democracy so fragile?
What made democracy so fragile? Historian Klaus Scholder explains that Germany lacked a deep democratic tradition, and would have had difficulty in forming one because German society was so thoroughly divided into opposing Protestant and Catholic blocs. This division created a climate of competition, fear and prejudice between the confessions, which burdened all German domestic and foreign policies with an ideological element of incalculable weight and extent. This climate erected an almost insurmountable barrier to the formation of broad democratic center. And it favored the rise of Hitler, since ultimately both churches courted his favor—each fearing that the other would complete the Reformation or the Counter-Reformation through Hitler. [24]
How accurate were Hitler’s speeches?
Accuracy of transcription is another concern. Hitler’s public speeches were recorded reliably, but were often propagandistic . His private statements seem more likely to reflect his actual views, but their reliability varies widely. [17] The passages Christian apologists cite most often to prove Hitler’s atheism are of questionable accuracy. Apologists often brandish them without noting historians’ reservations. Hitler’s personal library has been partly preserved, and a good deal is known about his reading habits, another possible window onto Hitler’s beliefs. [18] Also important, and often ignored by apologists, are statements made by religious figures of the time, who generally—at least for public consumption—viewed Hitler as a Christian and a Catholic in good standing. Meanwhile, the silent testimony of photographs is irrefutable, much as apologists struggle to evade this damning visual evidence.
Why was Christ not Jewish?
10. In Aryan Christian doctrine, Christ was non-Semitic because he did not have a Jewish father. His assault on the Temple was taken as evidence of his anti-Semitism. Christianity’s false association with Judaism was blamed on St. Paul.
Why did Goebbels say the regime relented?
Goebbels later commented to an associate that the regime relented “in order to eliminate the protest from the world, so that others didn’t begin to do the same.” Sadly, this strategy was successful: during the rest of the war, no similar action would ever be taken in defense of Jews in general.
What did the Germans detest?
Most religious Germans detested the impiety, secularism, and hedonistic decadence that they associated with such modernist ideas as democracy and free speech. If they feared democracy, they were terrified by Communism, to the point of being willing to accept extreme counter-methods.
The Christian contribution to historical Western Values
The Russian defense of Christianity: The atheists who define what is considered politically correct today, display a remarkable ignorance of history by blatantly mocking Christianity. Several of our most important values come precisely from the Judeo-Christianity heritage and its ethics.
The Russian Religious Awakening
The Russian defense of Christianity: In an interview after the meetings between the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis in Cuba, the Orthodox Russian Patriarch and leader of the Russian church stated in his defense of Christianity:
The Modern Russian defense of Christianity
The defense of Christianity: Many would be amazed, reading these words. It is indeed, to a Westerner, surprising to see that a country such as Russia, which before used to be an atheist state, now is leading the fight for the Christian faith internationally.
About the author
Hanne Nabintu Herland is a historian of religions and bestselling author. She is the founder of The Herland Report Scandinavian news site, TV channel on YouTube and Podcasts which have millions of readers/viewers yearly. This is a great place to watch interviews with leading intellectuals, thought leaders from across the political spectrum.