Christianity has been a powerful force for good in the world in ways that many may not even recognize in everyday life. In his recently released book called “Unimaginable: What our World Would be Like Without Christianity,” Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston touches on a wide range of ways that Christianity has positively molded the world we live in.
He also explores the possibility of what life would be like without the foundation values that Jesus Christ has infused into our lives. Dr. Johnston’s work examines these implications in terms of women, children, Democracy, education, medical treatment and social justice among other lenses. In “Unimaginable,” Dr. Johnston shows how Christianity has echoed through time to make a difference in our lives today.
Christianity Marked a Major Cultural Shift
The idea that God loved human beings, His creation, was a radical departure from previous pagan beliefs. People had generally feared the gods’, their jealousy, and propensity for anger. When Christians heralded that “God is love” and that He had sent his only son to be sacrificed for us, this concept unseated the prevailing understanding about the nature of the relationship between human beings and God.
Jesus Set the Path to Monotheism
The impact that Jesus Christ had on the world is immeasurable. His teachings changed the predominate thinking that many gods should be worshipped. The vast majority of the world now firmly believes that only one God exists. Even for other monotheistic religions, Jesus stands as a significant individual and many of his teachings have been adopted. In a way, Jesus baptized most of the world into believing in just one God.
Why Was Christianity So Popular?
Dr. Johnston argues that there were two distinct reasons that Christianity caught fire among the masses. First, Christians embraced, rather than dispelled, the God of Abraham. Its connection with Judaism gave Christianity a foundation that pagans could relate to easily. Second, eyewitness accounts of the resurrection provided proof that salvation and the next life were attainable. Christianity provided certainty others had not.
A Loving God versus a Vengeful One
The complete and utter lack of compassion that ran through many pagan religions created an idea of animosity. Pagans believed the gods were petty, jealous and spiteful toward humans. Given a choice between the Gospel of love and everlasting life and deceitful pagan gods, the safety and security offered by Christianity changed the entire human-God personal dynamic. The idea of God changed from a sometimes rival to a patient father figure.
Differences between Jewish Culture and Jesus
In the time of Jesus, the religious possibilities were largely choices between Judaism and paganism. While Jesus’ teachings furthered the idea of the one and only God, he also extended a hand to Gentiles, mostly pagans. His diversion from strict Jewish practices such as food sources allowed non-Jews a pathway to worshipping the one God. These notions were furthered by followers such as Paul who said in Jesus’ name “there is neither Jew nor Gentile.” This radical departure opened the floodgates to an influx of converts that would embrace a loving God and moral principles. Christianity led to a greater moral fabric.
The Judeo-Christian God Protects Human Decency
During the regimes of history’s most brutal dictators, a shunning of religion was employed to carry out atrocities. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Mao drove an atheist rhetoric because only by setting aside the moral fabric created by embracing God could the cold destruction of human life be carried out. God’s love forms the contract between one person and the next that we are all His children and obligated to love each other. That unbreakable bond exists all around us due to the rise of Christianity in many ways.
Christianity Offers Women Greater Equality
Although scripture outlines that men and women have differing societal roles, it also points out that both sexes are equals in the eyes of God. From the first, Christian women held leadership roles and had pathways to education not found in some other religions. Christianity remains a leader in female empowerment today. The ideas outlined in the Bible are that men and women enjoy a complementary relationship that furthers family, love and fellowship. We’re all in it together.
“Unimaginable: What our World Would be Like without Christianity” was recently released and is available on Amazon. It explores the impact of Christianity in a rare historical and cultural perspective that seeps into everyday life. The markers of Christianity are sometimes overlooked, but they are all around us.
~ Christian Patriot Daily