Page 286 - Through New Eyes

The Course of HistoV 287
the European countries, spread to the Americas, and gave birth
to the printing press, university education, technology, and
many other benefits. During the last century, Christianity ex-
tended all over the globe as a result of the missionary movement
and almost eradicated slavery (though slavery still exists in some
Islamic countries, and behind the iron curtain). 5
The history of the Church is not a history of smooth ad-
vances, however. From what we have seen of Biblical history, we
should expect periods of setback. We should expect that an old
establishment wears thin, and declines into stultification and er-
ror, only to be replaced by a new establishment that does fuller
justice to the faith. Each new establishment takes up the
strengths of the previous one, but transforms it into something
new and more powerful, more glorious. G
For instance, after a couple of centuries of tribulation, God
gave Constantine to the Church. Constantine is much criticized
by ignorant persons today; but there can be no doubt that his
conversion was a welcome change for the thousands of maimed,
crippled, and raped Christians of his day. The Constantinian
Establishment may not measure up by today’s standards, but it
was glorious in its time. It gave peace to the Kingdom, and en-
abled Christianity to blossom in the East, bringing the Gospel to
many peoples and bringing about tremendous blessings.
In the West, the Constantinian Establishment did not last. It
was, after all, imperfect. After several centuries of strife and dis-
order, God brought to pass the Papal Establishment in the West.
Protestants like me find it easy to find fault with the Papacy, but
we should remember that the firm hand of strong godly Popes
helped bring the unruly tribes of Europe into the Kingdom. Just
because the Popes of Luther’s day were bad does not mean they
always had been. In their day, the tribes of Europe were in a
state of continual warfare. By outlawing war during Lent, on
Sunday, and at such times as the Peace of God and the Truce of
God, the Papacy eventually brought about a condition of contin-
ual peace. Wars were declared, fought, and ended. Peace was
normal. The Popes and godly emperors brought this about, us-
ing the rod of excommunication.
The Papal Establishment, however, was imperfect, It led to
abuses, and the Christians of Northern Europe did not like