The Spread of Christianity

In roughly 311 AD, Constantine's signing of the Edict of Milan made Christianity a recognized religion in the massive Roman Empire. In the almost three centuries since Christ's ascension, Christianity had grown from a motley crew of 120 in the upper room, to a sizeable force in the Roman Empire. The faith had indicated a willingness for cultural adaptation, and Gentiles far outnumbered Jewish background believers. Faced with a freedom they'd never had, Christians might have thought their battles were over. In reality, they had just begun.

With the broad acceptance of Christianity came an influx of marginal believers. While Christianity had spread in part because of persecution, combined with a sense of community, love, purity, the passion of the believers, and the spirit of the age which sought immortality, the widespread acceptance brought new dangers. Heretical teachings, present since the earliest days of the church, began to multiply.

Formalized doctrinal statements became necessary, and the "basics" of apostolic succession, the canon of the New Testament, and the Apostles' Creed became the center of the church in the West - what would become the Catholic Church. At the same time, a tension existed between this "inner ring" of Christianity - what was considered firm, unchanging, grounded - and the "outer ring" of fringe movements, which often touched in many points the inner ring but varied on some aspects. In many cases, the key difference was Scripture: those groups which had Scripture translated into their languages were more likely to be closer to the center or even influence a change in the center (such as the Reformation later challenged Apostolic Succession). Those groups which did not have Scripture translated into their languages remained on the fringe or even spun off into completely disparate movements.

Meanwhile, as the West began to centralize into a hierarchical church structure, Christianity spread in other directions as well. While Christians had been accepted in Persia while persecuted in the West, once Christianity was a religion of the state in Rome the believers in Persia were heavily persecuted -- 153,000 in one event. In fact, more Christians died in Persia's Great Persecution than in all of Rome's persecutions.

Christianity spread to North Africa as well, but unsuccessfully for the long term - the failure to produce a Punic translation of the Bible, North Africans' alienation from "Romanized" Christians, the emphasis of the church on the elite, Christianity's identification with Roman and Hellenistic culture and military - in short, the lack of cultural adaptation of the forms of Christianity and failure to provide Scripture, led to heretical movements and ultimately the development and acceptance of Islam. To this day North Africa remains an Islamic stronghold despite the early Christian movement's presence in that land.

More successful cultural transitions were made to the Celtic and Gothic peoples. The Armenian Church was formed and became very closed linked with Armenian nationalism, because it was so heavily contextualized to the area. During this season of movement and transition, much of the world known to Christianity was very open to the Gospel. The Moravians did an especially good job of developing worship in each of the own languages of the peoples they reached.

So what are some "takeaway" lessons for the modern missions movement? While there are many, many lessons to be learned from the historical theology of these groups, there are also missiological lessons. Among these are:

• Language is at the heart of missions. We can't ignore the need for people groups to have Scripture in their own languages.
• Christianity is highly translatable. Once the basics of the Gospel are understood, there is much freedom for form and practice within the Biblical parameters. The history of Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple, as well as any number of other religious groups, affords a dramatic contrast to the openness allowed Christian worshippers.
• We have to be aware of nationalism. Every people group is nationalistic to some degree. Tribal groups are proud of elements of their culture that are unique from other tribes. Nations love to boast of what they are "best" at. With few exceptions, people in other countries love to encounter individuals from "home" and enjoy sharing what is best about their native cultures. When Christianity is perceived as an "outsiders' religion", then, it will enjoy limited success (as in North Africa). When an "inner ring" of truths are held firm, and the church allowed to contextually develop, wise national believers can take what is best in their culture and use it to reflect the glory of God. When we avoid the "idolatry of form" we free the people to glorify God in unique ways.
• We must be aware of contextualization's limits. Failed contextualization is called syncretism. While there will always be degrees of understanding about the Christian faith, even in a fully "Christianized" society, we must guard against an "anything goes" approach which leads to doctrinal error.

