Looking Back

I grew up during the “Cold War.” Families were encouraged to build bomb shelters in their basements. In elementary school I remember air raid drills where we practiced crawling under our desks to protect us from the imminent danger of Russian nuclear bombs. The Eastern Bloc countries in Europe were under the yoke of communism, loyal to the Soviet Union, and ruled by ruthless dictators. Those oppressed peoples were kept from fleeing by the “iron curtain,” a series of fences, mine fields, and watch towers, that were constantly patrolled by armed soldiers and stretched from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea. The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to separate the free West Berlin from the totalitarian rule that controlled East Berlin and East Germany, one of the most oppressed countries in the Eastern Bloc. I assumed the Berlin Wall and the Cold War would outlive me. It was a lens through which I had been taught to see the world. 

In 1975, I joined a small contingent of believers who obtained visas to visit the Eastern Bloc countries in order to meet clandestinely with persecuted believers. We passed through the Iron Curtain traveling from West Germany through Communist East Germany to West Berlin by train. (West Berlin was an island of freedom surrounded by East Germany on all sides.) East German soldiers entered the train at the border with assault rifles to assess each passenger and study our travel documents, but mostly to intimidate us. The train traveled in a fenced corridor through East Germany, never stopping, under continuous surveillance by countless watch towers, cameras, and soldiers patrolling the fence line until we reached West Berlin. 

West Berlin was a bustling city, teeming with friendly people and heavy traffic. It was filled with shops, malls, theaters, restaurants, and office buildings. A few days later we passed through “Check Point Charlie” into East Berlin. The change was dramatic. When we stopped at the gate we were surrounded by soldiers with dogs and automatic weapons, machine guns, and tanks. We were assigned a guide to spy on us and direct us through the mostly empty streets of East Berlin. It felt tense, restrained, and ominous. The guide led us to museums, monuments, and several derelict churches. Some of those abandoned churches had trees growing through their roofs. The message was clear: The Christian faith is an irrelevant historical footnote. We traveled through several of the Eastern Bloc countries in the days that followed, meeting secretly with believers at predetermined locations and times. We listened to their stories of oppression, persecution, and imprisonment, but also of God’s faithfulness. It was a sobering experience.

After crossing back through the “Iron Curtain” from Hungary into Austria a few weeks later, nothing had changed in my mind about the Cold War. Communism was evil. But because it seemed so powerful and entrenched, I assumed it was an unchanging fact. Imagine my shock and joy, fifteen years later, when revolts spread through those Eastern Bloc countries, led by Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary – all countries in which I had witnessed intense oppression. And then, in 1990, the Berlin Wall was demolished which was beyond anything I had ever imagined possible. It was an epic change; the type of change that had once seemed impossible. It was the end of one era and the beginning of a new era of history. 

A Spiritual Tsunami: Epic Change #1

You have read and thought about the first-century church described in the NT. Ten days after Jesus had ascended to heaven the Holy Spirit descended upon his remaining disciples on the day of Pentecost. The birth of the church was a tiny beginning which has grown into a global movement, bringing epic change. On the morning of Pentecost, there was no church, but there were one-hundred twenty (120) disciples praying together in Jerusalem. By the end of the day, there were over three thousand (3000+) additional disciples – all Jews, that comprised the first church in history. Today there are an estimated two-billion, three-hundred eighty-million (2,380,000,000) Christians spread over the entire globe, speaking thousands of different languages, representing almost every race, nation, tribe, and ethnic group. Tomorrow there will be an estimated fifty-thousand (50,000) more new believers, twenty-five thousand (25,000) of those new converts will be in China. The small group of original disciples barely made a ripple in the ocean of the world’s population, but have become a spiritual tsunami over the last two-thousand years. It was an epic event, and the difference maker was and continues to be the Holy Spirit.

Yet the birth of the church occurred in a remote area of the Roman Empire. Outside of Jerusalem, and perhaps even within Jerusalem, relatively few knew what had happened. Initially, those who heard the story of Pentecost, considered the resulting church to be a small and insignificant Jewish sect. But the church was a revolutionary, counter-cultural movement from its inception. The new faith community faced countless obstacles and widespread hostility. The hostility soon hardened into persecution. Some were killed, becoming the first martyrs (martyr means witness). Many disciples fled Jerusalem as the violence against them escalated. But wherever they went, they shared the good news with others. Soon Gentiles came to faith as the church crossed ethnic, racial, linguistic, geographic, and national boundaries. The church penetrated the outer reaches of the Roman Empire in North Africa, the Middle-East, Asia-Minor, and southern Europe – even to the capital city of Rome and beyond.

