For several weeks I have wondered how the church got to its problematic situation that we are left to deal with today. As a result, I researched the history of Christianity in one of my textbooks. In the early days of the Christian church the emperors of Rome vacillated from absolute, horrible persecution to tolerance. During this time the church thrived even though there were those who were martyred. This in itself is an interesting study of history. However, these persecutions or lack thereof had little or nothing to do with the problems within the church that we have inherited.
It should be noted that during the time of the Apostle Paul Christians became concerned about the end times because of their persecutions. They hope for divine judgment on the world. The interest in end times theology would wane unless persecution resumed. They truly believed that the return of Christ to earth was eminent. Unfortunately, during peace times even in the second century Christians allowed themselves to associate freely with the world. Within the next hundred years it was a great disappointment that Christ had not returned. They chose to think of his return as a spiritual coming and not literal.
It was during this time. The problems began. Under this umbrella certain recognized leaders who were influential in the thinking of church members called for fasting, martyrdom, and moral earnestness including the refusal of carnal pleasures. They discourage marriage. They actually prayed for the postponement of Jesus’ return because of what they believed would be the horrible things that would come before. Worldliness once again prevailed. Even though Constantine is said to have become a Christian himself and promoted Christianity throughout the Empire, it created a back draft during which time people more or less relaxed in their expectations and service to God. There was no reason for them to look toward Christ’s return because everything was copacetic. The church passed from persecution to privilege.
It was not long after the ascension of Jesus that problems began to develop with the official formation of recognized clergy, a creed, and a Canon. A group developed who rejected all law by misinterpreting what Paul said. Even in the New Testament a group called Gnostics believed that the body was unimportant and only the spirit counted. The old fights glorify the serpent of the Old Testament as a liberator of mankind. The Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation 2 were especially objectionable to Jesus when he dictated the book of Revelation to John. The Gnostics boasted of a secret knowledge that only a favored few were allowed to know. Before the book of Revelation was completed, Satan was having his heyday with philosophical theology. This tidal wave that swelled soon after Christ left permanent marks on the Christian community particularly in encouraging them toward legalism and asceticism.
Besides the church’s struggle against heretics, they thought there was a need for centralized authority of leadership. Never in the Bible did God suggest or instruct believers to become amalgamated under a central figure. During that time consecrated believers began to react against the invasion of heretics. Ignatius published the concept that the office of a particular Bishop should be elevated for the church’s unity and resistance against heresy. It should be noted that those people who wanted to stand strong for Christ against heresy inadvertently created a masterpiece of church organization. Just like the Israelites insisted that they have a king, the Christian church elevated the idea of a central figure who would also assure the avoidance of schisms. It was at that time that the term “Catholic Church” appeared. Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp were the ones who pushed for papal primacy. A priest named Montanus is said to have been seized by the Holy Spirit and began prophesying. Two women who left her husbands joined him in his stance. As a result, they declared a disdain against the world, practice celibacy, fasting, abstain from eating meat, enjoyed no pleasures, had no part, and warned against ornaments. At this point the church was splintered. With the development of an organized church, it came into competition against other institutions for status and power.
All of these things that I have mentioned occurred within the first 200 years. Many people wrote letters, preach sermons and organized their own set of assumptions, some of which became controversial. They debated the identity of Christ whether he was actually a human being or a real God. Debates, countercultures, conservatism versus heresy, all of these and more contributed to the struggle of the church. The evolution of propaganda and resistance resulted in such things as the apostles Creed and later the Council of Nicaea in 325.
Traditions, expectations, and rituals were formalized. In the hundreds and hundreds of years that followed this upheaval, prophets and preachers developed a following around certain church practices such as what person is eligible to partake in the Lord’s supper. Whole denominations over the long period of time gave birth to other splinter denominations. Today we have a church that is nothing like what Jesus established or what Paul instructed to exist. We are struggling to know the reality of Christ in our personal lives as well as how to worship God in the most scriptural manner possible. It came to the point that each person must be fully knowledgeable of the Bible to make decisions where, how, and with whom to worship.
Christian Writer 