Religion and Culture

One of the most significant questions raised in the early church is represented throughout the New Testament: What should Christian faith look like among non-Jewish followers of Jesus? Acts 15 records the official meeting that considered this question, known as the Jerusalem Council, but in a sense much of the book of Acts and significant portions of Paul's writings, such as Galatians, depicts the outworking of that decision.

The background
After being essentially a sect of Judaism that recognized Jesus as Messiah, the church was thrust into Gentile lands following the stoning of Stephen. As the Gospel spread, God called an apostle who would focus on the Gentiles -- Paul, who as Saul had been a persecutor of Christians. God also revealed to Peter that the Gospel was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews - and sent him to Caesarea to personally witness the outpouring of the Spirit upon the Gentile Cornelius and his family. Acts 11 records Peter explaining to the apostles and believers in Jerusalem, in answer to a challenge by the Judaizers, a Jewish sect within Christianity that emphasized keeping of the Jewish law and custom as essential to salvation. The end result? The leaders recognized God was working among the Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas soon formed a missions team that reached deeper into Gentile areas with the Gospel. The acceptance of Gentiles into the church, however, left open a crucial question: How should they approach their new faith? How much of the Jewish background of Christianity was essential?

Acts 15
The Jerusalem Council was an intentional, called gathering of apostles and elders. Various voices were heard in debate. Peter then proclaimed his argument that the yoke being placed on the Gentiles was a yoke the Jews couldn't bear; salvation for both groups had to be by grace alone. Paul and Barnabas told of God's work among the Gentiles. James brought a Biblical argument to the table, quoting Amos 9:11-12 and applying it to the in-gathering of the Gentiles. He recommended some basic guidelines for the Gentiles: Sexual purity and avoiding idolatry (and some associated basic dietary guidelines of avoiding strangled meat and blood). The council sent both the Gentile-familiar Paul & Barnabas, and the more Jewish-oriented Judas Barsabbas and Silas, with a letter of encouragement and guidance to the Gentile church in Antioch. The believers there rejoiced at the content.

Galatians
With the full backing of the Jerusalem Council, Paul developed a strong offense against the Judaizers, who continued to push for a more Jewish-oriented practice among the Gentiles. While many passages could be studied, a review of Galatians will cover many of the salient points.

In Galatians, Paul posts his strongest offense, calling the teaching of this group "another gospel". Essentially, their message was salvation by faith, continuance in salvation by obedience to the law. Paul vehemently argues that the One True Gospel never compromises the doctrine of grace and that any teaching that does so is false and "falls from grace". Paul presents a logically developed argument alongside an emotionally passionate one, to exhort the Galatians to walk by grace alone. In many ways, Galatians culminates and expounds upon one key verse (5:1): "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit against to a yoke of slavery."

Paul's example in Acts and his teaching in other passages (eg. Rom. 8 and 14) clearly does not reject obeying God's laws by grace through faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Nor does he rebuke voluntarily adoption of Jewish or other cultural practices as a demonstration of love or to more effectively reach the non-believers in the group. What he does strongly condemn is any teaching that requires such actions, or places believers who choose not to adopt these practices under condemnation. In fact, Romans 14 argues that those believers who recognize their freedom in Christ are actually the strong ones, but that they might need to makes choices on behalf of love for weaker believers. Likewise, weaker believers should not judge those who feel more freedom in Christ.

Paul also addresses legalistic keeping of the religious calendar (Gal. 4:10), calling these "elementary principles" that can enslave people. Again, Scripture shows Paul visiting synagogues and observing certain feasts in settings where Judaism was prevalent, but his argument was against the requirement of such actions.

Significance
Paul provides a strong example of the outworking of the Jerusalem Council's decision that believers don't have to be Jewish in form to be Christian in doctrine. Without condemning the Jewish form, the Council established a broad principle which Paul applied throughout his ministry. Gentile worship could be culturally distinct without compromising the basic message.

What does this mean for believers today? First, those of us in the West must realize that it means that believers don't have to be Western in form to be Christian in doctrine. Cultural distinctions are not only allowed in Christianity, they are encouraged. We must recognize the difference between a biblical principle and a cultural one.

