Helping to disarm Christianity Under Threat
The past few years have seen a rise in Christian Nationalism [1], which works off of the premise that society, especially the secular West is antagonistic to the Gospel. There is something that has been lost or abandoned, and we must do all we can to reclaim it.
Tom Holland, in Dominion, joins other theorists who think differently (Charles Taylor, Miroslav Volf). He names Christianity as the defining cultural force behind the development of Western civilization. Holland, a secular historian, contends that even modern secular values—like human rights, equality, and compassion—are deeply rooted in Christian thought, whether acknowledged or not [2]. They bear the same Christian stamp. Holland posits “That human beings have rights; that they are born equal; that they are owed sustenance, and shelter, and refuge from persecution: these were never self-evident truths.” [3]
So I want to interact with questions that lies behind these competing views of Western civilization. The tension between Christianity and secularism is often framed as antagonistic, but Tom Holland’s Dominion argues that secular values are deeply indebted to Christian moral frameworks. So why do many Christians see secularism as a threat rather than a continuation?
I see two possibilities:
Historical memory and identity is being lost.
Many Christians define their faith in contrast to the surrounding culture. Historically, this made sense—early Christians were persecuted by pagan Rome, and later by secular ideologies. This oppositional stance became part of Christian identity, especially in evangelical and confessional traditions. Holland offers a threatening alternative — that apparent weakness is not the demise of Christianity, but its strength. He claims, “Christianity introduced a radical inversion of values: the weak over the strong, the suffering servant over the conquering hero. The crucifixion, once a symbol of shame, became a symbol of divine majesty. This paradox lies at the heart of Christian ethics and Western morality.” [4]. I see this as critical to keep in the dialogue.
A Loss of Institutional Power.
Since the Western culture has been built on the values of the Christian tradition, Christianity has been afforded incredible privilege. But the shift towards increased secularism and the decline of church attendance and visible association with Christian faith can be felt as a rejection, leading some Christians to interpret secularism as a deliberate dismantling of Christian influence. The irony that Holland argues is that the very values of the West continue to protect religious freedom and human dignity, all of which come from Christian origin [5].
Holland has brought out a possible future of influence build not on antagonism, or on Christianity under fire, but out of the deep appreciation that the very fabric of the West is built upon Christian influence. That is a hermeneutic of culture that I believe will strengthen our future witness.
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[1] Grace Ji-Sun Kim, and Graham Hill, Healing Our Broken Humanity : Practices for Revitalizing the Church and Renewing the World, (Chicago: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 7.
[2] Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, (London: Little, Brown, 2019), 532.
[3] Dominion, 539.
[4] Dominion, 394, 441.
[5] Dominion, 504.
About the Author
Joel Zantingh
Joel Zantingh is a catalyst for peacemaking and intercultural teams, speaker, theologian and consultant. He is the Canadian Coordinator of the World Evangelical Alliance's Peace and Reconciliation Network, and the Director of Engagement with Lausanne Movement Canada. He has served in local and national roles within the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada, and led their global mission arm. He has experience teaching in formal and informal settings with Bible college students and leaders from various cultures and generations. Joel and Christie are parents to adult children, as well as grandparents. They reside in Guelph, Ont., situated on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and home to many past, present and future First Nations peoples, including the Anishinnabe and Hodinöhsö:ni'.11 responses to “Helping to disarm Christianity Under Threat”
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Hi Joel. Thanks for the blog. If secular values like human rights and equality are rooted in Christianity, as Holland argues, then does framing the current cultural moment as “Christian nationalism” misrepresent what’s really happening? In other words, are some Christians mistaking the loss of institutional privilege for persecution, and if so, how should the church discern the difference between defending the faith and defending power?
Joel and Glyn,
I had a similar question to Glyn but he asked it more succinctly than I would. It does seem that many Christians in America are claiming a persecution that does not really exist yet.
Glyn and Adam. In an American system, power looms large in the collective psyche. And a year ago, when we considered Augustinian political theology (resist and outlast), and N.T. Wright and Bird’s reckoning of Jesus and the Powers, we wrestled with various approaches to political influence.
I recall this quote from Oliver O’Donovan: Theology must be political if it is to be evangelical. Rule out the political questions and you cut short the proclamation of God’s saving power; you leave people enslaved where they ought to be set free from sin – their own sin and others’. (Quoted in Jesus, 76)
Claiming persecution can shift to a posture of self-defence simply as an amygdala response of fear. And when Christians fear of loss is felt as grief, claiming persecution seems rational, and meeting the bad news one experiences with the good news of Christ’s victory over all evil can get sidelined. This is where Christian Nationalism offers a solution to assuage the fear, instead of inviting Christians to hold lines even while losing ground. Holland’s argument for the power of the cross / weakness as the very centre of its strength calls us not to seek victory through power but to allow God’s power to be revealed through our weakness.
Not an easy call to persuade Nationalists to consider, but let’s do it anyway.
Hi Joel, when you say “a hermeneutic of culture that will strengthen our future witness,” what would that actually look like in practice?
Kari. This is a great question. The other term for this is contextual analysis. In my church-based reconciliation resourcing, this is done by facilitating leaders to discover their communities strengths skills and gifts first, using a process called appreciative inquiry. It also involves creating a map by consulting a broad range of other local actors and community leaders.
These are simple ways to guide churches to think about the context of mission to which they have been sent by God to participate in His mission.
These practices are common in mission circles and necessary for getting one’s footing in a new context. You probably did some of this when you started in your current post. The challenge is to take these missiological practices and offer them to the church.
Hey Joel! I am in line with Adam on the misclassification of persecution. If you could lead a dialogue based on Holland’s writing what would you want to address first?
Daren.
Read my post response to Kari. Now reflect on how the posture and mindset are impacted by first thinking about the gifts and assets in the context of culture, rather than starting with needs assessment or what is broken or sinful.
I’m afraid that the Western oversimplification of the gospel to a narrative that begins with Genesis 3 (the Fall), coupled with the 20th Century predominance of Dispensational theology and rapture feeds a mindset of a church calling out persecution where there is very little.
I would start this kind of conversation with the simple framework Chris Wright gave in a talk in March 2025.
“Our Gospel begins with the Fall and ends with Judgement to our demise. We’ve left off the true bookends of the first 2 and last 2 books of the Bible, starting with God’s good creation and ending with the all-things-new New Creation.”
What do you think of this as a starting point? How would you respond?
Hey Joel,
Thank you for these thoughtful points. Although your post didn’t mention this, I think I was prompted by your use of the word antagonist, which sparked my memory of the “Year Zero” outlook—the desire to erase the past and begin again with a blank slate. How might writers like Holland encourage conversation with people who see the past as something to erase, by showing history as something that can actually enrich the future?
Hi Joel, your blog highlights the irony that secularism is not Christianity’s enemy rather stems from it. How does this open space for a less defensive, more confident witness?
Hi Joel, Thanks for your post. It highlights an important realization that the Christian faith is complex and requires active engagement. Sometimes I wonder if the decline in visible attendance and association with Christianity is also impacted by the rise of comfort and affluence, which could be a by-product of power. Still, regardless, those with much may not sense a need for Christ even though some remnants of those core values remain. How might this play into the conversations that Glyn prompted in our discussions?
Two good thoughts about this perplexing question Joel. What else about the culture do you think might be able to strengthen Christian witness, rather than detract from it?