Thinking Anew:ONE of many wonderful things to see in Rome is the Arch of Constantine which commemorates the victory of the emperor Constantine at the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. There he defeated Maxentius, a rival for power, an event which proved to be a turning point in the history of the western world.
It is said that the night before the battle Constantine had a religious vision which in time would have an enormous significance for the future of Christianity within his empire and beyond.
Constantine had been active in church affairs prior to this, dealing with various controversies and disputes. However in later years he played a more active role. He funded the building of churches and in 321 AD ordered that Sunday should be observed as a public holiday. He tried to reconcile Christians and pagans; he humanised the criminal law to some extent, eased the burdens of slaves and provided relief for poor children. It is difficult to assess to what extent his motives were political rather than religious – he was not baptised until just before his death - but what is clear is that under his rule the interests of church and state converged. Opinion is divided as to whether this was a good thing or not.
Church/State relations are on the agenda in this country. Recent revelations have drawn attention to what can happen when the State allies itself to specific church interests to the exclusion of others. It is difficult to measure what good, if any, has come of this special relationship for either side. There is however clear evidence that, from a Christian point of view, foundational principles of love, mercy and compassion were abandoned on a large scale.
Early in his ministry, in the wilderness temptations, Jesus, rejected worldly power in any form insisting that his authority was of a higher order and had an authenticity and credibility of its own. On that basis alone he challenged society and engaged with the powerful and the privileged.
The church has never found this an easy option. The temptation, the desire even, at a leadership level to have political power, to be in a position to impose its unquestioned will has often proved too great. Where this happens and the Church is no longer held to account the prophetic voice is threatened and the desire to expose injustice is compromised.
There is truth in the comment that when Christianity shakes hands with the world, it’s goodbye Christianity.
But prophetic voices will not be silenced. This newspaper recently published an interview with Father Shay Cullen from Dublin who has spent years campaigning against the sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines.
In 1974 he co-founded Preda to offer help and shelter to some of the victims. He is clearly frustrated with the institutional side of the church which wanted him “to live in the Rectory and say mass every day not go on to the streets….When I came here we had martial law, death squads, rampant abuse of women and children. And the church was silent about it. And silence is consent.” In a reference to the crucifix he suggests that the Church has forgotten “that in every church you’re looking at a condemned criminal who got the death penalty for defending human rights and the rights of children….If we look on Jesus as a progressive role model for the poor, the sick and the underprivileged, it is revolutionary. And we live every day, like Jesus, without compromise, because the one thing that guy never did was compromise.”
To some his views may seem radical but his ministry has an authentic note about it, out there on the streets, where Jesus was, supporting and speaking out for the weak and vulnerable.
In the future the Christian cause in Ireland will be best served not by those who seek to impose their views or control people’s lives but by those who like Shay Cullen can convince others by the integrity of their lives that what they represent is worth having.
“The church’s service and mission in the world is absolutely dependent on its being different from the world, being in the world but not of the world.” – Jim Wallis.
– GL