Christianity and History

For my next few posts I'll be sharing some insights from an excellent (albeit very long!) new history of Christianity (A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Penguin, 2010) by the British historian Diarmaid MacCulloch. Continuing with the theme of the last post (on Matthew Fox's book), MacCulloch too has some important insights to share about the dynamic nature of religion. Here's a good example:

"All the world faiths which have known long-term success have shown a remarkable capacity to mutate, and Christianity is no exception, which is why one underlying message of this history is its sheer variety. Many Christians do not like being reminded of Christianity's capacity to develop, particularly those who are in charge of the various religious institutions which call themselves Churches, but that is the reality and has been from the beginning" (9).

Here again we have a valuable reminder not to treat any one church or other religious tradition so seriously that we lose sight of what we all share in common. There's a value to tradition and structure but only insofar as it fosters a vibrant and liberating faith, not solely as an end in itself. When traditions and institutions grow so rigid that they start to value their own survival more than the message they exist to serve, then we know it's time for that tradition to change and/or for us to discover authentic spirituality in different, perhaps new places.

Among others, a contemporary example that comes to mind in this regard are some recent comments made by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York and head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Rather than considering the possibility that the Spirit may be calling the church to broaden its understanding of marriage, Dolan and other prelates appear set on precipitating what the archbishop calls a "national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions." Dolan and his fellow bishops can seek out their conflict but the real work of God remains to be done among those with eyes to see and ears to hear, beyond the limits of institutional barriers and blinders, the unfolding of the kingdom in our midst.