In my first blog entry at the Christian Post I urged readers- whom I expect will mostly be Christian- to rememeber that the Bible gives us no promise of having a Christian culture.  Indeed, the early church sprang into existence in the midst of a multicultural, highly pluralistic, and often hostile environment.  In other words, much like our own, minus the overt hostility... but the day is young, and many detect a trend in that direction.

In spite of all the obstacles, the early church exploded into existence and spread willy nilly throughout the Roman empire.  How?  How did the natives determine Christianity was true, flooded as they were with every kind of religion and philosophy banging on their ears?  It is precisely that sort of reality that I maintain is the source of so much indecision today, so much "It's true for you not for me," so much "That's just your opinion."  People find it ridiculously difficult to sort through truth claims.  So just how can one do it?  How was it done before?

Well, we don't really have to guess.  The early church actually lived the pattern set by Christ and transmitted through the apostles.  Consider 1 John 3:16:  "This is how we know what love is, Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."  The rest of the passage gives an example of what that looks like.  The heart of it is that people really were willing to die for each other and this was manifested all the way up to discharging all of one's material wealth.  (See also Ephesians 5:1 and 5:25)

And in Acts we read:

Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to everyone as he had need.  ... And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  (2:42ish)

Yes, of course, there were the 'wonders and miraculous signs' but as skeptics will gleefully point out there were loads of those going around.  But I maintain that this committment to each other is miraculous in its own right.  Such devotion is supernatural:  it is utterly contrary to human nature in 'default' mode.  (It is only fair to acknowledge that the resurrection appearances no doubt helped the cause as well, at least in Jerusalem and Judea.)

I can make the point more directly by quoting from a Christian apologist friend of mine:

I know, I know. The early church had no money, no political clout, no buildings or publishing houses and [] were armed with little more than a conviction of their belief in the resurrected Savior, their missionary mindset and zeal to challenge the cultural thinking, ability to expose false teaching and false teachers. All they seemd to be able to do with their dependence on God and His word was to turn the world upside down. The church has now discovered better marketing techniques, has money, political clout and publishing and media concerns. It too is turning something upside down but it doesn’t seem to be the culture.  (Don at Midwest Christian Outreach)

There is nothing wrong with wealth and nothing inherently wrong with the church having wealth, political clout, buildings, or publishing houses, etc.  The question is whether or not we've lost sight of what truly transforms individuals, and consequently the culture that contains them.

Don makes other excellent points, some of which I'll make in my own way as this blog procedes.  Here is the point:  Christians loving each other is proof positive to the world that Christians take that whole resurrection thing seriously.  That's not me talking, that's John 14-17... ie, Jesus.

I too am guilty.  I too do not love in a radical way.  Inertia is against me, against you, against us.  The weight of the World is on our shoulders.  Yes, I am guilty.  But forgiven.  Let us together face up to that which holds us back.  Three hundred years hence we may find that we have transformed America as Rome was transformed in three hundred years.

Anthony Horvath is the Executive Director of Athanatos Christian Ministries.  He is the author of the Birth Pangs series and blogs at sntjohnny.com.  He is available for speaking and consulting.  You may contact him at sntjohnny@sntjohnny.com.