Greg Sheridan is a long time political correspondent for The Australiannewspaper and media group; which means that he is a secure cog in the System machine. It turns out that he has written a book on Christianity, and his employer is giving him a free run to spruik it, isn’t that nice of them. In last weekend’s newspaper was a sample from the book, and a section of it caught my eye. Speaking of Rome and the behavior of its citizens during times of pandemics he has this to say:
The general performance of pagan society in plagues was appalling. Predominantly, people ran away whenever and wherever they could. When relatives contracted the plague, families often put them out on the street while they were still alive, leaving them to die agonisingly, alone and neglected, in an effort to keep the disease away. Bodies piled up in the street and in public houses. Food distribution broke down. The army was more than decimated.
Interesting, interesting. But then it gets better, much better indeed.
The Christian response was the opposite. They stayed to help. They nursed each other and, when they could, nursed their pagan neighbours. Not everyone, not even a majority, who gets a plague illness dies. Their chances of survival are vastly improved if they receive even basic nursing, so that when they are most sick, some reassuring figure provides them with food and drink. Do even that much and survival rates soar. Further, Christians who got the disease early and survived often developed some immunity, and this looked miraculous.
The psychological response was radically different too. In the face of death, Christians still believed that life had meaning. Christians were psychologically and spiritually equipped to respond helpfully in the plagues because they’d already learnt to love others, to serve others. They judged human life in the perspective of eternity.
Dionysius, the bishop of Alexandria, wrote: “Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves, thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ … The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons and laymen winning high commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom.”
It is somewhat perplexing that a media organisation that was at the forefront of pushing the nationwide lockdowns and shutting down the churches would then have the gall to publish this. But gall is what they have in abundance.
But aren’t Christians today just a very sad, sorry, selfish and fearful bunch when compared to Christians of the past. While those Christians did all they could to help the suffering, while contracting the disease themselves and then dying the death of a martyr, today’s Christians cower behind their closed doors in fear, eagerly submit to taking a poison vaccine made from aborted babies, and insult and shame their fellow Christians who might object to all of their fearful behavior.
I am reading The Four Witnesses, a fascinating book about the early history of the Church and veritable kryptonite for protestants. Early Christians were not merely dedicated; they were faithful, and they took that simple and profound faith as far as it needed to go in whatever the awful circumstances in which they found themselves. A chilling episode recounts the moment when several Christians renounced their faith when faced with the awful fate of literally being fed to the lions. They were described as the most sorry creatures to ever walk the earth; they had their big chance before God and they blew it.
Well as far as Covid is concerned, the world blew it. I said it at the time but I will say it again now, what a lost opportunity for the Church to show courage, leadership and faith to the world. Imagine if the Catholic Church had stood united alone in showing the world what real faith meant. It could have been the most glorious moment in the history of the Church.
But not to worry. God is always ready to give us another shot at glory.
Originally published at Pushing Rubber Downhill. You can purchase Adam’s books here.
