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One of the major influences on my thinking several years ago was an article entitled, “The Rise and Fall of Christendom” by Stuart Murray who is involved with the Anabaptist Network. In it he gives a controversial definition of ‘Christendom’ that seems to give plenty of food for thought.(The history of the Anabaptists is an interesting story – bearing in mind that at the time of the Reformation they were persecuted by both Protestants and Catholics).What Christendom meant:
the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of city, state or empire
the assumption that all citizens (except for the Jews) were Christian by birth
the development of a ‘sacral society’, where there was no effective distinction between sacred and secular, where religion and politics were intertwined
the definition of ‘orthodoxy’ as the common belief, determined by socially powerful clerics supported by the state
the imposition of supposedly ‘Christian morality’ on the entire population (although normally Old Testament moral standards were applied)
a political and religious division of the world into ‘Christendom’ and ‘heathendom’
the defence of Christianity by legal sanctions to restrain heresy, immorality and schism, and by warfare to protect or extend Christendom
a hierarchical ecclesiastical system, based on a diocesan and parish arrangement, which was analogous to the state hierarchy and was buttressed by state support
a generic distinction between clergy and laity and relegation of laity to a largely passive role
obligatory church attendance, with penalties for non-compliance
infant baptism as the symbol of obligatory incorporation into this Christian society
the imposition of obligatory tithes to fund this system.The rest of the article can be found here – http://outsidethegoldfishbowl.wordpress.com/christendom
Link to Murray’s original “Christendom and Post-Christendom” (PDF)
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