By Dencio S. Acop (Ret. Col.)
Christianity has survived where no empire has! Even while its founder was judged a fraud whose following wouldn’t last a year, Christianity has in fact survived and persisted to this day outlasting any empire that has ever challenged it. How could the legacy of a mere poor carpenter endure to this day? What are we missing here? Expectedly, some might say: “But he is God, so of course no human empire could stand against what is God’s!” In a perfect world, such a remark would have been perfect! Except that many people today don’t actually believe that. Because if they did, there’d be even more Christians than just the 1.2 billion there are today! When Jesus Christ walked among us, he told the story about how one who discovered the kingdom of heaven would leave everything behind for it. Having heard this parable, are we really listening? I’d say God has never left his followers even beyond the death of his son at the hands of evil. The story of his church through all the centuries bears this. Mysteries, one after another, reveal the hand of God worked even through the lambs of the earth being consumed by the wolves of the world fulfilling His will no matter what. His mystical body on earth has been persecuted, wrought by heresies and schisms, saddled by corruption and internal vulnerabilities, challenged by secular intellectualism, and relativized by societal and political shifts. Still, Christianity persists. How is this happening?
Since Christ, Christians endured persecutions (executions, torture, deaths by spectacle in gladiatorial arenas, etc.) by the Roman Empire due to their refusal to worship Roman deities including the emperor. This refusal was viewed by the authorities as defiance and a threat to Roman traditions and order. Then throughout history, Catholics have faced persecutions in various times and places such as during the Protestant Reformation and under totalitarian regimes.
As the doctrines of the Church carefully evolved from divine revelation, heresies and schisms wrought havoc due to divergent interpretations from various groups. Early heresies like Arianism challenged the nature of Jesus and the Trinity, leading to internal divisions within the nascent Church. The East-West Schism of 1054 formally divided the Church into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church due to a complex interplay of theological, political, and cultural differences (Lumen Learning). Later, the 16th Century Protestant Reformation, a major schism initiated by Martin Luther, challenged papal authority, traditional Catholic doctrines, and practices, leading to the rise of various Protestant denominations (History.com). Today, the number of these denominations is estimated to range from a few dozen major ones to around 30,000 minor ones. Ultimately, the number of Protestant denominations is less important than understanding the diverse range of beliefs and practices within Protestantism.
Thirdly, the Church has also been saddled by corruption and internal vulnerabilities at some points through its history. Criticisms from various quarters have pointed to instances of corruption, including the selling of indulgences (14th – 16th centuries during the Middle Ages and Reformation periods) and simony (4th century). The Western Schism (1378-1417), when there were times that several men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope, eroded faith in the papacy. In recent history, the sexual abuse scandals involving some clergy members and the Church’s inconsistent handling of these cases adversely impacted its credibility and trust.
Fourth, the Church has been challenged by secular intellectualism. The Age of Enlightenment (1680-1820) emphasized reason and scientific inquiry, challenging traditional religious authority and beliefs, and prompting a reevaluation of faith and its role in society. During the Scientific Revolution (mid-1500s to late 1700s), discoveries by scientists challenged traditional interpretations of certain biblical texts and the emphasis on empirical evidence potentially weakened religious and biblical authority for some (Kingswood Learn). This led to Modernism (late 19th – early 20th-century) which aimed to reconcile Catholic teaching with modern philosophical, historical, and psychological theories, challenging some traditional understandings of the Bible and sacred tradition. In contemporary times, the rise of secularism, characterized by indifference or rejection of religious considerations, continues to challenge the Church’s influence and relevance in some parts of the world especially in the West.
Fifth, Christianity, especially Catholic Christianity, is being relativized by societal and political shifts in today’s world. The Catholic Church faces evolving demographics, including shifts in its membership and clergy populations. Nevertheless, its general population remains constant. It is gaining more adherents today in continents like Africa, South America, and Asia. In the United States, for instance, while first generation Catholic migrants are dying out and succeeding generations are not necessarily carrying on the faith, their numbers are being replaced by immigrants from the named continents including Mexico. Meanwhile, discussions surrounding the role of women in leadership within the Church continue to be a challenge for some. Finally, ongoing struggles with individualism and the questioning of traditional doctrines and rules also challenge the Church in the modern era.
Through all its narrated challenges up and down the centuries of human existence, it is noteworthy that the Catholic Church has demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. The Church has responded to these challenges with reforms, theological developments, and continued evangelization efforts. Moreover, through its global organization (secular parishes and dioceses, and non-secular religious), the Church continues to influence individuals and organizations who sow widespread charity in all ways possible targeting the world’s poorest, marginalized, and most disadvantaged populations.
But a powerful true story in the life of the Church may shed some light on the paradoxical nature of its survival through extreme adversity. Like its Master, the Church evolved to this day because it may be deemed insignificant in the eyes of the materialistic world but not in the hearts and minds of the faithful whose earthly lives depend upon the resurrection of the spirit. And this spirit was in a Christian girl named Agnes who lived some 300 years after Christ. Boston Archbishop Richard Henning wrote that it was not a gladiator named Maximus who “defied an emperor” but a young Christian girl named Agnes. She was Agnes of God because she only wanted to devote her life to Him. But a spurned suitor betrayed her to the cruelty of pagan Roman empire under the most brutal emperor Diocletian. The good Bishop wrote that “Diocletian ordered one of the most violent and widespread persecutions of Christians and young Agnes was caught up in his reign of terror”. “They tormented and terrorized her in prison, dragged her to a brothel, and threatened her life”. When all attempts to force her to recant her faith had failed, “she was beheaded at a race track in the heart of Rome on January 21, 304”. The emperor had hoped that “her brutal murder would frighten recalcitrant Christians and lessen the appeal of the faith to the pagans of the time”. But instead, “her courage and steadfast faith shamed the very warriors who dragged her to the arena”. “The crowd ceased its baying. How could they make sense of this young girl, so vulnerable and yet so unafraid of the might of their emperor?” “Along with other early Martyrs, Agnes’ blood ‘watered’ the Church in the heart of the empire that sought to eradicate it”.
In conclusion, the Catholic Church has survived since the resurrection of Jesus because it is an organization like no other. It cannot be lumped with any human empire because it is not such. The Pope, for instance, is not an emperor. It is based on truth and does not pretend to be infallible. While it has had its many faults, these are attributable to the fallibility of men-stewards rather than the infallibility of God. The Church has always tried to mend its errors, including those that Martin Luther pointed out centuries ago. If the recent popes are any indicator of the true character of the Church, then assess Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and now Pope Leo XIV. But the real truth of the matter is that the Church has survived because God himself said so: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Christ always likened his baptized followers on earth as his bride and He the groom. He called this earthly bride His mystical body. This bride is God’s own and He loves her as a husband loves his wife. In essence, the Catholic Church is God’s incarnate wife – born in the flesh but baptized in the spirit. How can this Church not persist until the end of time?
