Constantine: When the Church Met Power
What happens to a faith when the most powerful man in the world joins it?
Honest Heretics edition for skepticsSwitch to Centered (for believers)
Chapters
In this lesson
- Read it3 min
- The world behind the words4 min
- How it drifted5 min
- What they'll say back3 min
- Measured against the center2 min
- A keeper1 min
- Reflect2 min
- Practice this week1 min
- Bring it back1 min
It's usually told as a victory. The church was hunted for three centuries, then an emperor saw a sign in the sky, ended the persecution and made the faith respectable. Within seventy years it was the official religion of the Roman Empire. Many Christians still speak of that moment as the gospel's triumph, and still hope for leaders who will do it again.
You're not imagining it: the church that came out of the 300s looked more like the empire than like the man who refused a crown. Bishops gained privileges, the emperor settled doctrine, and within a lifetime the state was punishing people for believing the wrong thing in Jesus' name. Much of what you may have seen of churches chasing power began here.
Measured against the center
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