Those early disciples paid an enormous price during the first three centuries after Jesus. The full might of the Roman Empire, the most powerful empire on earth, considered them enemies and sought to stamp out the faith by destroying the church. They were despised and exiled, some were burned alive, and others thrown to wild animals. Yet they continued to meet, often in secret, to share the good news, and to love their neighbors as well as their enemies. When plagues struck their communities, they stayed and cared for their stricken neighbors while their friends and fellow residents fled in panic. Even with these challenges, because of God’s faithfulness to his promises and the disciples’ faithfulness to God, the church not only survived but thrived. On the day of Pentecost, no one realized the infant church that had been birthed would become a spiritual tsunami that continues to change the world two thousand years later.

Christendom: Epic Change #2

Another milestone event happened in 313 A.D. when the ruler of the Roman Empire, Emperor Constantine, converted to the Christian faith. Like Pentecost, the ripples of his conversion cannot be overstated. Before his conversion, being or becoming a Christian was illegal in the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, the church continued its dynamic growth. Perhaps Constantine decided that since he could not eliminate the church, he would join it. Whatever his motivation, his decision to align himself with the spiritual movement sweeping through his empire had far reaching implications that changed the church and changed history. It was an epic event.

Constantine’s conversion turned things upside down. When the emperor made such a bold decision, everyone in the empire had to evaluate its significance for themselves. Probably, many of those in the Roman bureaucracy realized it would be prudent to follow the emperor’s example in order to advance their own careers. Others, who had been secret followers of Jesus, may have found a new boldness to speak about their faith. 

Not only was Christianity legalized; it eventually became the official religion of the entire Roman Empire. For three centuries, the mightiest empire in the West had viewed Christianity as a threat to be eliminated and used severe persecution to destroy the church. Yet after Christianity became the official religion, the empire and church became enmeshed, sharing power and influence. Disciples who formerly had been a persecuted minority, ostracized and rejected by the mainstream authorities, became part of the coddled and privileged majority. The church was no longer a cult of outcasts, but a respected and essential institution with genuine social and political clout. The difference was stunning. Things were turned upside down. Over the next few centuries, the outcasts became pampered and powerful insiders.

The church became a major influence in the development of Western culture, and its values of freedom, justice, law, education, human rights, the arts, science, and morality. Yet when those who were formerly outsiders suddenly became insiders, they faced many corrupting influences. To be a citizen of the empire and a member of the church became one and the same. Thus, priests accompanied the armies to accomplish their joint mission. The soldiers conquered the neighboring peoples, and the priests baptized them. The vanquished foes became citizens of Rome (making them members of the church). The church’s role gradually shifted from making disciples to making good citizens. These changes birthed Christendom.

By the eleventh century, the church had split into two factions, the Western Church (Roman Catholic) and the Eastern Church (Eastern Orthodox). Meanwhile, what had come to be called the Holy Roman Empire was splintered into separate nations throughout Europe. The formerly united Catholic Church became fractured as each nation established its own state church. The Protestant Reformation, beginning with Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral in 1517, only accelerated the schisms in the church. By the eighteenth century, Europe was a patchwork of nations and languages. The once united church was primarily divided into Protestant and Roman Catholic. Religious wars arose between the various states and their state churches as they vied for power and supremacy.

The creation of the United States on the North American continent, in my opinion, became the highest expression of many of the positive aspects of Western Culture. The constitutional form of government reflected many of the covenantal principles reflected in the Exodus story of God liberating the Hebrew slaves though plagues, the Passover, and escape through the Red Sea. At Mt. Sinai the Hebrews ratified a God-given covenant (stipulating both God’s and the people’s responsibilities), becoming history’s first free nation.

The founders of America followed the Sinai pattern. They believed everyone had God-given rights and dignity. They wrote a constitution (much like a covenant) that was ratified by every state. They built in checks and balances between three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial (just as the Hebrews had prophet, priest, and king, each checking the others’ power). Governed by law, not a monarch, all citizens were considered equal under the law. Tragically, the founders refused to fully implement equality by permitting slavery. The founders chose not to establish a state church since each of the thirteen colonies had their own preferred or established state church. This echoed the Sinai pattern in how religious functions (Tabernacle/Temple) were separated from the king and the prophets, disallowing state interference with the church and her mission. The first amendment to the Constitution took it further, prohibiting the establishment of an official state church for the young nation, but also guaranteeing the free exercise of religion for all.