This principle makes Christianity a truly multi-cultural religion. In fact, Ralph Winter calls it the only true "world" religion, in the sense that it is non-cultural in content. This is not true of most other major belief systems. To become Jewish looks the same in form throughout the world, with a few differences among the various branches. The same goes for Islam, Buddhism (though it is very syncretistic), Hinduism, even tribal religions (which often are restricted territorially because they view their god as limited to their geographic region). Christianity, though, shares doctrines across cultural lines, but not necessarily forms.

Of course, in his attempts to counterfeit God's design, the enemy tries to create a false "world" religion, by blurring the lines between the belief systems. Chrisitanity as a multi-cultural religion does not in any way blur doctrinal distinctives. It is clearly a different faith than Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, tribal religion. At its center is Jesus. The cross remains a stumbling block for those who will not believe. But for those who do, by grace through faith, the cross gives life. But the practice of that life - and especially the form of its worship - is not presented as a required part of the package. In Christ, some aspects of the culture will be rejected, others transformed, and still others highlighted as beautiful expressions of the mosaic of throne room worship, where every tribe, tongue, nation, and people is focused on the Lamb of God.

The Circumstances of God's Kingdom Advance

From the beginning, God had a plan. In our human-centered mind, we forget that in eternity past - before creation - a lot went on. Scripture tells us that while Father, Son, and Spirit were eternally existent, everything else - including the angels - were created beings. At some point in eternity past, one of those created beings, Lucifer, led an angelic rebellion. As a result, Lucifer and one-third of the angels (now called demons) were expelled from heaven. The rebellion, however, did not end.

Because Lucifer's primary goal was to have the honor and glory that belong only to God, he began immediately to interfere with God's very good creation. His first recorded act reveals that his nature was not changed: he tried to convince mankind they could be "like God" - blatantly attempting to steal glory intended for God alone. What he failed to consider, however, was that God would fight back. Rather than abandon His fallen creation, He would redeem it. In the end, all the nations of the world would bow at His feet in worship.

So while Genesis 3 records the beginning of our role in the conflict between God and Satan, it is by far not the beginning of that battle. However, it does demonstrate to us a clear choice. A battle rages, and we are either on God or Satan's side. There is no middle ground, no demilitarized zone.

The Biblical certainty is that God's kingdom WILL advance. Scripture builds to the crescendo of Christ's finished work on the cross, which won the certain victory despite the fact that mop-up operations continue. Along the way, we see that at every point, God's kingdom advanced because of His plan and His character - and despite human failings and circumstances. In fact, Paul's observation in Phil. 1:12 that his circumstances had worked for the furtherance of the gospel is not limited to the Apostle; Scripture is filled with examples of God's work in seemingly impossible circumstances.

As we study history from a Godward view, we begin to see the broad brush strokes of God's work in the world. Some of these are amazing. Pagan kings become His instruments (Cyrus). Boastful rulers are used by God to purify His people, then go to God's school of humility (Nebuchadnezzar). Ambitious rulers are used by God to unite the Mediterranean world under a common language for a soon-to-come Redeemer (Alexander). The dispersement of early believers due to persecution becomes a method of evangelization. The extremely organized Roman road system becomes pavement for the feet of the messengers of Good News. An exile to Patmos becomes a time of receiving not only revelation, but The Revelation.

Cultures change. Forms are modified to reflect new situations. But the message stays the same: God's Redeemer has crushed satan's head, and we are taking back his ground. Victory has been won! Glorify God, and come worship at His throne - as He intended all along.

The Supra-cultural Message of the Bible

As I dug into my studies this week after a brief break, I found that one of the themes I've encountered repeatedly over the previous two years kept coming back. That is the idea that the Bible - both the Old and New Testaments - has a relevant message for every people group in every place and culture of every time period of the world. It's the "supra-cultural" message of the Bible.

