If the early medieval church had spent most of its efforts telling the Romans they needed to have “reconciliation” with the Gauls, and the Gauls needed to reject “colonialism”, modern French culture never would have come about, and nor would have one of the most powerful nations in history, France.
Though a large portion of France owes its heritage to the Franks, a Germanic tribe from northern Europe, it also owes much of its heritage to the Gauls, a Celtic tribe native to France. And both of these peoples learned much of how they structured their civilisation from the Romans (who got it from others, originally, as well), and especially the Roman Church.
Rather than waste their time on such unbiblical applications of biblical words, the medieval Church focused on infusing the Gauls and Franks with a combined national identity, taught them to learn everything they could from the Romans, and created one of the most successful nations in history. Rather than continually lament the past, they looked to the greater peoples who had come before them and built on the gifts that Roman colonialism had given them. France may not have reached the heights of the dominance of Rome (though it took a few shots at it), but it built a civilisation that the Romans would have been impressed with.
A lot of the modern Church’s focus on “reconciliation” with conquered peoples is, in actuality, paganism. It is really just perpetual guilt, dressed up with Christian language, and a continual throwing of the sins of the colonial powers in their face, and the perpetual victimhood of the colonised.
It is fake Christianity, and it will not serve those who are being offered it. It will simply stunt their civilisations. The Church should learn the great lessons from history, not modern progressive academics that forge their ideas in an anti-Christian and anti-Philosophical academic culture, that is void of much of the wisdom of the Church of eons past which built those very same universities originally.
How did the Church in the past think through such issues? Well, I discussed that in part here.
Matthew Littlefield writes to think through some of the current issues facing society, the Church and whatever else comes to mind that might be interesting to process. Matt's focus is usually historical or scriptural, though he will address current issues from time to time as well. He is a co-author of The Ezekiel Declaration and the book, Defending Conscience, How Baptists reminded the Church to defy tyranny. He blogs most days at YoungGospelMinister.blogspot.com.
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