This revolutionary experiment loosely linked freedom and faith in a way that had not been attempted since Sinai. The church continued to splinter in America, but the original colonial denominations became the unofficial (ex-official) churches of the land. No one was required to participate in a faith community, but were subtly encouraged to do so. Public schools became a de facto Protestant educational system. There was diversity of religion, political ideologies, ethnicity, and races. But unity rested on the belief that all were equal under the law and were mutually responsible for one-another’s well-being. An ordered freedom emerged that sought to balance the rights of individuals with the responsibility to care for and respect each other. America was never a Christian nation, but a nation built upon principles derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition and closely resembling the Covenantal pattern of freedom instituted at Sinai.

Post-Christendom: Epic Change #3

Naturally, as a child growing up in America of the 1950’s, I not only assumed the Cold War to be an unchanging fact but also believed that to be an American citizen was synonymous with being a Christian (a remnant of Christendom). This worldview began to unravel in the tumult of the sixties; the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, student protests, and the feminist’s movement. Growing distrust of our national institutions sowed seeds of change that have ripened into epic change since 9/11 and the start of the new millennium. Christendom and modernity have collapsed as did the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The U.S. is rapidly becoming a post-Christian, post-modern society. 

Where the United States will end up is unclear at this time, but we are in the midst of epic change. When the twin towers collapsed in 2001, a massive cloud of dust and debris spread from ground zero and obscured vision in Manhattan. In a similar way, the chaos and confusion that accompanies this epic change obscures our view of what will be left standing when the dust settles. The nation is divided by competing visions of what will emerge. Yet, at least two things are clear: post-modernity has undermined truth, reducing it to the status of a personal opinion, and post-Christendom has eliminated the privileged-status of the church in society. 

America has become a post-Christian society. Social turbulence has shaken people’s faith, but the gospel stands on the unchanging rock of Jesus. Disciples must adapt to social changes. We can no longer expect to receive any social privileges or benefits from our faith. Rather, as secular thinking severs our society from its Judeo-Christian roots, followers will increasing be identified as oppressors who are on the wrong side of history. Because of these trends, disciples should expect increasing disapproval, rejection, and hatred. The pattern of social change will continue to marginalize Christians, leaving followers with diminished social influence and status. Continuing on this path, the “gospel truth” which was formerly respected, will likely trigger increasing scorn and ridicule in non-believers. 

The days of the church enjoying privilege, status, and power as an essential institution of our society have passed. Not long ago it was acceptable to cite Bible passages in the halls of Congress or on university campuses. Now citing Scripture is increasingly viewed as hate speech. No longer can one assume that to be an American is to be a Christian. In fact, a societal shift seems to be in motion where only religions that reflect current ideology, or ones who are willing to twist their core beliefs to conform to it are recognized as worthy of support.

The church in America, as in Christendom (explained in Epic Change #2), became fat, comfortable, and spiritually complacent. Instead of building disciples, the church sought to build larger buildings. Hopefully, the epic change of post-Christendom will also serve to eradicate our spiritual complacency. We will either shed our flabby faith or exercise it, turning it into spiritual muscle. People will choose to follow Jesus because they need him and the gospel is true, not for any perceived social or economic benefit. In the emerging world the church will either recover her spiritual power (that was not needed when it was a privileged American institution) or perish. I pray the Holy Spirit will make his presence more obvious through signs and wonders. The church will become less affluent, but more focused, faith-filled, faithful, and increasingly characterized by the fruit of the Spirit. It will have little or no political power, but life-changing spiritual power. Living all-in for Jesus may become the norm once again in the church, instead of the exception. 

History seems to confirm that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The church has often flourished and grown when confronted by opposition and persecution. For instance, according to the Berkley Center, there were less than one million Protestants in China when Mao Zedong came to power in 1949. They estimate that by 2030, there will be two hundred twenty-four million (224,000,000) Protestant believers in China (Fenggang Yang, (2017), Christianity’s Growth in China. Berkley Center, Georgetown University), despite constant and intense persecution. The Lord delights in using people who are willing to suffer for Jesus to fulfill his promises and plan. He has promised to build his church. If we are faithful in building disciples who will stand fast in faith, even in the face of opposition, then God will do remarkable works in the new era. 

Faith not Fear

The emerging era in which we find ourselves is familiar ground for those who identify with the Bible’s redemptive story. Oppression, opposition, hatred, suffering, persecution, and sometimes death are all themes in that ongoing story. The Bible consistently teaches us to trust in God, not in our strength or weapons. Like the Apostle Paul, we must discover that God is faithful to his promise, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9, NIV). This cannot be learned without suffering. 

