While Lactantius appealed to Constantine to honour the weak, deal with evil patiently, and promote religious liberty, Constantine was emphatic that he would be a Christian “on his own terms” (p.260). Constantine denounced paganism and embarked on a Christianisation of the law with heavy penalties on what he saw to be immoral practices. He saw himself duty-bound to use the state’s power and wealth to ensure concord, and according to Kreider, while before Constantine “growth was a mystery, the product of God’s invisible power”, after Constantine there was a shift from “mystery to method” (p.267).
Part 1 of 2 of Review of Alan Kreider, The Patient Ferment of the Early Church, Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016
This work of Alan Kreider’s has been without doubt one of the most important books I have read. While we may not align with Kreider theologically in several areas (for example, he is a pacifist and an anabaptist Mennonite) what he has left with this book is something that I think every pastor should read.
In this first part of a two-part review, I will record the highlights, while in the second part, I will offer some reservations and reflections.
Readibility
Although Kreider’s work is quite readable, I would not rate it is as highly accessible for the average reader. He writes like an academic! Nevertheless, it is well worth persevering with, to grasp his message.
Research
Kreider makes some bold assertions that requires significant level of evidence if they are to be held credible. Thankfully, he does provide this. Kreider’s work is well-researched, not surprising as he is a first-rate historian, being Harvard-trained, with teaching appointments that include Oxford.
Highlights
Instead of reviewing each part of the book, I thought it worthwhile to highlight the following points Kreider makes:
- The early church was not at all intentional about its “missional strategy” in the way we modern churches are. If we can say the early church had any “strategy” it was their focus on the need for patience (e.g. patience in suffering, patience in doing good).
For example, Justin writing in the second century wrote, “by our patience and meekness [Christians will] draw all men from shame and evil desires” (p.16). This theme can be detected as the dominant theme in the writings of the church fathers such as Justin, Clement, Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, Lactantius.
- The early church’s “strategy of patience” had its outworking in many ways – including distinctive business ethics, sexual ethics, ethics around the treatment of women and children, care for the poor, refrain from taking part in violence, refrain from compelling, and prayer having a central place in the life of the community (pp.93-130).
- Perhaps the key outworking of this “strategy of patience” was the focus on spiritual formation of new members via catechesis (which we might call a learning program). The early church recognised that the integrity of the church depended on the quality of its members. Christians that spoke like Christians but acted like pagans would soon mean that the church would no longer be Christian (p.176).
Catechumens (those trained by catechists in this program of catechesis) were to embody what he calls a “habitus” of a patient Christian witness.