It has become common among sociologists and social commentators to describe the current period in history as “post-Christian”. This is a bit of a misnomer, as there has never been a “Christian” era to begin with. What there has been can be called Christendom, that long period in history where State and Church have been partners to one degree or another, in mutual support. From the time, in 347 AD that Roman Emperor Constantine decided to adopt Christianity as the state religion, there existed an unholy alliance which compromised both parties.
Constantine erected buildings for the exclusive ecclesiastical use, moving many Christian activities from the homes where they had previously taken place, to the equivalent of the temples of other religions. Leaders were appointed to run the state church using titles taken, once more, from the older pagan religions, such as “pontiff”. At first, this was seen by Christians as a tremendous blessing, a great release from previous eras of persecution and intolerance. Over time, however, positions in the state church brought political and social power which compromised the ministry and role of the Ekklesia, a Greek word defined as “a called‑out assembly or congregation”, and the word used in the New Testament for the gathering of Christian believers.
Not all Christians accepted the change, remaining true to New Testament patterns, meeting in homes, with no “professional” leadership, such as quickly developed in post-Constantine clerical churches. Although overshadowed by the official Church, these house churches and other gatherings continued to exist, and continue today, known by many names, disappearing in one region and turning up in other times and places. They differed somewhat in practice and doctrine, though always holding to the essential teachings and system of belief. Ironically, their main persecutors were the state churches, who considered them heretics and threats to the organised religions. They have been rightly called “The Pilgrim Church”.
Christians, of course, continued to live withing these organised official churches, accepting them as normative, unhappy at times, with the political power wielded by the leadership, at times standing against what they saw as abuses of Christ’s teaching. There would be movements seeking a return to New Testament patterns, led by men such as Francis of Assisi. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was the biggest revolution against abuses and deviations from New Testament beliefs, though that, too, generally faded into denominations which brought with them many of the structures and practices of what they had at first left behind.
The alliance between Church and State over centuries has led to actions and movements which were directly opposed to Christ’s teaching and commands: Crusades, Inquisitions, clerical abuse, financial greed and indulgence in immorality, all justified by the claim that “God is on our side”, when, in fact, God was being disobeyed and his Word dragged into disrepute. Eventually, this has been seen for what it is, and a general reaction against what was seen as “Christianity” has set in.
What has happened over the past century and a half, in particular, has been the erosion of the power of the organised church, which has lost the social, political, and military power and influence it once enjoyed. This has been, in part, a deliberate decision by the entrenched churches, seeking a purer and more Scriptural character. But it has also been a process outside of its control, as people reacted against publicised abuses and as society focused more and more on individual rights against an imposed morality and social norms.
This process of secularisation has begun a move back towards pre-Constantine Christianity, or a realignment with the Christian gatherings which have existed in parallel for centuries. Whether it is ever possible for a complete return is doubtful; entrenched structures and traditions would be extremely difficult to overcome, even if that is seen to be desirable. The time when Christians try to force others to follow their rules and beliefs is not over. But it is being challenged, and that is a good thing for all concerned. Christians believe that no-one can live up to God’s standards without the power of the Holy Spirit, yet some want to legislate to force non-believers to do so without such enabling. This may not be a post-Christian era, that will never be, but it is, thankfully, becoming a post-Christendom one, and that may be difficult for Christians as the wider society react against them and portray them as intolerant, a danger to freedom. Sadly, groups like Christian Nationalists and similar movements, in an attempt to restore Christendom, will convince them they are right.