 |
| European Union |
Preface
I reside in Canada and have Canadian citizenship but also have United Kingdom/European Union citizenship through a parent.
I lived previously in England for two years starting my Doctoral work and visited Wales in the process of obtaining my final degrees.
On The Briefing online last Tuesday, Albert Mohler was asking if post-Christian Europe would survive?
He indicated it was doomed as post-Christian.
I certainly would prefer that there was less secularization and more Christian influence.
My view is Europe will survive, however.
The European Union may change and lose some power, but I personally favour the European Union as a military and economic union and do not favour a concept of European court I prefer each nation to have its own court as the highest court of the land.
I also do not favour the idea of a 'United States of Europe' as I reason having experienced life in England, for example, that significant cultural differences still exist throughout Europe and nations should usually at least, have individual sovereignty.
But I ponder in regard to the theory of Europe being doomed because it is post-Christian.
When was Europe not very sinful, historically?
Was Christian Europe ever Biblically Christian?
I do not accept theologically or philosophically this implied golden age of Christianity, philosophy from some very conservative Christians in regard to Europe and even the more recent Christianized America.
The Western World has always been a very sinful realm.
Jesus said his Kingdom was not of this world in John 18 and Christianity has never been perfectly represented in it.
I am not claiming to be an historian but my MPhil and PhD theses contained aspects of historical theology.
One can reason that Christianity in its most Biblical New Testament form was spread by the power of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Cairns (1981: 55).
The Jews were preached to first and then the Gentiles. This means that persons were preached to within the Roman Empire in places such as Rome and Antioch.
Europe and Eurasia.
One can read in Scripture that even in the beginnings of the Christian Church theological error set in with heretical teaching and false teachers (Galatians, 2 Peter, Jude for example) and perhaps considering the Roman Empire environment, Europe would have perhaps been Biblically Christian in pockets.
Christianity beginning in the New Testament era under the Roman Empire, which had State religion.
Therefore, the New Testament era was not necessarily one that caused Europe to be predominantly, Biblically Christian.
And in an empire known for its brutality.
Future church-state connections meant the politicization of the church in many contexts starting with favour for the church from Constantine (ca. 274-337) and eventually the development of the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Greek Orthodox Church in the East, and the Schism of 1054. Cairns (1981: 205).
Politicization of the church may have protected it from persecution but there was the danger of State influence in church matters with a church-state union and this often effects the integrity of the Biblical and New Testament message and theology.
Cairns states between 313 and 590 the Old Catholic church became the Roman Catholic Church in which the bishop of Rome won primacy over other bishops. Cairns (1981: 157). At the same time church ritual also became more elaborate. Cairns (1981: 157).
Was Europe Biblically Christian therefore from 313 to 590?
This would seem unlikely, at least culturally, again it would be in pockets, as it was in the New Testament era, if it was evolving from the New Testament era Christianity while under the Roman Empire which had Roman State religion, into more elaborate ritualistic Roman Catholic Church Christianity, which although it maintained a Biblical core, depended heavily on tradition.
Perhaps after 590 from a non-Roman Catholic perspective this would be the actual historical beginnings of the Roman Catholic Church, not believing it is actually traced to the Apostle Peter.
The Middle Ages forward seemingly would not qualify as historical periods or eras where:
Europe was not very sinful, historically.
Christian Europe was Biblically Christian.
Therefore, should Europe be assumed to be doomed at this point in history because it is this secular in the 21st century period and era?
CAIRNS, EARLE E. (1981) Christianity Through The Centuries, Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishing House.
 |
| Vernazza, Italy-Facebook, Travel+Leisure |
 |
| Vernazza, Italy-Facebook, Travel+Leisure |
