“Christian” Influence
This week I encountered two moments—one from the news and one from a conversation—that brought Tom Holland’s Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind into sharp focus. In his sweeping historical work, Holland argues that the moral foundations of the modern West are deeply indebted to Christianity—even when contemporary society no longer acknowledges (or even rejects) that influence.
Though Holland does not always probe deeply, Dominion doesn’t shy away from the failures, contradictions, and misuses of Christianity. Holland is not defending the church; he’s tracing the impact of a 2,000-year-old revolution in values—often subtle, sometimes startling. And this week, I saw both fruit and distortion of that influence in unexpected ways.
The Infidels and the Echo of the Crusades
I encountered a BBC article reporting that members of a U.S. motorcycle club called “Infidels” are employed by a private security contractor working at food distribution sites in Gaza.[1] These are the same sites where hundreds of civilians have recently been killed trying to avoid starvation. The article revealed that the leadership team of this contract company includes at least seven members of the club, also referred to as a gang. Their club’s Facebook page contains anti-Islamic hate speech, and members proudly display tattoos and sell hats referencing the year 1095 to commemorate the launch of the first Crusade to reclaim the Holy Lands from the “infidels”.
The article doesn’t explicitly claim these bikers are Christians. But their use of Christian symbolism—particularly from one of the darker chapters in church history—raises important questions. What does it mean when violent or hateful behavior is cloaked in religious imagery? How do we account for the ways Christianity is co-opted, sometimes by those who seem to represent its opposite?
For some, examples like this reinforce skepticism about Christianity’s legacy. But Holland’s work invites us to ask a more nuanced question: Even when Christianity is abused, does its historical influence still shape our ethical instincts—for better or worse?
Walls, Wells, and the Pastoral Dilemma
The second moment came in conversation with a pastor I recently met. He speaks often of “sinners,” and believes God has given him a special gift of discernment to recognize sin that may be creeping into Christian institutions and individual Christians. His perspective is that it’s more loving to confront sin directly than to let it fester quietly “in sheep’s clothing.” Is he drawing a line in the sand or claiming special insight to determine who is good and who is bad? Will his method challenge people to come closer to God or drive them further away?
In contrast, I heard Pastor Dhati Lewis, Founder and Lead Teaching Pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta, GA, pose a gentle but powerful alternative. In a talk about effectively discipling Christians toward Christlikeness, he used a biblical motif of shepherd and sheep. He said that to keep sheep from straying, “You can either build a higher fence or dig a deeper well.”[2] I think my new acquaintance wants to build a fence to keep Christians safe from the world. I am more comfortable helping them dig a deep well, that is, grow deeply in a relationship with Jesus, so that they will naturally stay away from the dangerous edges.
It echoes a centuries-old Christian debate: Should Christians separate themselves from the world to preserve holiness, or engage it deeply in order to transform it? Holland describes how, even in the fourth century, Christians wrestled with this question. Some sought to raise walls around the faithful; others to scatter seeds across the empire. He frames Constantine’s role in this tension—did the emperor bring Christianity into power, or use power to bring Christianity to the world?[3]
The tension is still with us.
I wasn’t quite sure how to categorize Dominion. It is an ambitious work of history that reads more like popular nonfiction—something I might enjoy on a long flight. The pace, tone, and storytelling are accessible, but the implications are profound.
And maybe that’s the point. Holland is not writing theology or apologetics. He’s exploring how a crucified Jewish teacher reshaped the moral imagination of the Western world—even among those who now reject him.
I approached the book expecting a defense of Christianity. Holland is not defending Christianity so much as explaining that we are all—believers and skeptics alike—still living in its long shadow.
My inspectional reading of Dominion reminded me that Christianity’s influence is not clean or consistent. Throughout history, it has been used to heal and to harm, to liberate and to oppress. Today, it still does—on both the global stage and on the small stages of local churches.
[1] Tom Beal, Will Dahlgreen, and Andy Verity, “Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza sites,” BBC, September 9, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2zy4l8jgeo.
[2] Dhati Lewis, Becoming Christlike Disciples, presented at the DSLDP, Columbus, OH, September 5, 2025.
[3] Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (London: Abacus, 2020), 118.
About the Author
Julie O'Hara
10 responses to ““Christian” Influence”
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Hi Julie,
If you had the opportunity to ask Holland some questions, what one question would you ask him and why?
Hi Shela,
I would ask him to name what specifically about Christianity keeps him from claiming it as his personal faith. He is so well-versed in the Bible (or maybe that is the influence of research assistants) it just makes me wonder how he can reject Jesus as saviour.
Julie, you highlight both the healing and harmful ways Christianity’s influence still shows up—from Crusader symbols co-opted by modern groups to pastoral approaches that either build fences or dig wells. Given Holland’s claim that we all live in Christianity’s long shadow, how do we discern when Christian influence is genuinely shaping culture toward Christlike compassion versus when it is being distorted to justify exclusion or harm?
Hi Chad, I believe that Christian influence rightly applied leads toward healing. That healing could be once personal relationship with Jesus, families, broken systems within cities or institutions etc. Authentic Christian influence leads toward wholeness. Let my brief reply also indicate my personal conviction that there is no “clean” influence of Christianity filtered through our humanity. I suspect that is my problem with my new Pastor acquaintance. I believe he may be someone who takes the doctrine of entire sanctification to an extreme view of sinlessness – and perhaps considers himself in that category.
Julie,
Attending the OSU football game last Saturday I saw once again several street preachers with bullhorns and signs declaring people’s sin and need for repentance. I wonder what impact they made on the crowd. There is no context of relationship (person to person) present in these events. I thought of this when you mentioned the pastor you recently met that likes to call out sin. Does he do this in the context of relationships? As a pastor what from which relationship level would you suggest he is acting? It sounds like the other pastor, Pastor Lewis, operates more from Level 2 or 3.
Hi Jeff,
This is a new relationship so I can only speculate. I have heard him talk about a philosophy of ministry that leans heavily into the priesthood of all believers. At first glance that might indicate a level two, but in practice, it might not if there is not appropriate vulnerability on the pastor’s part. The words he uses sound to me like level one in the sense of coming from a postion of higher authority (morally, ethically superior).
Hey Julie! I love how you shared the quote Build a higher fence or dig a deeper well. This is honestly the game plan many leaders adopt. After reading Holland how do you view engagement with the world as a Christain leader.
Hi Daren, That’s a pretty big question. As a Christian leader, I view my engagement with the world to be from a place of humility. Jesus is my Lord, and I seek to become more like him, but I have none of his authority. Neither am I omniscient. I am fallible. Let my words, opinions and actions point to him and not my own wit or genius.
Hi Julie, thanks for your post. How do you personally discern when the legacy of Christ is being faithfully articulated and embodied rather than being manipulated for power and control?
Hi Christy, I believe Mother Teresa is an example who most faithfully articulated and embodied the legacy of Christ. She served without personal gain, did not lift Christ to gain power, and did not seek position to have authority, but humbly served and yet influenced the whole world. Most of the rest of us, including political figures and others on the world stage, are full of mixed motives, whether we realize it or not. I may not always be able to determine which parts of someone’s public personal are faithful and which are manipulative. I recuse myself from being the judge of another and take solace in the words of Paul, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:15-18 (NIV)