I was reading a book today and got to thinking about something. We've often heard the saying that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." And indeed, we can witness this fact from history. In the first 3 centuries of the church, Christianity saw exponential growth despite the fact that they were the minority, persecuted, oppressed, and executed. Even today, the church in China is one of the fastest growing in the world even though she endures harsh persecution from the government there. This got me to wondering: is the opposite true. What if, when the church gains prominence and power, does she become ineffective and die?
This certainly appears to be the trend. It's hard to deny that once Constantine legalized Christianity and mixed that faith and politics that church began to become less effective. Eventually, you'd end up with popes assassinating each other and atrocities like the Crusades, the Inquisition, and witch hunts. Not only did the church become ineffective, but it began to promote some of the cruelest violence in history, all under the name of the man who called us to "love your enemies and pray for your persecutors."
Perhaps that is what worries me the most about Christians who insist on America's Christian roots and the need to remake a "Christian nation." Should we desire protection? Should we seek these places of power and privilege to "Christianize the nation/world?" History (and Jesus) should tell us "no." Gregory Boyd puts this nicely when he compares the power that is wielded by governments and nations to the ring in Lord of the Rings. "The sword has a demonic power to deceive us. When we pick it up, we come under its power." Even if we could "take back" America from the top down, would we act justly. Would we be like Christlike? Or would we be corrupted as history shows time and time again. Unfortunately, we too quickly confuse the Kingdom of God with the Kingdoms of this world (namely America).
Why is it that Christianity explodes in nations like China, where persecution is rampant, but it dies in a nation where we are the majority, enjoy countless freedom, and hold a major voice in politics? Is this just coincidence, or is it something we should be wary of? If we truly listen to the words of the Bible, and especially of Christ, maybe sometime we will learn that the Kingdom of God does not come by gaining power over others, but it comes when we place ourselves under others. When we love others more than self, when we turn the other cheek, when we love our enemies, when we serve instead of take, when we live a crucified life, then the Kingdom comes.
