Equipping Members of the Next Generation of Christians to Defend Their Faith and to Embrace a Biblical Worldview, Part 12
On the basis of the historical evidence, I am fully persuaded that had Jesus Christ never walked the dusty paths of ancient Palestine, suffered, died, and risen from the dead, and never assembled around him a small group of disciples who spread out into the pagan world, the West would not have attained its high level of civilization, giving it the many human benefits it enjoys today. One only needs to look to sectors of the world where Christianity has had little or no presence to see the remarkable differences.
—Alvin J. Schmidt, author of How Christianity Changed the World1—
Key point: Biblical Christianity is “worldview Christianity.” It brings Christ’s redemptive and restorative influence to society, government, and culture as well as to those areas of life deemed spiritual and religious. Just look at the impact Christians have had on the world throughout history!
You can find links to all the articles in this series here.
On October 31st of last year, the 500th anniversary of what is considered to be the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, I posted my own “95 Theses for the Protestant Evangelical Church in the 21st Century.” This was item 18:
The church has presented Christianity in terms of its implications for individuals alone and overlooked its benefits for the culture.
The church’s overemphasis on individuals has resulted from a narrow view of Christianity, one that sees God’s plan of salvation as little more than a path to eternal life, as important as that is. God’s plan of salvation, however, isn’t just about one’s spiritual life; it’s about bringing Christ’s influence to bear in every area of life.
Fortunately, believers in the past have, in many, many situations, applied their faith comprehensively. We can learn from their lives and ministries just how powerful an impact Christianity can have on the world. What happens when Christians who view their Christianity broadly and take their faith seriously live out what they believe in all the spheres of influence in which God has placed them?
It wasn’t long long after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven that we find an answer. In fact, not long after the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church at Pentecost, we see the early church—through its leaders and through its people—causing quite a stir, simply by sharing the good news about Christ and remaining faithful to Him in their daily lives. Numerous situations that can be described this way took place, like this one from Acts 17:1-6.
171 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
Worldview Christianity
When individual believers and churches understand and teach Christianity as applicable to every area of life, and when Christians faithfully practice what they believe, both individually and corporately, in all their endeavors and pursuits, they “turn the world upside down!”
In their book What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe survey history and the profound contributions to the world Christians have made for the betterment of all. They highlight how Christians have acted to
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- defend and preserve innocent human life,
- assist the poor and disadvantaged,
- systematically educate the masses, and
- promote the recognition of rights as God-given and to enact laws to protect freedom and liberty.
- Furthermore, largely because Christians believed that members of God’s highest creation, humanity, can learn about His world through observation and experimentation modern science emerged.
- Emphasizing the biblical work ethic, property rights, and freedom of choice, Christians also have made tremendous contributions to the fields of labor and economics.
- They’ve upheld a sexual ethic that has restrained would-be predators, protected the innocent, and strengthened the family and society.
- Christians have cared for the sick, some of whom were abandoned even by their families. These actions foreshadowed their work in founding and operating hospitals, facilities that have more than significantly improved and enhanced healthcare.
- Christians also have effectively encouraged their fellow human beings to treat all people with dignity and respect. In a world where cruelty was and is all too common, Christians have upheld decency and discouraged savage and barbaric behavior.
- The Christian influence on the arts, including music, has been profound.2
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Christianity Is Revolutionary
Especially noteworthy is the effect Jesus’ influence has had on society’s treatment of women. The respect Jesus showed to women stood in stark contrast to the treatment they typically received in His day.
Moreover, even though slavery was a part of the fabric of the culture in New Testament times, the Christian movement planted the seeds that would bear the fruit of the abolition of slavery wherever Christianity would take hold. Paul’s words to the Galatian Christians in Galatians 3:26-28 reflect this revolutionary attitude and perspective.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), summarized it this way: “Wherever Christ has gone, the sacredness of marriage, women’s rights and suffrage have been acknowledged; institutions of higher learning have been established; child labor laws have been enacted; slavery has been abolished; and a multitude of other changes have been made for the good of mankind.”3
Christians have not been perfect, and some who’ve claimed to be Christians have masterfully misrepresented Christ and His teachings. But that’s just the point—they’ve misrepresented Him. As Chuck Colson has said, “The evidence from history is clear: Despite our human faults, Christianity has made the world and the people in it far better than they would have been without it.” 4
The evidence from history is clear: Despite our human faults, Christianity has made the world and the people in it far better than they would have been without it.
—Chuck Colson—
Here is the truth: History is replete with examples of how Christianity has made positive difference after positive difference in the world. As we highlight these contributions, we come to understand that these examples represent Christianity as it was meant to be lived and practiced. This truth does not in any way diminish Christians’ responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission. In fact, properly understood and applied, it enhances it.
A believer’s faith isn’t just to be applied on Sundays and in church, but every day of the week and in every area of life.
A Powerful Summary
Impact 360 Institute, a ministry that trains younger believers to consistently understand and apply the Christian worldview, has produced a video titled “What Good Is Christianity?” In less than eight minutes, it surveys the powerful impact Christians have had on the world in a host of areas. I invite you to watch, listen, and learn. For your convenience, a transcript of the video is available here.
I have only one criticism of this video. Referring to the United States as a democracy, it implies that the freedoms and rights advocated by Christianity in the political arena are best secured and maintained by democracies. A democracy is rule by the majority, but Christianity advocates rule by law, or a form of government called a republic. Fortunately, the video does emphasize the importance of rule by law over rule by men.
Overall, this engaging presentation does an outstanding job of demonstrating not only how Christians in the past made the world a better place, but also that followers of Jesus today also are to apply their faith broadly—to every area of life and every sphere of influence that is theirs.
Go with your fellow believers out into the world and turn it upside down!
Investigate further:
On March 28 and 29 of 2013, Dr. Schmidt was interviewed by Dr. James Dobson on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk. You can listen to and download these programs from the following pages.
Copyright © 2018 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture passages have been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
image credit: top image—Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Notes:
1Alvin J. Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 14.
2James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (Nashville: Nelson, 1994).
3Bill Bright, “The Uniqueness of Jesus” in Bill Bright, A Handbook for Christian Maturity, (San Bernardino, CA, 1982), 28.
4Charles Colson, Tough Questions About God, Faith, and Life, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2006), 119-120.
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