Several weeks ago I posted how Christianity is really simple, not complicated. However the reality for many of us is that Christianity seems and feels complicated. The simple reality of Jesus seems to get drowned out in history, doctrine and theology. How did that come about?
Jesus gave us a very simple message to proclaim, repent and follow him, by living out a new command, love one another as Jesus loved us. That message has transformed the world. However along the way Christianity has become more complicated. When Jesus declared to Pilate, that his kingdom was not of this world, he didn’t mean that his followers were to withdraw from the world. He meant his kingdom was unlike any kingdom that had ever existed upon the earth. He told his followers to be in the world but not of the world. In effect, they were to be resident aliens in the world. That means that Christianity has always interacted with culture.
This interaction with culture began immediately when the apostles, recorded in Acts, began to preach Jesus’ message to the Jews and explain it in a Jewish context. Within a short time they, particularly Paul, began preaching to the Gentiles and explaining that it was not necessary for a Gentile to follow the Jewish religious dietary practices and circumcision. Paul’s teaching to the Gentiles resulted in conflict with certain Jewish Christians who disagreed with him, causing Paul to clarify with letters to various churches. Various of these apostolic interactions have been collected into what we now call the New Testament.
Following the passing of the apostles, the next generation of Christian leaders, such as Irenaeus, Athenagoras and Justin, to name a few, responded to a philosophical interpretation of Christianity called Gnoticism, as well as defending Christianity against accusations of immoral living. They clarified Christianity and distinguished it from what the Gnostic teachers proclaimed and defended the morality of Christians, demonstrating the inconsistency of the accusations and subsequent persecutions against Christians.
After Constantine, Christianity became a tolerated and eventually the official religion of the Roman Empire; there emerged at the urging of the emperors a desire to codify and unify Christian teaching, regarding the Trinity, the nature of Jesus and other theological topics. These efforts to unify Christianity resulted in what are now known as ecumenical councils, such as Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople 2 (553), Constantinople 3 (680) and Nicea 2 (787). These Councils established creeds that orthodox Christians were required to affirm. These creeds became the foundation for what are now referred to as “Statements of Faith”. The Orthodox Church recognizes only these seven councils, while the Roman Catholic Church recognizes other later councils. What began as an attempt to unify Christianity has resulted in one division of Christianity after another. Just consider all the various versions (denominations) existing now, with each one implying that their version of Christianity is more original or accurate.
These practices of explaining Christian thought and interacting with culture resulted in academic studies called “Systematic Theology”, “New Testament Theology” and “Church History” to name a few. These efforts to clarify Christian thought and practice added to the simple teaching of Jesus and the apostles found in the New Testament resulting in Christianity seeming much more academic and theological, as well as divided into various Christian churches and denominations. While the study and debate regarding differing opinions and views of theological topics is of interest to some of us, we should never forget the simplicity of what Jesus taught or feel like it is necessary to understand all the various opinions regarding Christian theology. Nor should we forget that those who confess Jesus as their Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead are our brothers and sisters, even though they may hold some different theological views. While it may be useful to have the capacity to explain the Trinity and the nature of Jesus etc., we should never forget that Jesus asks a more basic question and message, “Do you love me? If yes, then love your brothers and sisters in the same way as I love you.”
David Freitag 