Constantine and the Fall of the Church

Scott Ritsema
CIVICS NEWS.com
January 2, 2009



This video identifies one of the key flash points in church history. Perhaps you could call it the "fall" of the church. Constantine. Where the church and the state merged, and "Christians" became violent oppressors, rather than courageous martyrs. The history that ensued, following this tragic Constantinian moment, is a sad history from the perspective of a disciple of Jesus, and it is the reason I wrote The Way, the Truth and the Sword (See HERE for free book excerpts). I pray that through this work, my fellow Christians might be called out of the statist, imperial worldview that was institutionalized with Constantine. A worldview that has dominated Christianity ever since.

I'll keep my comments brief so the reader can watch the clip; see the book for a complete analysis of the subject. Simply put, we are called to make disciples, period. Not to kill people or to use government to extend the influence of the church through coercive power. When we pick up the sword to coercively advance economic equality, military hegemony, or societal morality, we destroy the church.

The way of Jesus is not of this world (John 18:36), and doesn't need the help of governments, which operate with violence.

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." --Matthew 20:25-28:

(Thanks Davey for the clip.)