How did Christianity get to be like this?

How did Christianity get to be like this? You ask, Like what? Let me answer, initially, with a hint, rather than a direct answer. Some think one of the worst things to happen to Christianity was when Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. As history is showing, that’s more significant than most people probably realize. The parallels to what’s going on in the U.S. today are incredible.

How did Christianity get to be like this?

Historians now debate whether “the first Christian emperor” was a Christian at all. Some think him an unprincipled power seeker. What religion he had, many argue, was at best a blend of paganism and Christianity for purely political purposes.

That’s from Christianity Today. But there’s more.

Certainly, Constantine held to ideals we no longer share. He knew nothing of religion without politics or politics without religion. Yet he clearly believed he was a Christian, and he looked back to a battle at the Milvian Bridge, just outside the walls of Rome, as the decisive hour in his newly found faith.

Oh. Is this a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same?

History seems to show that this is the case. And so today, as often happens, we have a President using things from Christianity, combining them with politics, and using the two to get or maintain power.

How did Christianity get to be like this?

Now, to more specifically answer that question of what do I mean by “this” when asking, How did Christianity get to be like this? For a long time, Christianity seems to have become a one-issue religion for many people. What’s that one issue? Abortion. Even worse, it’s a single issue that’s inextricably linked to government. And so we go back to the type of Christianity we had with Constantine. A mix of government and Christianity, in spite of what Jesus said about God and Caesar!

Paying Taxes to Caesar

22:15-22 pp — Mk 12:13-17; Lk 20:20-26

Mt 22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”


Discover more from God versus religion

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Please leave a comment or ask a question - it's nice to hear from you.

Scroll to Top