PATRIOTISM - AND THE DECLINE OF A CHRISTIAN NATION - PART II
Part ll
The Christian Emperor, Theodosius I, in 395 A.D. was continuing what the soon-to-be Emperor, Constantine, began in 311 A.D. with the Edict of Toleration and 313 A.D. with the Edict of Milan. Constantine had a vision of the cross or of the Chi rho, the first two letters of Christ In Greek. In the vision he was told “in this sign conquer.” Placing the cross of Chi rho (accounts vary) on his shield and helmet, Constantine went on to win the crucial battle at the Milvian Bridge enabling him to unite the Empire under his rule.
Not only did Constantine declare Christianity to be a legal religion, (it heretofore had been an illegal religion in the Empire) he began the long process culminating in Christianity become the State Religion.
Constantine restored confiscated church properties, guaranteed property rights to churches, eased tax burdens, made donations to clergy, moved toward officially recognizing Sunday as a holy day, appointed Christians to high office and convened the famous Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. which produced one of the most famous creeds (The Nicene) of Christianity. Christianity was on its way to becoming the official religion of the Empire.
This was a far cry from the Empire and Christianity of our text from the Bible’s last book, Revelation. When it was written in 95 or 96 A.D. by John the Seer on the Island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, it was illegal to be a Christian in the Roman Empire. Christians were required once year to appear at an imperial altar and burn incense, offer animal sacrifice, bow the knee and say publicly, “Caesar is Lord.”
Many Christians refused, saying they had only one Lord, Jesus Christ. Their refusal led to persecution, confiscation of property, imprisonment, sometimes death and sometimes exile as in the case of John the Seer on Patmos. Is it any wonder that in John’s 18th chapter he celebrates the destruction of Rome (there called Babylon). Rome was oppressive, intolerant, tyrannical and brutal. Christians longed for God’s wrath to descend upon the vile Empire.
But this Empire was far different from the one praised by Paul in 56 A.D. in his letter to the Romans. Paul was a Roman citizen. His family business in Tarsus (present day Turkey) profited from making leather tents for the Roman military. In his missionary travels he benefited from the Pax Romana, from the roads and safe shipping lanes. And when he wa brought to trial, the Roman system of justice saved him more than once.
It was in that context he penned the controversial words in Romans. Hear some of them again. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed.” (Romans 13: 1-2)
Peter’s first letter, written probably around the end of the first century, echoes a similar theme.
Although Christians by that time had suffered persecution, the letter states: “For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right ( I Peter 2: 13-14) The politically cynical among us today might exclaim, “how naïve can you be about the nature of political power?”
Consider for example Mugabe in Zimbabwe and his totally failed, barbarous regime. Think of the atrocities of Idi Amin or the pathologically oppressive personality cult of Kim I Sung of North Korea. Consider Stalin’s Gulag Archipelago where millions died or Hitler’s Third Reich bent on exterminating Jews and other opposition. Think of the Taliban, the Madrasahs and Isis sponsored by radical Islamic leadership where homeless children are housed, fed, brainwashed and recruited to be suicide bombers.
Can we blame some atheists and other skeptics for being critical of Paul’s words to the Romans where he says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1)
Really? Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Mugabe – instituted by God? Atheists righty claim that if that is the case, what kind of God does Paul have?
(to be continued)
