Despite Me
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went, as the Lord told him…”[1]
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Abram and Sarai being called by God. This random guy, who’s now considered the father of God’s people, was obedient to God in going to a foreign land, leaving behind his family, home, and all that was familiar. What I love about the story is that one of the first things that’s recorded in Genesis of Abram after the covenant God makes with him and his subsequent obedience, is surprising. In the face of danger in Egypt, Abram sells his wife, Sarai, out to the pharaoh to save his own skin. From the very early beginnings, God’s people were acting in ways that did not reflect His standard.
Tom Holland’s book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World shows readers the radical nature of early Christianity. In a world marked by violence, vengeance, and social inequality, the message of love, forgiveness, and the equal worth of every soul stood in stark contrast. Dominion meticulously traces how these core Christian values left an undeniable mark on Western civilization. Holland argues that the values of the Western world, however vehemently many who live in it might disagree, are profoundly and inescapably shaped by Christianity.[2] Holland postulates in the book that Western civilization is so shaped by Christianity that even if the current trend of secularization continues, the standards set by Christianity don’t seem likely to change soon. [3]
While I’m unsure of the extent to which I agree that the entirety of Western civilization is built on a Christian scaffolding, Holland presents a remarkable case for just how intertwined Western civilization and Christianity have become. Holland’s work reminded me of Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism[4] in that it points out positives that came from at times horrible actions.
Much like the story of Abram in Genesis, Holland’s work is in some ways, comforting. It helps us to realize we are not alone in the tension we feel as Christians. That part of following Christ is to realize that we hold paradoxical tensions as reality: our flawed nature interacting with the divine, the now and not yet reality of the kingdom, and in Holland’s words the coexistence of the saeculum (temporal) things and religio (eternal) things.[5] While I am not absolved of wrongdoings I commit, nor should Abram or any Christians through history, I am comforted knowing that the advance of God’s plan and heart does not rest on my perfection, but the already completed perfection of Christ.
[1] Gen 12:1-2
[2] Tom Holland, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, (New York: Basic Books, 2019), 15.
[3] Ibid, 525.
[4] Nigel Biggar, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, (Glasgow, William Collins, 2023).
[5] Ibid 160.
About the Author
Caleb Lu
7 responses to “Despite Me”
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Caleb,
I also love the story of Abram and Sarai, for many reasons.
You ended the post perfectly with this line:
“While I am not absolved of wrongdoings I commit, nor should Abram or any Christians through history, I am comforted knowing that the advance of God’s plan and heart does not rest on my perfection, but the already completed perfection of Christ.”
I enjoyed reading it, as I always do. Well done.
Caleb,
I appreciate how you weaved the story of Abram and Sarai as well. And how you brought in Biggar’s Colonialism.
Isn’t it amazing how God’s message flourishes in spite of?
Great post Caleb. I love how you highlight that Abram immediately following his covenant with God went out and sold his wife to the Pharaoh out of fear. One of my heroes of the faith is Aimee Temple McPherson, founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Her story is one that is filled with scandal – twice divorced in the early 19th century, itinerate woman preacher, and her disappearance in 1926. She had her faults and vices, yet she had an incredible ministry and started a denomination that now has over 68,000 churches in 150 countries. She had such a powerful healing ministry that ambulances in Los Angeles at the time would stop by Angelus Temple instead of taking people to the hospital. If God can use people like her, like Abram, like David or Moses, then He can use me too.
Hey Caleb,
I agree that it a lot to consider that Western civilization is build on Christian principles. I do find it interesting that so much of our cultural conversations appeal to a sense of worth and rights of the individual. I suppose I considered those as coming from Classical Greek thought rather than Christianity itself, as Holland argues. I find it quite compelling to consider that our culture participates in the philosophy of Jesus unknowingly.
Caleb,
Thank you for your post. I appreciate you bringing this back to the Word of God and the focus of love and grace. Bless you.
Caleb,
I love that in your blog you reflect on Holland’s argument regarding the profound impact of Christianity on Western values, suggesting that even secularized societies are deeply shaped by Christian principles.
I know we are out of time, however I would love for you to unpack this more:
“While I’m unsure of the extent to which I agree that the entirety of Western civilization is built on a Christian scaffolding, Holland presents a remarkable case for just how intertwined Western civilization and Christianity have become. Holland’s work reminded me of Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism[4] in that it points out positives that came from at times horrible actions.”
Tell me more!