Church History part 4
“About 50 AD he was of the Church who had received baptism in the Holy Spirit and called Jesus Lord but about year 180 AD [it was he] who acknowledged the rule of faith i.e. the creed, the new testament canon and the authority of the bishops” says a writer from the first 500 years.
We saw Christianity, the hated, illegal and persecuted movement growing to impact all of the Roman empire – the then world super power and its colonies – and even won the president of the world to the Way. The Way is the biblical term for Christianity, they were first called Christians in Antioch by outside observer who say Christ-like characteristics. The apostles/leaders used the term Disciples i.e. learners or followers of Christ.!
R T Glover puts it this way: “The Church captured the world … because they out-lived, out-thought, and out-died everyone else”.
In the first centuries the life boat was in the world to save it but in the next 1000 years (dark, middle ages) the water got into the lifeboat [*].
Second 500 years [ Year 501 to 1000 AD]
Earlier when the Church became the president’s church everyone wanted to be associated with it – it became fashionable, the in-thing. As quantity rose (joining for wrong reasons), quality declined. Genuine heartfelt conversions became scarce, water baptism became salvation and so people had to be baptised as babies – finally one became Christian by citizenship i.e. birth into a ‘Christian’ nation. We know it is he who BELIEVES who must be baptised (Mark16v16) and Jesus said unless a man be born of the water and Spirit (both) he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God (John 3v5).
Established religion produces fashionable respectable Christianity which has one form of power (institutional/political) but lacks in the original (dynamic Holy Spirit power). Paul predicted a time where people will have ‘a form of religion but denying its power’.
As the Roman Empire declined, eventually falling to the Barbarians (Europeans) the Church rose in political power to fill the gap.
Though it ‘christened’ barbaric Europe, superstition and magic replaced a relationship with Jesus Christ. Christianity became a mechanical, lifeless ritual, going-thru-the-motions religion. Images of virgin Mary, of the long-dead apostles/heroes, among others became new rallying points.
It spread Christianity in western Europe but later became obsessed with the other power and over such things as priestly garments’ designs, protocol and decorum. The bishop of Rome took on the Roman Emperor’s title and robes as leader of the New Rome, Medieval Catholic (Catholic means universal) Church, although there were other Christian centres e.g Constantinople (eastern church), Alexandria in Africa, Jerusalem etc. The Pope which means the sacred Father i.e one Papa of the church, became the de facto authority in western Europe ruled which was ruled by ‘Christian’ kings whom he presided over. Eventually Pope Leo III hands back the power when he ‘anoints’ Charlemagne as Emperor but retains political control as the kingmaker.
It was around this era (second 500 years) that Mohammed founded Islam in Arabian town of Mecca, then a centre of idolatry which he hated. It is said he first turned to the Jews and then to the Christians looking for true religion but all he saw were priestly garments, images and relics and concluded it’s the same as the idolatry he was avoiding, so he turned away to seek a ‘pure religion’. If only he met a Spirit/Power filled Christian.
He went into the desert where he said a voice spoke to him and said “there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet”. We know there is no other name by which we must be saved but Jesus (Acts4v12).
Mohamed was from the tribe of Ishmael – Abraham’s son with his maid. Mohamed’s teachings were later compiled into the Quran. He preaches, is persecuted and flees but later comes with an army of 10,000 imposing his religion on everyone. With a growing army the Moslems swept Christianity out of the holy land Jerusalem and most of the Mediterranean region where Paul ministered and established strong churches in the 1st century e.g Ephesus but have become somewhat difficult places to preach or practice Christianity today ie Turkey, Syria, etc. They swept Asia Minor, Spain, Austria and almost took whole of Europe before they were stopped by the Franks army. What if?
What should the ‘church’s do about violent threats? Build an army? What would Jesus do?
Was a politically powerful but spiritually and morally ‘backslidden’ church a blessing at this time?
These church leaders went as far as abusing the legacies/histories of ‘saint’ Peter, Augustine, Constantine etc leading to the biggest forgery. Remember Bibles and books were not available to the general public as mass printing machines were not yet invented; even with availability today people still don’t read they just believe everything papa says. In 850 AD the Pope said he discovered certain documents which go back to the very first century which prove that the Church Fathers appointed the first pope and the 2nd, 3rd 4th pope etc. The present Roman Catholic church now knows those documents were a forgery (Diocletian forgery) - a shaky foundation for the whole papal structure and the mediaval Holy Roman Empire.
Remember history repeats itself.
Footnote * Timelines overlap but for simplicity I have rearranged content into 500 year periods.