By Sean O'Leary
In present day popular culture, there are justifiable challenges to Christianity that at times serve to negate the good work of Christians across two millennia. References to the Inquisition, the Crusades, sectarian conflict, witch trials, institutional neglect and child abuse are challenging to contemplate because they are or were horrific, harmful and deeply unchristian. Reports of such malign episodes can serve to sap our energy, render us speechless in the face of challenge and diminish our bonds of belonging to the Church.
Living victims of abuse should be given every opportunity to have their voice heard in the much-needed effort towards healing and to ensure that such abuses are prevented in the future. Apart from this critical endeavour, we should also be aware that these terrible episodes are sometimes weaponised, particularly in the so-called culture wars, to dismiss the Church as a force for good. Taken together, these harrowing episodes have something important to tell us about human weakness, ambition and the corrupting influence of power.
Abuses of power do not represent in any inherent way the depth and breadth of the Christian faith. Indeed, the exact opposite is true. The enduring appeal and vitality of the Christian faith is based on sacrifice in the service of others – this is the way of servant leadership that followers of Jesus Christ strive to emulate. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Nowhere do the Gospels advocate for a selfish or unloving use of power.
The many worthy contributions made by the Christian faith to the transformation of civilisation are a matter of historical record. The Scriptures provide descriptions of organized food distributions and care for the vulnerable. As the early Church continued to grow and be officially recognised, the remarkable contributions of the Christian faith included: the elimination of infanticide, the end of lethal gladiatorial sports, improving the rights of women, providing burials for paupers, promoting humane treatment for slaves and establishment of public healthcare.
In 325 AD, the First Council of Nicaea strongly counselled the Church to provide for the poor, sick, widows and strangers. It also ordered the construction of a hospital in every cathedral town. It is impossible to overestimate the long-term impact of this development on societal wellbeing. How many burdens were lessened, how many lives were saved, how many individuals from subsequent generations benefitted from the Church’s courageous foresight?
In the Middle Ages, the Church made incredible contributions to music and the arts. Religious congregations pioneered the facilitation of care for the aged and infirm, the development of teaching institutions and the provision of places of refuge for the persecuted. Christianity encouraged scientific exploration, embracing the wonder that new discoveries generated about God’s creation and striving to balance the inevitable tensions that arose between interpretations of the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture.
In the industrial age, Christians were highly active in reforming social ills, such as child labour, debtors’ prisons and unsafe industrial conditions. Christians led the campaign for the abolition of slavery. Even amidst the highly questionable and selfish exploits of colonialism, some Christians stood out for their opposition to the status quo. In the 19th Century, Pope Gregory XVI condemned slavery and the slave trade and approved the ordination of native clergy despite entrenched government racism.
Amidst the challenges of significant social inequities, Christians also developed life-enhancing initiatives, such as Christian socialism and labour movements to protect the rights of the underprivileged and advocate for a welfare state. In more recent times, Christians have continued the tradition of social activism in campaigning for civil rights, and in helping to frame the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The development of liberation theology and God’s preferential option for the poor challenged unjust economic systems and helped to topple political dictatorships. It is remarkable that small and humble practices of faith that served to empower the poorest and build community managed to achieve so much.
While adherence to Christian religious practice is declining in the Western world, it continues to grow elsewhere. A hundred years ago, Europe and North America made up over three quarters of the world’s Christian population and it is estimated that during this current century, African, Asian and Latin American Christians will comprise three quarters of the world’s Christian population.
In the Western world, it is a challenging time for people of faith. Secularisation, materialism and individualism appear to be the default cultural positions adopted by societies. However, our value systems remain influenced by Christian tradition.
The reluctance of a large portion of Western societies to abide by or even acknowledge the importance of religious norms also presents an opportunity. In what could be described as a post-Church world, it is up to each committed Christian to revitalise their purpose by reclaiming the life-enhancing message of the Gospels.
This is a time for deepening our faith and seeing its relevance for the world around us. For we know from Scripture that the Spirit of God inexorably seeks for compassion and justice; and we know from historical accounts that the Christian message of life and hope is universally applicable.
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