OUR CHRISTIAN ORIGINS

Essay 2

How we got here. Churches evolved as the centres of worship over nearly two thousand years. They are central in western society. Four roots shaped them.

JUDAISM
The Jewish religion was a milestone in religious development. It worshipped an omnipotent unseen spiritual God concerned with the moral behaviour. He was also the Guardian of their nation.
In contrast, many of the other earlier religions worshiped gods from major physical forces in their experience such as the sun, the moon or some place, considered sacred. Others believed that the spirits of their ancestors retained power over their lives.
Many of the earlier civilisations centred around preserving the souls of their rulers after death. In some cases, especially in central America, the gods were supposed to demand large numbers of human sacrifices.
The Jewish faith therefore was one of the earliest which worshipped an unseen moral God.
Several prophets had the gift of prophecy and forecast the coming of their Messiah centuries before Jesus was born.
Their steadfast religion unified and strengthened the nation and enabled them to survive in a hostile world for over 1000 years.
The followers had such great faith in their powerful God that Abraham was even prepared to sacrifice his own son when he believed that was what the Lord had demanded.
The moral code was the Ten Commandments which defined what behaviour was not acceptable to God and was therefore evil.
It was also a harsh code allowing vengeance in terms of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
God was perceived to be a strict and omnipotent power who would call sinners to account on the Day of Judgement. Notably He promised care after death to those who did not sin.
This steadfast faith set the stage for the ministry of Christ.
I understand that a great deal of these scriptures still form the basis of Judaism and Islam. It will be politically incorrect to suggest that, even nuclear, conflict, between members of these unforgiving faiths is a threat to world peace!
Conclusion. The belief in one unseen moral God was unique. It set the stage for Him to reveal His purpose through His Son’s message to mankind.

THE MESSAGES OF JESUS CHRIST
The most momentous event in history was when God sent Jesus to teach His purpose for us. This was the first time that men could see God and hear his words.
Christ brought a completely new message, He gave just two commandments. We must love God and love our neighbours as ourselves.
His teachings were presented as parables which were simple and understandable to his audience.
The parable of the sheep and the goats told that those who had served God had done so unwittingly when they loved and were kind to other people. This surely must be one of God’s most profound Messages. We serve him by loving others rather than by formal worship.
SIN was acknowledged as a human failing. Remember the crowd who wanted to stone an adulteress. He said “let him who is without sin throw the first stone“. He clearly knew everybody sins.
Forgiveness. The Lord’s Prayer asks for forgiveness as we forgive those who trespass against us. Having given his followers the Prayer during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasised this “for if you forgive men their trespasses against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you “. What could be clearer than that?
Forgiveness, is therefore earned through our forgiveness of others.
(A contrary, subsequent view, is that forgiveness is granted to those who love God because of Jesus sacrifice on the Cross. I prefer the specific promise above which puts the onus on us.)
The parable of The Prodigal Son emphasised that God rejoices in forgiving the past sins of anyone who repents and turns to Him in faith.
The Power of GOD in every day life was shown through Jesus’ many miracles of healing and even raising the dead.
Finally there was the Resurrection. Having seen Jesus in human form for several years, he was crucified and reappeared in spiritual form. Now they could worship Him as a God they had seen. He promised to be there when two or three gathered in His name.
THE WATERSHED
These examples and all the other stories in the Gospels were a completely new revelation of a loving and forgiving God and how mankind should serve Him.
Christ, brought a new message which superseded the 10 commandments and the unforgiving beliefs of Judaism.
The negative code of “thou shalt not“ was replaced by the positive emphasis on loving your neighbour.
The doctrine of forgiveness replaced beliefs of revenge of ”an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. This is a quantum leap from negative teachings of Judaism.
Conclusion The Son of God’s simple message was brought by a humble man. His disciples were ordinary folk who he had called to follow him. His message was to ordinary people on how to live in faith and love for the rest of mankind. His miracles revealed God’s real power on earth.

THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Divine intervention of the Holy Spirit was promised to the faithful by Christ, before the Crucifiction. It inspired the apostles and many new converts to spread Christ’s message and found Christianity. About 3000, at Pentecost, received inspiration plus the gift of being able to speak the foreign languages that they needed abroad.
Notable also was the direct conversion of Saint Paul.
The achievements of these new inspired Christians was momentous.
Their first difficulty was that they had to convert foreigners.
They must also have depended on their hosts for food, shelter and clothing.
Their converts formed permanent communities of Christians who remained steadfast. By divine inspiration and faith, they withstood many persecutions. Many gave their lives in this mission.
The steadfast faith and strength of the new Christians in Rome was remarkable. For 300 years they were persecuted, and even put to death, in front of crowds in the Coliseum, notably by Nero. Finally their sacrifices were rewarded by the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
The spread of their new Christian communities was wondrous indeed. From Russia to North Africa and India throughout Europe.
These initial foundations of today’s churches were laid without major institutions, officials, temples, robes or pomp and ceremony. Rather it was by communities united by FAITH and dedication. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The New Testament as the guiding light of Christianity to this day, was one of their most remarkable achievements.
Writing was done on rolls of parchment, which would not have been cheap to ordinary people. Scribes were probably not plentiful. For them to record each of the Gospels would have been slow and laborious. Copies would have been equally difficult. Yet they were produced.
Then came the Acts of the Apostles and the letters that have survived from their ministries. This all illustrates remarkable dedication and strength only consistent with divine inspiration.
Conclusion These were the real heroes. The inspiration of the Apostles by the Holy Spirit must surely be God’s greatest intervention in human affairs. Without their achievements Christianity would not have spread or survived.

CHRISTIANITY IN SOCIETY
Christianity, originally founded and spread by the apostles, eventually became formalised in the fourth century. Officials were appointed and churches were built.
Ties were later allied with political rulers and the new churches became the official religions of several empires. They supported political rulers and achieved power themselves.
Major churches, such as those in Rome, Greece and Russia, evolved in slightly different ways.
They played a vital part in developing their societies.
Since Henry V111, the Anglican church has been the official church of Britain. It is integrated into the society and the Monarch is its head.
The monasteries were isolated centres of learning during the Dark Ages.
The Reformation led to breakaways in Europe from the monolithic Church of Rome. Since then more independent Protestant churches became established.

Conclusion
Christian moral codes were the foundation of our modern democratic systems. It was eventually led to the passing pf power from the privileged rulers to the people and the concepts of justice and equality under the law, enforced by independent judiciaries. The press was able to criticise and expose the misdeeds of anyone in power.
Western society was therefore shaped by churches. Their values are generally accepted as their moral foundation They all profess to be Christian societies and churches have a central role .

Christians owe enormous gratitude to the churches for keeping faith and bringing down Christ’s Teaching for 2000 years.