ColonelMaskStork3
One intriguing evidence for Christianity is its effect on…
One intriguing evidence for Christianity is its effect on individuals and on societies (please note: this post is not intended to argue or imply that Christians and/or the Church have a perfect track record. They don’t – – and I am certainly not disputing the point. However, it is still both interesting and important to recognize the significant contribution of Christianity to the betterment of society in a variety of ways).
Historian Alvin Schmidt has done a fantastic job of summarizing the effect Christianity has had on society in his book, How Christianity Changed the World. He explains Christianity’s profound impact on the following:
Freedom and dignity of women: Christianity has done a great deal to elevate the view, standing, and freedom of women in society around the world. Historically, we can look at societies before and after they were impacted by Christianity and see the profound positive impact it has had on women. This goes back ultimately to the example of Jesus himself. Next time you read through the Gospels, pay particular attention to Jesus’ various relationships with women. How did Jesus relate to, and interact with, women? This makes an interesting study!
Health Care: Due to the Christian belief in eternal life and emphasis on service and caring for the poor, sick, and needy, hospitals and nursing homes were invented. Before this, even healthcare workers were unwilling to spend much time around the sick. Because of Christianity, people became willing to risk and suffer in order to help.
Education: While there was a very early Islamic school, the first universities were invented by Christians to train pastors and others in natural theology/philosophy (i.e. natural science), Biblical theology, and philosophy. For centuries, Universities were entirely Christian organizations.
Science: While there are a very few well publicized conflicts between science and Christianity, the contribution Christianity has had on the sciences is profound. The founders and primary thinkers in most of our academic disciplines were devout Christians. Many of them were sponsored by the Church. Gregor Mendel, the founder of Genetics and a personal favorite of mine, was a Catholic monk. Other early modern scientists who were either Christians or profoundly influenced by Christianity include men like Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Isaac Newton.
Justice: Rather uniquely, Christianity valued equality because everyone is created in the image of God. The Code of Hammurabi had separate punishments for nobles and commoners. The idea of equal justice is largely an impact of the Christian worldview.
Slavery: Christianity, rather uniquely, has always advocated equal dignity and rights of all people. While the Bible acknowledges slavery – ancient slavery was a vastly different kind of slavery that much more closely resembled employment. Christians were major culture changers and policy changers in the issue of slavery. Just think of the abolitionist work of men like William Wilberforce and John Newton.
Creativity: Christianity became a major commissioner of achitecture, music, literature, and the arts. Indeed, the whole Western intellectual tradition is profoundly indebted (in almost every conceivable way) to the influence of the Bible and Christianity.
The Weekend! The idea of a day off from work was first a Jewish one. Jews take Saturday off work and early Christians took Sunday off to worship and commemorate the resurrection day of Christ. In the 4th century, the Roman Empire ordered, for the first time, closing businesses on Sundays. (Schmidt, 2004)
We have seen in our worldview class that Christianity believes . . .
. . . that humans are created in God’s image, and thus human life has intrinsic value and all are equal
. . . that life is eternal, and thus we ought to sacrifice personally to serve others
. . . that God is Creator, and thus learning about creation is learning about the Creator (hence, Christianity’s influence on science and education)
This worldview has had a profound impact on society and civilization!
Thoughts?
