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Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up  /  Chapter 13: How Early Christianity Was Corrupted  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Constantine’s strategy included “evangelism through dazzling architecture,” relic mania (Helena’s “true cross,” miracle stories, relic commerce), and expanding martyrs’ feasts into crowd-attracting events; Bercot says the Church then assumed “growth indicates God’s blessings” and adopted even images in worship—what metrics do you personally use to judge whether God is approving a ministry or method, and what would you change if rapid growth could also be a sign of corruption?
Another way to ask: Constantine used impressive buildings, relics, and big events to draw crowds, and the Church began assuming “growth means God’s blessing.” How do you decide if God is approving a ministry or method, and what would you change if fast growth could also mean corruption?

Direct Answer The transcript warns that numerical growth and public attraction are unreliable metrics, since the church’s fastest growth came alongside compromise and worldly methods. Bercot’s implied alternative metric is faithfulness to apostolic Christianity and the kind of life-change that shows genuine discipleship rather than “creed + rites.”

Support from Transcript:

  • Constantine used impressive buildings: lavish churches to tempt unbelievers to “peer inside,” and “his idea worked splendidly.”
  • Helena’s “true cross” story sparked “relic mania,” miracle claims, and eventually relics “hawked by vendors” for profit.
  • Martyrs’ memorial feasts were expanded into public celebrations, and “soon entire towns were ‘converted’ this way.”
  • The church assumed “growth automatically indicates God’s approval.”
  • In less than 100 years after 313, nearly the remaining “90% had been ‘converted.’”
  • The church then adopted “virtually any practice that resulted in growth,” including “images in worship,” which early Christians found “utterly loathsome.”
Discussion Follow-ups If growth can come from attraction and compromise, what indicators of faithfulness would you prioritize instead (e.g., willingness to suffer, separation from the world, transformed lives)?

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