It took roughly 300ish years for Christians to completely transform the Roman Empire.
From persecuted religion to state sponsored. It’s a dramatic turn. At few points were Christians in charge politically, or could “make people” convert.
Yet they converted anyway.
Yet in modern America, where Christians have held political power for the entiretly of our nation. We are rapidly losing influence.
Why were Christian’s so transformative in ancient Rome, but so hated on today?
My thought is (however much an amateur historians thoughts are worth) is we’ve ceased to actually give an alternative to our society.
We’ve become so wrapped up in America, fighting the battles of the world, playing the political games, that we’re no different from non Christians.
Generally speaking, kids who grow up in loving and caring homes don’t rebel against their parents. But those who do, run away from dysfunction.
Are people running away from the church today because they hate Jesus? Or because they hate that we’ve stopped advancing Jesus’s transformative Kingdom?
It’s easy to blame culture, the internet, the liberals, whichever group you want to demonize really, for why people are falling away from Jesus.
But I think distracts from what Jesus us calls us to be, be his representatives on earth.
I think being in power has blinded us to our real mission. Our mission isn’t to ensure “our guy” wins. Isn’t to ensure we pass “Christian laws” to force people’s behaviors.
The Israelites had 1000 years of law, and that didn’t work out well for them.
Our mission is to bring Jesus to people. We can’t know Jesus if we’re too caught up in this world.
I think Christian’s transformed Rome because they had nothing else to do. They couldn’t get elected, society held little hope for them, following Christ was often a decision to be persecuted.
Christian’s today have so much hope in our culture, and I think that might be the reason.