9/5/14
Jas 2:15 If a
brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
Jas 2:16 and one of
you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving
them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
It wasn't until Constantine granted the first Edict of
Toleration in AD 311, that Christians were able to give public expression to
their ethical convictions and undertake social reform. From the fourth-century
to present times, Christians have been especially prominent in the planning,
siting and building of hospitals, as well as fundraising for them. Cities with
significant Christian populations had already begun to change prevailing
attitudes, and were already beginning to build hospices (guest houses for the
sick and chronically disabled).
Stories of Christian caring had enormous impact, even before
Constantine's decree of toleration. Clement, a Christian leader in Rome at the
end of the first century of the Christian era, records how the Christian
community was already doing much to relieve the plight of poor widows. In the
second century when plague hit the City of Carthage, pagan households threw
sufferers onto the streets. The entire Christian community, personally led by
their bishop, responded. They were seen on the streets, offering comfort and
taking them into their own homes to be cared for. A few decades after
Constantine, Julian, who came to power in AD 355, was the last Roman Emperor to
try to re-institute paganism. In his Apology, Julian said that if the old religion
wanted to succeed, it would need to care for people even better than the way
Christians cared.
No comments:
Post a Comment