Jumpstarter 10 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion

Question 10

David says fourth-century Christians achieved real social goods (ending gladiator games, banning abortion/infanticide, outlawing prostitution) but paid a “too steep” price (embracing war, torture/capital punishment, religious persecution) and “became the world”; what warning signs today would indicate the church is repeating that exchange, and what concrete practices could help a congregation pursue mercy and justice for the poor (as Julian observed) without crossing into that kind of entanglement?

Another way to ask: David says Christians in the 4th century did some good for society but ended up copying the world in harmful ways too. What signs today would show the church is making that same trade, and what practical habits could help a church care for the poor and do justice without getting tangled up with power like that?

Direct Answer David warns that the church repeats the fourth-century exchange when it gains political wins but absorbs the world’s methods—violence, coercion, and worldly thinking—until Christians are indistinguishable from unbelievers. He points to early-Christian mercy and disciple-making as the concrete path for justice without entanglement.

Support from Transcript:

He acknowledges political “good”: ending gladiator contests, banning abortion/infanticide, outlawing prostitution, collapsing paganism by removing state funding.
But the “price… much too steep”: Christians “embraced war,” then “slaughtering fellow Christians,” and accepted torture, dungeons, capital punishment.
He says they turned to “religious persecution… burning… and even genocide,” so “Christians became the world… no difference between Christians and non-Christians.”
Cultural warning sign: entertainment—pre-Nicene Christians avoided chariot races/theater; later “everyone in the audience was a professing Christian,” with the same fanaticism.
For a non-entangled alternative, he highlights Jesus’ commission: “make disciples,” not fix nations politically.
Yet Christians must not ignore need: early Christians fed the hungry, helped prisoners, sick, and poor; Julian observed they cared for “their own poor… and… ours as well.”

Discussion Follow-ups What local ministries could replace political activism as a church’s main “public witness,” while keeping the focus on discipleship and mercy?

Jumpstarter 10 of 10

Add your phone number?

Thank you!

Jumpstarter 10 of 10