"Christianity is essentially the religion of the persecuted, the underdogs, and the outcasts." Maybe this was true for first century believers, but certainly not since the Roman Empire made the religion its official state religion.
Its become a cultural and political power globally, and a multi-billion dollar annual industry as Earth's most popular religion.
Thank you for bringing this statement to my attention.
You are right to point out that Christianity’s near exclusive popularity among the “canaille” of antiquity was short-lived, and that the Church has historically enjoyed unprecedented success in terms of its global popularity and its ability to appeal to people in every rank of society.
So, my statement needs some explanation.
“Christianity is essentially the religion of the persecuted, the underdogs, and the outcasts.”, was more in reference to scriptural valorization of martyrdom, the endurance of suffering, and deference to God to mete out divine justice. The faith has a built-in appeal to society’s downtrodden. It allows them to view their plight, and even their ultimate downfalls as a sort of moral achievement, rather than a tragedy.
Christianity is a multi-faceted faith, and Scripture can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. The numerous denominations under the Christian umbrella are proof of this. Moderate/ mainline Christians also tend to focus on different aspects of the faith, like Jesus’s love and living a life of charity, over apocalyptic dogmas and whatnot.
Unfortunately, as mainline denominations continue to dwindle, so do their views on the faith. Hardline evangelicals, notably Pentacostalists, are beginning to take center stage, and redefining the mainstream understanding of “Christian identity.” And for them, it's all about “accepting Jesus or else”, the final judgment, and for them, to be a part of a chosen few slated for salvation, practically looking forward to being persecuted for their faith as if it were some affirmation or assurance of God's providence or favor.
They are taking the faith back to its rough roots, as an apocalyptic cult that views suffering and being martyred for Christ as the supreme gesture of faith and devotion (and a one-way ticket to Paradise).
I greatly enjoyed reading this piece and am in broad agreement with your careful analysis. America was always intended to be a secular state, but the warped religiosity of certain segments of society has set things off-kilter for many generations now. My only addition to your argument would be that Christianity is not a monolith; while the traditional, evangelical branch is indeed going to have an outsized influence on American culture and politics going forward (as you astutely predict) they are not representative of the entirety of Christian expressions active in America today. There is a burgeoning movement to redefine and reconstruct the faith, recognizing the need to break away from the derelict structures and institutions that have shaped the dominant orthodoxy for the last few centuries. It’s ill-defined as yet, but a term that sometimes is used to describe this movement is the ‘emergent church’. These Christians recognize that faith is always in negotiation with culture, and it evolves and transforms over time in response to ever-changing social/political/technological paradigms. For instance, by and large they are open to LGBTQ+ people, comfortable with secularization and reject Christian nationalism. Their focus is often more oriented toward authentic personal experience and relationship with the divine/other humans over performative or dogmatic espousal of virtues and moral sensibilities. If a Biblical analogy might be used, perhaps it could be said that these Christians view their conservative counterparts as professing a kind of ‘pharisaical Christianity’. It’s worth remembering that Jesus reserved with harshest criticisms for the religious elites of his day - those who held tremendous social/political power and enforced rigid adherence to what they viewed as correct doctrinal practices. Taken in this light, it can perhaps be said that a refreshed, revitalized and reborn Christian faith expression is now emerging from the hollow, spiritually bankrupt Christian expressions that you have written about here so eloquently.
What does all this mean? I’ve heard whisperings, even here on Substack, of a new Reformation gathering pace. Who knows what will come of this movement - but I imagine it will be an increasingly significant voice in America - and also the world - in the years to come.
Thank you again for reading, and also for your articulate and enlightening reply. I was not aware of an "emergent church" movement line the one you described. That is extremely interesting, since until now it appeared to me that Christianity in the U.S. was shedding its rational/moderate nuances and collapsing into a backward, dogma-obsessed doom cult. I will certainly be tracking it in the future.
