Christendom no longer exists, what do we do now?

This is the first of a 3-part series that will release each Monday morning.

A Tale of Two Modes

University of Mary Press recently published From Christendom to Apostolic Mission. This book should be required reading for all working in the Church today. It is that good and that important.

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus commanded his disciples, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Since then, the Catholic Church has endeavoured to build the city of God inside the city of man. There are two approaches that the Church uses to engage with the wider society: Apostolic mode and Christendom mode. Said another way, there are two ways to “do Church.” Choosing the right mode depends on the environment in which the Church finds herself.

Christendom Mode

A Christendom mode makes sense when the imaginative vision of society is informed and governed by Christian values (i.e. no shopping on Sunday because it is the Lord’s day). The existence of Christendom is something to be celebrated because it means that the Church influences culture while building the kingdom of God on earth.

Christendom mode makes sense when the imaginative vision of society is governed by Christian values. Remember when there was no shopping on Sunday because it was the Lord’s day? Share on X

In Christendom, the growth of the Church is in no small way a benefit of her prominence. She attracts new members because her presence is positively woven into the social fabric. Catholic institutions grow in number and stature within Christendom. This too is a perk of the elite status of the Church.

In a time of Christendom, the Church aims to maintain the influence she has on the culture. The great advantage is that God’s truth is readily available to anyone without obstructions or restrictions. In Christendom, Christianity is invited to influence all sectors of society – politics, education, medicine, the arts, and sports. The major institutions which drive industry, education, medicine, and the economy, bear God’s name or refer to Him in constitutions and policies. Furthermore, in a Christendom era, Christians can aspire to leadership in any realm of society, even political office in positions of the highest global influence.

In a Christendom era, Christians can aspire to leadership in any realm of society, even political office in positions of the highest global influence. Share on X

These positive dimensions of Christendom come with their own temptations. For example, following Christ in a time of Christendom can minimize the true nature of discipleship.

The Church has always taught that being a disciple of Jesus means acknowledging His saving sovereignty, embracing the narrow way, denying oneself for the greater good and committing to a lifestyle of spiritual discipline and prayer to become more like Jesus and share Him effectively with others. A true disciple is a person of integrity, not duplicity. He or she is the same person – with the same convictions, values and virtues – no matter where he is or who he is with.

In Christendom times, one can minimize the nature of discipleship by equating it with mere membership in the Church. The high calling of giving utmost commitment for His highest glory is reduced to being a conventional, somewhat spiritual, contributing member of society.

It is difficult to be a martyr in Christendom because duplicity (having divided loyalties) or hypocrisy (pretending to be something you are not) is the norm. Martyrs are heroic individuals who refuse to publicly deny their private faith. In Christendom, the exact opposite is the case, especially for those in public office. It has become an expectation of Catholic politicians, to profess a private faith that contradicts how they vote publicly.

It is difficult to be a martyr in Christendom because duplicity (having divided loyalties) and hypocrisy (pretending to be something you are not) are the norm. Share on X

The Christendom mindset holds that it is enough to appear Catholic to receive the advantages gained by mere membership in the Church. There is no need to pursue a more radical approach to holiness or exert extra effort because everyone is motivated in similar ways – just fit in. Christendom breeds a mediocre Christian commitment.

In Christendom, we are encouraged to be religious but discouraged from becoming fanatical. Nobody with any common sense would promote religious fanaticism but how fanaticism is defined and by who matters a lot. One definition of a fanatic may be totally different from another. Christendom, motivated by maintaining mediocrity, defines a fanatic as someone who loves Jesus more than you.

Christendom’s mandate to members of the Church is to keep faith private and modest. It seems reasonable to do so, even virtuous but it stands in stark contrast to the will of God. Jesus’ last command was to go public with one’s private faith – to make disciples of all nations.

Christendom's mandate to keep your faith private seems reasonable, even virtuous but contradicts the will of God. Jesus' last command was to go public with your private faith - to make disciples of all nations. Share on X

This is the crux of the matter. In Christendom, there is a tendency to avoid acknowledging the supremacy of Jesus Christ. There is an undermining of the unique salvific work accomplished through His passion, death and resurrection. A virus of universalism seeps in and as a result, there is a weakening commitment to spreading the Gospel.

Apostolic Mode

The Church embraces Apostolic mission when society’s imaginative vision is hostile to Christian values. In this environment, the Church herself and individual members of it, are at odds with the prevailing culture. This is not something to celebrate by the Church, but it is important to clearly recognize it. Failing to recognize it, might result in staying engaged in yesterday’s war; using tools, techniques and tactics that, “for whatever reason are outmoded and ineffective.” (University of Mary Press, 2020).

For the first three centuries, the Church lived in an Apostolic mode. She continues to embrace Apostolic mission every time she enters territory that had not been exposed to the Gospel – the mission ad gentes. Historians might not agree when Christendom began to deteriorate but most would speculate that it ended in the 1960s in North America.

