When the Roman Empire made Christianity the Empire's Religion, it institutionalized the faith and made it an apologist for the Roman Empire. The movement of the followers of Jesus' Way all but died because of it, as the movement of servants of Jesus became institution to be served. Christianity was born in opposition to empire. Kingdom values do not include wealth, power and status, but are born of Agape Love and Grace, Humility and Community.
When the Roman Catholic church as "Holy Roman Empire" was at its height, Luther among others challenged the empire values manifested in the sale of indulgences for personal salvation, the veneration of relics as an expression of faith, the buying of bishoprics and the church itself as the authority to be revered, rather than Christ Jesus and Jesus' Good News as the center of the movement and the living of Agape Love and Grace as its doctrine.
Since 1981, the church has fallen back into the corruptions of false leaders who have captivated believers with false theologies around personal salvation through praise and tithes, prosperity and church growth as the only mission of the church. It has ignored Jesus' mandates as we have them in the Gospels and living of Kingdom values. It has adopted empire values around wealth, power and status yet again.
Where are the Reformers?
Where are the Prophets who are teaching Jesus' Way of resistance to empire?
Where are the true teachers of Jesus' Way of being children of God?
Not in the media.
Not visibly in the world.
Not visibly in THE Church universal.
The ones who have spoken have been silenced.
The ones who do stand in the light of the Gospel of Jesus are in isolated conclaves.
The ones who do resist empire are rejected in our laissez-faire, Capitalistic society.
The ones who speak truth to power are fired or discredited as being "too radical."
Where are you?
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