"Christianity is essentially the religion of the persecuted, the underdogs, and the outcasts." Maybe this was true for first century believers, but certainly not since the Roman Empire made the religion its official state religion.
Its become a cultural and political power globally, and a multi-billion dollar annual industry as Earth's most popular religion.
Thank you for bringing this statement to my attention.
You are right to point out that Christianity’s near exclusive popularity among the “canaille” of antiquity was short-lived, and that the Church has historically enjoyed unprecedented success in terms of its global popularity and its ability to appeal to people in every rank of society.
So, my statement needs some explanation.
“Christianity is essentially the religion of the persecuted, the underdogs, and the outcasts.”, was more in reference to scriptural valorization of martyrdom, the endurance of suffering, and deference to God to mete out divine justice. The faith has a built-in appeal to society’s downtrodden. It allows them to view their plight, and even their ultimate downfalls as a sort of moral achievement, rather than a tragedy.
Christianity is a multi-faceted faith, and Scripture can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. The numerous denominations under the Christian umbrella are proof of this. Moderate/ mainline Christians also tend to focus on different aspects of the faith, like Jesus’s love and living a life of charity, over apocalyptic dogmas and whatnot.
Unfortunately, as mainline denominations continue to dwindle, so do their views on the faith. Hardline evangelicals, notably Pentacostalists, are beginning to take center stage, and redefining the mainstream understanding of “Christian identity.” And for them, it's all about “accepting Jesus or else”, the final judgment, and for them, to be a part of a chosen few slated for salvation, practically looking forward to being persecuted for their faith as if it were some affirmation or assurance of God's providence or favor.
They are taking the faith back to its rough roots, as an apocalyptic cult that views suffering and being martyred for Christ as the supreme gesture of faith and devotion (and a one-way ticket to Paradise).
Dear Human Animal,
I greatly enjoyed reading this piece and am in broad agreement with your careful analysis. America was always intended to be a secular state, but the warped religiosity of certain segments of society has set things off-kilter for many generations now. My only addition to your argument would be that Christianity is not a monolith; while the traditional, evangelical branch is indeed going to have an outsized influence on American culture and politics going forward (as you astutely predict) they are not representative of the entirety of Christian expressions active in America today. There is a burgeoning movement to redefine and reconstruct the faith, recognizing the need to break away from the derelict structures and institutions that have shaped the dominant orthodoxy for the last few centuries. It’s ill-defined as yet, but a term that sometimes is used to describe this movement is the ‘emergent church’. These Christians recognize that faith is always in negotiation with culture, and it evolves and transforms over time in response to ever-changing social/political/technological paradigms. For instance, by and large they are open to LGBTQ+ people, comfortable with secularization and reject Christian nationalism. Their focus is often more oriented toward authentic personal experience and relationship with the divine/other humans over performative or dogmatic espousal of virtues and moral sensibilities. If a Biblical analogy might be used, perhaps it could be said that these Christians view their conservative counterparts as professing a kind of ‘pharisaical Christianity’. It’s worth remembering that Jesus reserved with harshest criticisms for the religious elites of his day - those who held tremendous social/political power and enforced rigid adherence to what they viewed as correct doctrinal practices. Taken in this light, it can perhaps be said that a refreshed, revitalized and reborn Christian faith expression is now emerging from the hollow, spiritually bankrupt Christian expressions that you have written about here so eloquently.
What does all this mean? I’ve heard whisperings, even here on Substack, of a new Reformation gathering pace. Who knows what will come of this movement - but I imagine it will be an increasingly significant voice in America - and also the world - in the years to come.
Thank you again for reading, and also for your articulate and enlightening reply. I was not aware of an "emergent church" movement line the one you described. That is extremely interesting, since until now it appeared to me that Christianity in the U.S. was shedding its rational/moderate nuances and collapsing into a backward, dogma-obsessed doom cult. I will certainly be tracking it in the future.