Historians might not agree exactly when Christendom began to deteriorate but most would suggest in North America, it ended in the 1960s. Share on X

The great blessing of the Apostolic mode is that the Christian faith, at the individual level, tends toward purity of intention and generous buy-in. Christians during Apostolic times are more authentic and more personally committed to Jesus and His Church. In the absence of societal perks for membership, it is more costly to be Christian during Apostolic times. Understandably, many are tempted to turn away from the faith out of fear of persecution or in a desire to climb the social, political and corporate ladders.

If hypocrisy is a common temptation in Christendom times, apostasy is the common temptation during Apostolic times. It is hard to remain steadfast and true to the Faith when one’s livelihood is on the line. During Apostolic times, “The joy of the gospel, may be obscured by the exhaustion of the constant fight, giving rise to defeatism or angry isolationism” (University of Mary Press, 2020).

Why is it important today that we are able to distinguish between these two modes? Why is it even more important to understand which mode is required for engaging with contemporary society today? Because we are in the midst of what business people call a “sea-change,” a change so significant that we have not experienced it for hundreds of years. This radical change in mind and heart is the essence of what Saint John Paul II was calling for in his exhortation to embrace the New Evangelization.

The Lay of the Land in 2021 and the Choice We Must Make

Everything is shifting under our feet. We have been galloping away from a state of Christendom toward Apostolic mission for a few decades. Each year the pace quickens.

Christianity is no longer woven into the social fabric. It is tearing apart. Things are shifting on a global scale. We are galloping from Christendom to apostolic mission and each year the pace quickens. Share on X

The evidence is clear in Canada.

• Recent legislation expanded the opportunity for just about anyone for any reason to seek medical assistance in dying. Unthinkable just 50 years ago.
• Gender dysphoria is rising to epidemic levels particularly for teenage girls but we can’t talk about it because gender is now defined as a social construct.
• 2021 might be the year that Canada legalizes prostitution after a group of sex workers in Ontario filed to repeal Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act.
• The pandemic has made it clear that the government no longer considers Sunday services as essential as window shopping, going for a workout or attending a strip club.

In 1974, Bishop Fulton Sheen, declared, “We are at the end of Christendom.” He further explained, “Not Christianity, not the Church. Christendom is the economic, political, and social life as inspired by Christian principles. That is what is ending and, because we live in it from day to day, we do not see the decline.” More recently, Pope Francis said to the Roman Curia, “Brothers and sisters, Christendom no longer exists.”

The Church is no longer a trusted lighthouse for society. In fact, the vast majority of people believe that the further society flees from the influence of the Church, the better off society will be.

We live in the information age and yet people have never been so confused. What makes this more tragic than ironic, is that we are confused about the things that matter most – marriage, family, the dignity of the human person and divine revelation.

We live in the information age and yet people have never been so confused. The Church is no longer seen as a trusted lighthouse for society and no more invited to take the helm and navigate us to safety. Share on X

Developments in technology, communication, transportation, medicine, entertainment and manufacturing have so influenced our lives that, “a person who lived a hundred years ago was closer both in modes of consciousness and in the daily rhythms of life to the time of Christ than to our own” (University of Mary Press, 2020).

We are not living in an era of change but in a change of era. This is undeniable and therefore, cannot be ignored. As Fr James Mallon once pointed out, “We were trained in seminary for ministry in Jerusalem but we are now living in Babylon.”

As such, everyone in the Church, especially our Pastoral leaders, have a duty, indeed a moral obligation, to consider the times in which we live and prayerfully discern appropriate strategies to engage with society. Not what society once was or what we wish it to be, but as it truly is here and now.

If we continue to operate with a Christendom mentality and irrelevant tactics, it will be disastrous. Outreach strategies that worked generations ago, if implemented during Apostolic times, will fail and the Church will suffer because of it.

It is critical to sound the alarm, to gather the troops, to radically edit the way we view the world and the Church’s relationship with it. Only when we define current reality in an accurate way, can we begin to talk about methods, programs and initiatives for the mission.

Next week I am going to write about 5 shifts we need to make – and make quickly – to embrace the Apostolic mode desperately needed today. This is our missionary moment. We can do this but there is no more time for dilly-dallying.

I will finish with a quote from, From Christendom to Apostolic Mission:

“2,000 years ago, 11 apostles were sent to win the entire world for Christ. They had only a few hundred followers and meagre resources. They were without the means and institutions, by which to develop a Christian culture. The odds were against them, and they had every reason to despair. But instead, equipped with only the promise of Christ and the conquering spirit of the gospel, they accepted their great commission, and they overcame the world. They provide for us a bright image of an Apostolic mode of engagement. Let us ask how we both individually and as the church can make the shift. How can we move from a Christendom mode to an Apostolic mode? A lot is riding on the answer.”