When you mix religion, nationalism, imperialism, and fear, people do really bad things.
American culture is changing. Although we in the U.S. take pride in the separation of Church and state, the civil religion of our country has long “been Christianity.” Whether formally legislated or informally understood, Christendom takes shape when a national government and the Church partner to create a society in which a version of the Christian story is at the core of a culture.
To some, this may sound like a positive thing, but unfortunately Christendom has often left the Church’s hands dirty with the deeds of nationalistic conquest and greed. The Roman emperor Constantine inaugurated Christendom when he converted to Christianity in the fourth century and began conquering enemies in Christ’s name. For the first time in history, the cross and the sword became business partners.
Our society, however, like the rest of the western world, is in a transition toward post-Christendom. Post-Christendom occurs when Christianity no longer occupies the privileged center of public discourse.
In his book The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of Radical Faith, Murray describes some key characteristics of post-Christian culture, including the following transitions:
Shifts like these discourage many Christians—but should they? As an Anabaptist, I welcome them. In today’s post-Christian culture, Christians would do well to see these changes as opportunities to re-embrace our subversive roots and follow Jesus from the margins. The natural outcome could be a witness characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, enemy love, and justice for the poor. Perhaps, for people like David, Christian credibility will be revived afresh.
- Churches no longer occupy a central place within culture;
- Christians exist as a minority group amidst many ideological communities;
- Christianity seeks not to rule over society but to witness to it through lived expressions of God’s kingdom;
- Churches reimagine their primary role as a movement rather than an institution; and
- Christians move from maintaining the status quo to radically following Jesus from the margins.
