Death of Christendom
There are many changes taking place in our society. And one of the biggest for Church folk is the demise of what we call Christendom. Some date the beginning of Christendom to the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine who recognized Christianity and made it the religion of the Empire. It prevailed in numerous places, especially in Western Europe and the United States, until fairly recently. Although Christianity was never the official religion in our country, it was the de facto religion. Church and state were closely linked.
But more importantly, in Christendom the Church served as a kind of touchstone in consideration of public issues—for good or for ill. People wanted to know what the Church’s official position was on any particular topic. After the Reformation, the grip of Christendom began to loosen with the rise of multiple churches. The emergence of sovereign nation states, universities, large corporations and economic institutions, mass media, and the internet all began to serve as other touchstones for people in our society. The voice of the church today is only one among many—and it is frequently a disjointed and weak voice.
One result is that fewer and fewer people look to the church, attend church, or seek to know the church’s teaching or theological reflection. Christendom is now dead.
There are multiple implications for Christian formation, ministry, and mission which we will explore in coming posts. I invite you to share your thoughts and observations by replying.
Christ Church Blog 
Thank you for your reflections – I had not thought about what “Christendom” is. In modern society, we are exposed to people of various backgrounds. Advances in communication (e.g., the internet, telephone, television) and transportation (e.g., airplanes & automobiles) have effectively shrunk the world and now we wonder about life in other planets in the universe. Certainly a universe so vast must have life elsewhere. This leads me believe that we must think globablly.
I believe that one should be free to practice or not practice a religion that a person finds life-giving. Whether Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Humanism, or another spirituality is a part of one’s life, my first question is, “How does that person find this to speak to them, and what can I learn from it?” Furthermore, the most important teachings of Christianity – those on love and mercy, for example – are shared by many religions throughout the world.
I am not sure that the concept of “Christendom” is desirable – I see that as akin to a theocracy. I like the first amendment of the US Constitution that prohibits the government from advocating one religion/spirituality over another.
Finally, I strongly agree with Bishop Spong that Christianity must change or die. For starters, I think we need a new creed to reflect new theological and scientific understandings of our day.
Nurturing Christendom is indeed weak. By nurturing Christendom, I mean those faithful followers who believe it is important to take their calling as a representative of the God of the first creation story into the world to make the world a more nurturing place. Re-read the first creation story sometime. God is male and female. God gives unconditionally. And God expects his/her images to cooperate and care for each other. This empathic God is the creator of the soul of democracy. Social responsibility that leads to freedom and fairness for all is equally important as personal responsibility. That idea of God stops with the story of Adam and Eve. It is re-introduced with Jesus and his two commandments to love God and love each other.
On the other hand, strict and punishing Christendom is strong. By strict and punishing, I mean those faithful followers who believe in the God of Adam and Eve, the God of conditions, the God of winners and losers, especially rich and poor. In this Christian world there will always be poor people, who deserve their poverty because they just weren’t disciplined and obedient enough. This is the current world as we know it with an empathy deficit.
In other words, because human beings are hard wired for both world views, Christendom, both strict and nurturing, will always have potential at the birth of each child. The nurturing world view can be strengthened when we act on our calling. Jesus said, “Wherever two or three or gathered.” That gathering can be seen as either a wake or strategy session. I prefer to see the gathering of caring citizens as a strategy session leading to building an empathy surplus in our world.