Poll: Insular Social Cultures

[Ken]

For most of human history, people lived in insular social cultures. It certainly is not automatically a bad thing.

On the other hand, the Roman and Babylonian empires were among the most diverse societies in history, rivaled only by the modern US. Rome at the time of Christ was an absolute polyglot society of different cultures and languages mixing Black Africans from provinces like Mauritania with blonde Germanic tribes from the northern provinces and middle eastern tribes from Egypt, Syria, and Judea.

I'm not sure I'd hold up either Rome nor Babylon as an example of a society Christians should aspire to.

The first 500 years of Christianity including all of the early church was part of the Roman Empire. The government persecuted Christians during the first few centuries. But Christianity itself drew from the diverse polyglot of cultures that was the Roman Empire. Paul traveled widely and evangelized to a wide cross section of cultures and regions. He didn't stay in Jerusalem. Christianity was spreading across what was probably the most diverse culture history up until that point in time in history. And perhaps the most diverse culture until modern America.

[Josh]

On the other hand, the Roman and Babylonian empires were among the most diverse societies in history, rivaled only by the modern US. Rome at the time of Christ was an absolute polyglot society of different cultures and languages mixing Black Africans from provinces like Mauritania with blonde Germanic tribes from the northern provinces and middle eastern tribes from Egypt, Syria, and Judea.

I'm not sure I'd hold up either Rome nor Babylon as an example of a society Christians should aspire to.

The first 500 years of Christianity including all of the early church was part of the Roman Empire. The government persecuted Christians during the first few centuries. But Christianity itself drew from the diverse polyglot of cultures that was the Roman Empire. Paul traveled widely and evangelized to a wide cross section of cultures and regions. He didn't stay in Jerusalem. Christianity was spreading across what was probably the most diverse culture history up until that point in time in history. And perhaps the most diverse culture until modern America.

I'll repeat myself:

The Roman Empire and Babylon are both examples of how society should not be. Babylon is literally used as a type in scripture of a satanic city.