Post #60 Pagan Christianity, Part 2

Chapter 1: Have We Really Been Doing It By The Book?

Barna and Viola prime the pump in the Introduction, but in the first full chapter, they set the gears in motion. Here the reader is asked to consider that not all of our traditions and rituals are rooted in biblical foundations.

You may be surprised to discover that a great deal of what we Christians do for Sunday morning church did not come from Jesus Christ, the apostles, or the Scriptures. Nor did it come from Judaism. After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, Judaic Christianity waned in numbers and power. Gentile Christianity dominated, and the new faith began to absorb Greco-Roman philosophy and ritual. – page 6

It is important for us to not just know what we are told to know, but to understand our historical heritage: to connect with the lineage of our faith. Our beliefs did not just fall out of the sky, they developed over time, cultures, and languages. To understand why we believe is as important, if not moreso than what we believe.

The authors continue,

By the year 100, Christianity is mainly a Gentile religious movement…living together in a common Gentile social environment….Strikingly, much of what we do for “church” was lifted directly out of pagan culture in the postapostolic period. – page 6

Finishing this thought, the authors write,

While today we often use the word pagan to describe those who claim no religion whatsoever, to the early Christians, pagans were those polytheists who followed the gods of the Roman Empire. Paganism dominated the Roman Empire until the fourth century, and many of its elements were absorbed by Christians in the first half of the millennium, particularly during Constantinian and early post-Constantinian eras (324-600). – pages 6-7

Finally, Barna and Viola conclude their chapter with this warning:

If you are unwilling to have your Christianity seriously examined, do not read beyond this page. Give this book to Goodwill immediately! Spare yourself the trouble of having your Christian life turned upside down. – page 7

There is much to be said about where, when, and why our traditions and rituals came into being. Examining such aspects of faith has the potential to be destructive if one’s faith is contingent on these man-made constructs. But, however, if one’s faith is rooted in the biblical account of Jesus’ life and the examples of his earliest followers, then this close examination should do nothing but encourage us to be more biblically sound.