I am not a prophet. I cannot see the future. Rather I am a disciple of Jesus, who taught us to interpret the “signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3). That is what I have sought to do in the sixth challenge, Part C. The way forward is through faith, not fear. 

Critics claim that Jesus’ followers are on the wrong side of history. They insist that if instead, society’s developing ideology is adopted, true justice, equality, and harmony will follow. Disciples reject these claims as false and idolatrous, the claims of a false religion. One of my mentors, a former missionary, once told me, “The problem with idols is that they never keep their promises.” Consequently, we as followers place our faith in the one true and living God, who keeps his promises. In faith, we declare “we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth God has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness” (2 Pet 3:13). Genuine faith takes us back to the ancient promises that reveal God’s chosen pathway to a glorious future. To go “back to the future” in this way places us on the right side of history because history is ultimately “His-story.” 

THINKING IT THROUGH

“He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 
He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.” Proverbs 2:7-8

THE TRUTH: Jesus created a community of disciples to be a visible expression of Kingdom Living.

YOUR CHALLENGE: Disciples serve and flourish within that community. 

The Scriptures, questions, and notes are for group discussion and personal reflection. Our goal in Tier II is character transformation which requires sustained effort and growing faith. The questions can help you understand this challenge at a deeper level. We encourage you to focus on those questions that you find most interesting or helpful. This is not a test, but a tool to help you respond to the challenges.

Related Scriptures

Luke 12:56 ⁵⁶ You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times.

Matthew 16:2-3 ² He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; ³ red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!“

Ecclesiastes 9:12 ¹² People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.

Ephesians 3:10-11 ¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Psalm 62:8
⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 ³ Dear brothers and sisters … because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. ⁴ We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. ⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.

Acts 8:1 ¹ And Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 ¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.

2 Timothy 3:1 ¹ You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.

1 Timothy 4:1 ¹ Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

Jude 1:18 ¹⁸ They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.

2 Timothy 3:12 ¹² Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Matthew 13:20-22 ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Acts 11:19 ¹⁹ Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God….

1 Thessalonians 2:14 ¹⁴ And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews.

Revelation 14:12 ¹² This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

Questions

You are encouraged to use these questions for group discussion or personal reflection. Respond to the questions that are most relevant or interesting to you (I urge you to write your responses in a journal or notebook).

1. We are living in a “post-modern” and “post-Christian” culture. Few social commentators would argue with this statement. Explain what you understand each of these terms to mean.

2. Since the beginning of the new millennium, multiple events have impacted our nation. The terrorist attacks on 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a global pandemic, a different understanding of gender and sex, the rise of social media and AI, divisive news outlets, and political polarization are just a few of those events and social changes. How and which of these changes have had the greatest impact on our nation, the churches, your family, and yourself?

3. Do you agree or disagree that the magnitude of these types of events and changes, when combined, add up to what may signal an “epic change” that is transforming our culture? 

4. Jesus spoke about interpreting the “signs of the times” (Matt 16:2-3). What would you consider as possible “signs of the times” we are currently living in? Signs point to something beyond. What do the signs you identified point to beyond this moment and into the future?

5. In an ongoing theme from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible repeatedly tells us to “remember” (239 times in the NLT). The title for Part C is “Epic Changes”.  Much has and will change, but we thrive as we remember and learn from the past – our heritage as believers. Every time we take communion we are encouraged to remember. Some work to “cancel” a faith that stands opposed to their own world view, seeking to eliminate an influence that teaches against popular opinion. Can Christianity survive if believers retreat from, twist, or abandon Christ’s teachings, giving in to the pressure to conform? What would the post-modern, post-Christian culture have to gain from silencing opposing views, and what do they have to lose?

6. The Exodus story (first twenty-four chapters of Exodus) tells of God liberating an enslaved people and making them into a free nation. God loves freedom and wants his people to be free. Our founders’ understanding of freedom reflects much of the story of the Exodus. As disciples, what should we remember and learn from the account of the Exodus?

7. Do you think Part C is unnecessarily “alarmist”? Why or why not? 

8. How can understanding the history of the church help disciples to live faithfully in the age in which we live? What social factor poses the biggest challenge for you as you seek to faithfully follow Jesus (i.e., social media, social pressure to conform, job security, etc.)?

Copyright © 2024 Don Waite

All rights reserved.

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