In a culture heavily endowed with anti-Christian prejudice, many people assume that since much of the violence committed in the West during the past 1,700 years or so was committed by nominal “Christians” and “Christian nations,” there must be a connection between the teachings of Christianity itself and the violence committed by Western nations and people.
Violence is tragically ingrained in life on this planet. Like people everywhere, people of the West have experienced tribal, ethnic, and national conflict. They have endured plagues, famines, and natural disasters. The fact that they were exposed to the gospel didn’t shield them from these things or provide a simple formula for dealing with them. They also had to face ruthless, predatory enemies; and when they did, armed resistance was often necessary. No group of people, regardless of religion, can survive without self-defense against murderous aggression.1 Unfortunately, not all wars waged by self-professing Christians were defensive. Although “Christian” nations and rulers were by no means the only wagers of cruel, unjust war (examples like the Assyrians, Tamerlane, the Vikings, and the Golden Horde come to mind), the fact that they sometimes did can’t be ignored.
The “Christian” West has become the focus of the world’s attention during the past two centuries due to its political, military, economic, and cultural dominance.
Biblical theism nurtured the scientific achievements of the West, while the gospel nurtured its individualism and intellectual freedom. Science, individualism, and intellectual freedom were major factors in the creation of the West’s power, but the West has often exploited its power with little regard for biblical theism or the gospel.
Christianity is a personal faith, not a culture. Western nations have never been genuinely Christian, even if influenced by Christian ideals.
Christ’s coming set a boundary between Caesar’s kingdom and the kingdom of God and introduced tremendous pressure for social and political change. Although Jesus was clearly speaking metaphorically when He said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34 NIV). He knew His message was revolutionary. Jesus Christ wasn’t hated and put to death because He taught people how to improve themselves and go to heaven. He was killed because He, like the prophets who predicted His coming, confronted political and religious leaders about their wickedness and hypocrisy.
Following His death and resurrection, Jesus’ disciples continued to proclaim the revolutionary message that “Christ is Lord,” a message that was as unwelcome to Caesar as it was to the Jewish authorities. The declaration that “Christ is Lord” is just as unwelcome to worldly authorities in the 21st century as it was in the first.
Governments seldom have priorities in harmony with the gospel. There is tension between Caesar’s realm and the kingdom of God. This tension existed throughout the history of the West. In spite of the illusions of Western (or American) exceptionalism held by some,2 Ephesians 6:12 are more applicable today than ever. Yet in the midst of inhuman ideologies, revolutionary violence, and imperial wars, the gospel sows salt and light in a world that would be an utter hell without it (Matthew 5:13-16). In spite of the demonic currents of Western history, the Christian faith has nurtured—and continues to nurture—human dignity, freedom, and achievement.
Under the gospel’s influence, “old wineskins” of degrading and obsolete social structures will continue to burst (Luke 5:36-38). But bloodshed is rooted in the narcissism of our race, not the gospel.3
As in the West, when the yeast of the gospel message (Matthew 13:31-33) is introduced into areas of the world hitherto uninfluenced by Christianity, evil and hypocrisy will be exposed and revolutionary ferment will occur. But when there is violence, it will be due to resistance to the gospel, not its liberating message.
