Christianity and the Birth of the West Part II

European Chronicles Series

For the last half millennium, Europe has been the leading continent, colonial power, and trend-setter. From a non-Christian point of view, Europe is considered a ‘Christian continent.’ From a conservative, evangelical Christian view, Europe comes across as ‘post-Christian.’ Yet what do the Europeans think of themselves?

According to the respected Pew Research Centre, they project that in the years to come Europe will have fewer Christians and more Muslims and minorities. Yet, by 2050 it is estimated that 65% of Europeans will continue to identify themselves as ‘Christian,’ down from 75% of Europeans who call themselves ‘Christian’ in 2010. Sporting the label ‘Christian,’ however, does not necessarily mean they will be regular church attendees or devout in their faith.

While the Middle East, North Africa, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of SE Asia came under Islam, Europe and the western world it colonised identified as ‘Christian.’ These identities have persisted through the centuries. However, without question, Europe is at the crossroads spiritually. Which way will it go?

Will European Christianity persist in nominalism and tradition, devoid of a vital spiritual life, like a still-standing tree that died within? (Hint: It it does, Europe won’t last the distance).

Will Europe succumb to more robust ideologies or spiritualities that are not Christian? (Hint: If it does, it won’t be Europe as we know it).

Or, will Europe be visited with a renewal and revival that will restore it to its spiritual heritage?

Learning from the Past

It is impossible to know where you are going until you know from where you came. In the case of Europe, its history and heritage is colourful, deep, and rich. We have all benefited from it. Though we discussed European Christian history in the last article, a quick review is in order.

Christianity was born in ancient Israel in the first century AD. Since Europe is a neighbour to the Middle East, it received the gospel early. The ministry of Paul of Tarsus had a powerful imprint on Asia Minor and Europe. He was not alone in the apostolic ministry, however, and the Christian gospel made quick inroads all around the Mediterranean basin, including North Africa. The greatest theologian of antiquity, Augustine, was the bishop of Hippo in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, in what is now Algeria. The Christian conversion of Roman emperor Constantine and the legalisation of Christianity afterwards helped to institutionalise the faith.

The coming of Islam in the seventh century AD created a strong challenge for the Church. Its early growth was by military means and within a few short years the entire Middle East was under Muslim rule. Islam spread eastward towards India and westward across North Africa. The great Christian heritage in Africa was almost all but extinguished, with the exception of Egypt, which retained a Christian (mostly Coptic) majority until the 18th century. Crossing the straits of Gibraltar in 711 AD, Islam militarily took over Spain and by 732 AD it was knocking on the gates of Paris. However, the Muslim army apparently suffered its first defeat in the Battle of Tours/Poitiers. Ask any French student about the victor of Tours - Charles Martel (the hammer). Other attempts at major Islamic conquests including the failed Ottoman sieges of Vienna in 1529 and 1683, the latter being the most blood-filled siege in European history until Stalingrad in 1942. Except for the Ottoman occupation of the Balkan Peninsula, Europe remained predominantly Christian throughout the centuries.

Western Civilisation evolved during this period. It was linked to the profound Greco-Roman culture and mixed with Christianity. Unlike Judaism and Islam, which mostly shunned intellectual examination and inquiry, Christianity submitted itself to thorough investigation through hellenism and the classics. You can be sure that every word in the Bible has been scrutinised to the nth degree yet still stands as strong as it ever has.

In short, the West is held up by two massive pillars: the Greco-Roman culture and Judea-Christian theology and ethics. These two factors are what ‘make the West, West.’ The chemistry between these two pillars has been nothing short of electric. We are feeling the effects even to this day. From the West came the blossoming of the arts, culture, and philosophy in that period we know as the Renaissance, the ‘rebirth’ of Europe. Following this was the Protestant Reformation, which was a theological and social earthquake that brought Christianity back to its Biblical roots, and to the liberating truth of ‘justification by faith.’ The separation of Protestants from the Catholic Church and the Bishop of Rome was anything but peaceful - it was a messy and even violent divorce.

Then came the Enlightenment of the 18th Century, which was the natural result of both the Renaissance and Reformation. The key to understanding the Enlightenment was the use of human reason - to the point it was virtually deified in revolutionary France (1789). The thesis among Enlightenment scholars was that there is no problem on the planet that cannot be solved if human reason is given sufficient time and resource. This hypothesis runs contrary to the Bible, which teaches that human sin is the cause of all evil and cannot be remedied by reason. Only the gospel of Christ and His cross can do it.

For the leaders of the American colonies, some of them who were very astute in Biblical theology, they took the best of both worlds and fashioned the US Constitution, a grand experiment in self-government. The constitution was a contract of the American people with their government and themselves. It had a proper respect for human liberty and yet demanded the checks and balances, and separation of power necessary, to curb fallen humanity’s lust for power.

Out of all these things mentioned above spawned at least two industrial revolutions, a scientific revolution, and the flowering of liberal democracy. At the core of western legal jurisprudence was the ten commandments, found in Exodus 20. It is no coincidence that there has been a profound blessing on the West for its acknowledgement of these commandments, which represent the highest moral, ethical, and spiritual plain known to humanity. — TO BE CONTINUED