The first step in trying to shape the future is to understand the past, and Stuart Murray’s volume Post-Christendom uses many chapters to detail the history of how the church became dominant in Western Europe.

He begins by taking us back to the fourth century AD when an emperor from the eastern half of the Roman Empire, Constantine, supposedly became a Christian in 312 as he was attempting to wrest control of the whole empire. He succeeded in his quest and was sole emperor until his death in 337. And as a ‘Christian’ emperor, Constantine transformed the status of the church from being a rather marginal group to being the official religion of the empire. And this transformation resulted in ‘profound changes in how the church understood itself, its theology and its social responsibility’ (page 23). Murray argues that it is these changes that have produced the current state of the church and why it is only by dismantling them can we become effective in a post-Christendom culture.

During Constantine’s reign Christianity became the imperial religion. Immense power and wealth would flow into the church because of this and the church would benefit greatly from the state’s patronage. Laws would be passed to favour the Christian faith; bishops would be consulted by the emperor; and paganism would slowly be replaced as the central religion. In short, the Christian church became the establishment.

Murray argues that Constantine was attracted to the Christian faith because the church community had grown so significantly since its early days. It is estimated that some 10% of the population were Christian by the early fourth century, with most towns and cities having a Christian presence and even some villages being almost totally Christian. As paganism was slowly loosing its attraction political leaders were looking for a religious idea that would unite and shape the empire – ‘especially in the face of threats of disintegration’ (29). Constantine’s ‘conversion’ to the faith came about on the eve of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. In a vision he saw the shape of a cross with the words ‘By this conquer’ and decided that it was through the Christian religion that he would be blessed as he strove to control the whole empire.

Many have doubted whether Constantine’s conversion was genuine – partly because of his refusal to be baptised until he was much older and his tendency to fuse both his new faith with his previous beliefs in the pagan Sol Invictus, the sun god (making Sun-day an official Christian holiday being one example of such a fusion, and making the pagan god’s celebration day, 25 December, a Christian festival, another). One of his motives was undoubtedly the unity of the empire and he saw the church as a way of ensuring this unity. And when church unity itself was threatened he was concerned enough to work for harmony – a prime example being the calling of the Council of Nicea in 325 to put an end to the disharmony caused by differing views on the Trinity. There was no room for dissent within the church, for a disunited church could lead to a disunited empire.

Constantine’s promotion of Christianity, however, was significant, not least in the building of new churches. Laws, previously working against Christians, were changed. Sunday became a holiday when the courts were suspended on that day as was labour in the towns. Bishops were given extensive rights including the right to try civil legal cases and were given high status in society. Indeed Christians were favoured citizens in the empire and had many privileges.

Because of this change in circumstances the number of people ‘converting’ to Christianity increased massively. In order to deal with this influx the church began to change its method of instruction and initiation so as to make it easier for people to become members. The emphasis on discipleship, where spiritual growth and ethical living was paramount, was lessened and correct belief so as to avoid heresy became more important. Under the expectation of successive emperors, the church set about converting the empire and though conversion was still a true spiritual journey for many, coercion also came to be a tool of the church. Heads of families would exert pressure on their households to convert, as did landowners on their workers.

Thus the Christendom was born. And by then end of the fourth century the church was very firmly a part of the established order.