by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
Recently, professor Robert George of Princeton delivered the Knights and Dames of Malta Defense of the Faith lecture at Donnelly College’s Community Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
The title of his talk was: “Christianity and the Challenge of Paganism, Then and Now.” The talk was aimed at providing insight into ways faithful Catholics today can effectively respond to a secular culture that is increasingly pagan.
George shared the correspondence of a Roman field commander to his superior in Rome. He related the number of Christians arrested, tortured and executed. The Roman field officer had just one question for his superior: “Why are we doing this?” He observed that the Christians do not pose any military threat. They do not have weapons. They are not causing any disturbances. His commander replied: “The Christians deny the divinity of the emperor.”
The Christian threat to Rome was their denial of the emperor as a god. This was considered subversive because it had the potential to undermine the foundation for the authority of Rome to rule the world. The Christians had the courage to deny the lie that the Romans knew but were afraid to say aloud.
The Christian understanding of marriage and family life was a threat to the Roman patriarchal family culture that supported both abortion and child abandonment for children with disabilities. Christianity’s recognition of the equality of the dignity of wives and husbands was revolutionary. The expectation that Christian husbands lay down their lives to protect their wives just as Jesus gave his life for his spouse, the church, was countercultural. Noble Roman women were expected to be faithful to their husbands, but there was not the same expectation for husbands to be faithful to their wives.
Nor did pagan Roman culture believe that human life was sacred because human beings were created in the image of God. The Christian belief in one God, who humbled himself to enter into our humanity in order that we could share in his divinity, was incomprehensible to Roman culture.
These were revolutionary ideas for a pagan culture. Rulers were considered great because of their military might and their ability to subjugate others to their domination.
Christians were willing to be imprisoned and likely executed rather than deny the true identity of Jesus Christ. This absolute commitment to honor the divinity of Jesus, no matter the consequences, eventually inspired the admiration of many Romans. The Christians were known not for their armies or military weapons but for their compassion and concern for those the world considered disposable. The pagans marveled at how the Christians loved one another!
The courageous witness of the early Christians eventually transformed the dominant pagan culture. This cultural conversion did not happen overnight. It was the persistent faithful witness of the Christians to authentic love, the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person that led to a nonviolent cultural revolution.
George earned advanced degrees from Harvard and Oxford as well as 23 honorary doctorates. When I asked him what inspired him to become so committed to his Catholic faith, he acknowledged the profound influence of the beautiful faith of both his mother and father. He shared that observing his father’s nightly ritual of kneeling in prayer alongside his bed was particularly influential. Listening to his father’s nightly conversations with God convinced him that God was real and motivated him to desire and develop an equally authentic friendship with God.
Christian families built upon the foundation of the Christian understanding of marriage transformed a pagan, secular culture 2,000 years ago, and it can do so again. The beauty and joy of the Christian family remains today the most powerful and effective tool for transforming culture.