Grasping this gives us a little insight into why some things are left unanswered. Creation, for example, is presented in a way that is meaningful to an aboriginal bushman who looks up at the stars and wonders where they came from, as well as to a scientist who sees in the archaeological record distinct periods of time and the astronomer whose knowledge of deep space convinces him of design, not randomness. The basic story of creation is relevant to all cultures.

Another example: the Word of God tells us that God designed marriage to be a picture of Christ and the church, but doesn't spell out how we are to select a mate (other than specifying we should be equally yoked). Bible heroes had arranged marriages (Isaac and Rebekah), women were occasionally assertive (Ruth!), some appear as a partnership (Priscila and Aquila). Marriage is honorable, but we aren't told how to make it happen - so this teaching can be applied equally in all cultures.

Scripture also contains an answer to a supra-cultural mystery: evil, destruction. In all societies, we see so much potential alongside so much self-destruction. The Mayans with their calendars more advanced than ours practiced human sacrifice. Brilliant minds can still be evil minds. Destructive forces seem to be at work even in our plants as anyone who has seen a blighted crop can attest! The specifics vary, but the fact remains: This world is not perfect, even though it was created as good. What happened? Without a theological degree we can easily grasp the message of Genesis 3: man was tempted and sinned, and the result was death. Man's work became challenging; obstacles were in the way from that point on. Simple fact: Blight wasn't in the garden of Eden, but it was outside where they were cast away. And Adam and Eve carried with them the blight of sin.

So, this side of the cross, what are we to do? As Scripture unfolds, Genesis 1-11 spell out the problem but the solution is presented in Gen. 12:1-3 - Abram is chosen and told to go and allow God to bless other people through him. Rather than sit with the problem surrounding him, Abram will become part of the solution. As the story unfolds, we see God narrow the choice to a people through whom a Redeemer will come. Promises abound that this Redeemer will make all things right - including a creation that groans to be set free (Rom. 8). But the message is equally clear that, like Abram, we are called to be part of the solution.

Making sure that all people know the real story - not the warped one that was carried throughout the world and led to false belief systems, but the true story of God's original plan and the Redeemer He sent to restore the world to that purpose - is sometimes called "missions". But because of the priorities given in Scripture and the example of Christ, we know that while God cares about the soul, He doesn't ignore the needs of the body. So when we go out to meet those temporal needs, we call it "development" or, if the need is more immediate to a crisis, "relief".

As one reading from last year noted, it's not enough to say that "the church of God has a mission in the world." Rather, "The God of mission has a church in the world." He has a purpose to restore all things to Himself, and we are part of it. Wherever we are, we are called to be involved in God's mission to the world.

About Me (but it's really not)

Well, if you were invited to this blog you know what it is all about, but if you stumbled upon it, you probably are really wondering why yet another Christian blog exists. So many out there are all about "me" ... "my" opinions, "my" ministry, "my" church. One of the biggest goals I have for this blog is that it not be about ME! However, since I'm writing it, and you may or may not know me, I do want to give you a bit of background.

I'm a student at William Carey International University. I'm working on a Master of Arts degree in Global Civilization and I'm halfway through the program, praise God! The curriculum is World Christian Foundations (you can see it at www.worldchristianfoundations.org). One of the components of the coursework is to establish a method of communicating the material to others - something I've done the first half through lessons written for and reviewed by my husband. However, I wanted to expand the audience and hence this blog.

I plan to post a weekly entry discussing the material I studied that week. Please feel free to dialogue with me by posting responses! Since this is a distance education program, one thing I desire is interaction with others about the material. My mentor does a great job, but I'd like to interact with others as well. I simply ask that you be respectful toward each other, me, and the material, even if you disagree.

If you have no clue what this material is about, the first few posts will provide an overview. The course section I'm in is called a module (I'm in Module 3 of 4) and this Module is about The Expanding World, AD 200-1945. World Christian Foundations is an integrative program, meaning all classes are woven together into one over-arching course program. WCF is tied together by the theme that God is up to something in this world, and our role as Christians is to be about His work. We study history, cultural anthropology, Scripture, even linguistics, from this angle. If you've read this far, thank you for joining us! I look forward to talking to you on the blog!