Introduction
The seventh chapter of Jonathan Hall’s book “What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us?: How it Stopped the Modern World,” published by IVP Academic in 2005, examines what Christianity’s phenomenon meant for the history of the West in general and anthropological thought in particular. The author consistently studies the invasion of several truths about man, suggesting an unprecedented ideological revolution. In the seventh chapter, Jonathan Hall concludes that Christianity was crucial for world humanism and culture.
Abolishing Injustice
Apartheid
It was in Christianity that the black theology of liberation appeared. The leading ideologue was James Cohn, who adhered to Marxist views and was convinced that the whole Bible was the story of the struggle of enslaved people with their oppressors (Hill 152). According to it, God was on the side of enslaved Black people, not white oppressors. As Cohn writes, together with Christ, people had to stand up to the rich white oppressors (Hill 153).
Sin is the crime of whites against blacks. Cohn’s ideas inspired many to fight the white oppressors. The problem of social inequality was also well-known on the African continent. The ideas of Cohn and Martin Luther King reached South African Lutherans and were used to fight apartheid (Hill 155). Unlike the black theology of the USA, which emphasized oppression and victims of oppression, African theology focused on the love and responsibility of blacks towards whites.
The founder of the African liberation theology was Lutheran Bishop Manas Buthelezi. Buthelezi began his sermon by saying that a black man has reached moral and spiritual maturity and not only does not need the tutelage of white people, but he must return whites to Christianity (Hill 156). Like his American predecessors, the Lutheran preacher said that black theology should not be limited to words but should be in action, satisfying the needs of the oppressed (Hill 156).
Buthelezi led an active struggle against the apartheid regime at all levels and achieved significant results. However, he mainly changed people’s consciousness through a new theology based on respect for life and human dignity, regardless of race. Christianity’s significant contribution, nevertheless, was to alter people’s perceptions by introducing a new theology that upheld everyone’s right to life and dignity, regardless of color.
Slavery
Even the socially conservative attitude of the first Christians is traditionally distinguished by the first decades of Christian history when Christianity showed signs of social revolutionism. Together with conservative social practice, early Christians were carriers of revolutionary rhetoric (Hill 157). The converted enslaved person was perceived as a full-fledged brother or sister; his status had almost no effect on his life in ecclesia.
The position of enslaved people in the community was full-fledged; they were participants in all the sacraments and could, in rare cases, become clerics and even bishops (Hill 161). For example, the Roman bishops Pius and Callistus can be cited (Hill 161). There was also the practice of the ecclesiastical redemption of enslaved people for freedom. Thus, in ancient philosophy, the idea that enslaved people were also people became, for a Christian, not only a thought but also an element of social practice.
Poverty
During the five centuries of the ancient era, Christian charity was institutionalized, and Greco-Roman society’s Jewish traditions and social practices strongly influenced it. Christian charity is a synthesis of different principles, and as a result, it is a product of ancient civilization, which is still used in the modern world with some modifications (Hill 162). The Christianization of the Roman Empire since the time of Emperor Constantine impetus the development of assistance to those in need (Hill 163). The mutual adaptation of the Roman authorities and the church happened, and the popularity of the new faith among the enslaved people and the lower classes was ensured mainly by the idea of salvation and thoughtful charitable activities.
At the same time, in the fight against poverty in Christianity, Charity was not limited to providing food, money, and clothing. People in need were looking for work and arranging their family life, and they were brought up from childhood. Their moral Christian upbringing had two distinct goals (Hill 164).
Firstly, Christianity aimed at bringing a person out of a hopeless moral and psychological state to which poverty led (Hill 169). It was necessary to increase the adaptive potential and cultivate the ability to self-organize and self-help. This is still relevant in the theory and practice of social work (Hill 16952). Secondly, the Christian mission was to raise children in the spirit of love for one’s neighbor, that is, to reproduce new generations of benefactors.
Culture
Christianity played a key role in forming and developing the culture of Byzantium. After the adoption of Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great in the 4th century, it became the official religion of the Byzantine Empire. Christianity has penetrated all spheres of life, including art, architecture, literature, and education (Hill 171). Byzantine Greek was also an essential tool for the spread of Christianity.
Most religious texts, including the Bible and church texts, were written in Greek (Hill 176). This allowed churches and monasteries to teach and preach to the people in their native language. The language in Byzantium was essential for preserving and transmitting knowledge and culture (Hill 177). It has been used to write and preserve many literary works, historical documents, and philosophical and religious texts. Due to the language, Byzantium could preserve and continue Ancient Greece’s traditions and contribute to European culture’s development.
Conclusion
Therefore, the “Changing the World” chapter provides an insightful overview of the pioneering role that Christians have played in the efforts to end injustices like slavery and apartheid and to support the underprivileged. Though the chapter on culture and thought honors Christianity’s role in the evolution of language as a medium for Scripture translation, it would have been beneficial to be updated concerning the impact that organizations such as the Wycliffe Bible Translators have had on the contemporary linguistic scene.
As one could anticipate from the publishers, the chapter is elegantly designed, with fitting graphics and boxes that include quotable passages from the thinkers mentioned. The impact of the nineteenth-century missionary movement, which was driven by a desire to spread the gospel and a concern to provide hospitals and schools in developing nations, is not discussed. However, the author gives the impression that he is more familiar with the Roman Catholic background of its subject.
Work Cited
Hill, Jonathan. “Changing the World.” What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us?: How it Shaped the Modern World, IVP Academic, 2005, pp. 152–181.