The study of history is fascinating by how things start, how they become something else, and yes how they end. But I am most curious about the chains of hopes and dreams, and fears and tears that have lead us (kicking and screaming) into the present moment. It is really the best kind of story, because “A” lead to “BC and D” and that is why we, here and now, find ourselves with the reality in which we live. Its like a giant puzzle with some of the pieces having changed hands of others who themselves are now part of the tapestry. and one day all of us will also be part of the narrative remembered and studied by scholars as a way to make sense of the development of the era or the movement, or the socioeconomic narrative to which we are deemed relevant. We too are history, and though we are being written right now, our ancestors and forefathers were also once subjected to life in its joys, hardships, triumphs and failures. The past is the formula on which we judge how to live today and prepare for tomorrow.

However, it is important to remember that how we tell history is just as important as the history itself. It is often told that the Roman Empire, in its republican days waged three wars with its rival Carthage. For over one hundred years their conflict dominated the western Mediterranean. When Rome conquered its rival for the final time, it is said that the roman army laced the ground around Carthage with salt so that nothing would grow there ever again. It was a story that was often retold as a warning, to the lands it invaded, and as patriotic propaganda. It has that good epic conclusion to a titanic fight, finally smiting the fell-beast of chaos and ushering in the new age of order. It is a perfect campfire story, or at least for the Romans it was.

Unfortunately, there is little evidence that the “salting of Carthage” actually happened. In fact, it became an important trade city under Roman administration and produced many prominent figures and events which shaped western history there after. It is also significant that twenty years after the sack a senator, Giaus Graccus, attempted to refound the city to provide arable land to his populist supporters. This clarification of the facts changes the meaning of the fall of one empire to another. More than this it changes what we perceive it to mean to be Roman, from superhuman heroes to brutal butchers, even ironically barbarian. This narrative change is important to us as outsiders, but a further consideration is whether or not the average Roman knew, or cared about this re-contextualization.

It is at this point that it should also be considered what elements of the narrative that we find our selves in: what are we ignorant of or aware of or are actively indifferent too that may require us to think critically about what we think that we know. (More on this in a later post).
What does it mean to be oneself?
What does it mean to be a part of such and such community?
What does it mean to be a part of such and such country?
There are other questions too but within this larger cloud of meaning, the relation of religious and state authority is another element in a narrative that has pervaded the American psyche since its inception.

In laying out a question as big as I am hoping to address, there is an inherent danger to the focus of the narrative. If you look hard enough and embellish enough it can be easy to say that there is an inevitable march from A to B that leads to C and I see A and B today thus C must happen. Unfortunately the truth is rarely merely a progression of causal events, or the actions of individuals who take the reigns of history. There is only so much that can be zoomed in on without overwhelming those unfamiliar with the subject in question. Additionally there are experts who have spent their entire lives digging into the details who will be able to give more precise accounts than myself.

So what will this look like? The structure will be centered on 5 categories:

1) Ground Work: A contextualization for the history segments
2) Era I: The Imperial Church under Rome and Constantinople
3) Era II: The Medieval Church
4) Era III: The Protestant/Catholic conflicts
5) Era IV: The Modern Church

This may evolve over time. I am hoping to put out a few snapshots from each of these eras of how the interaction of Christian authorities and secular authorities create the good the bad and the ugly of western culture. I also intend to post snapshots of individuals who make concerted efforts to make their communities better because of their faith in christian values in each of these eras. The ground work essays will also contain some material adjacent to the discussion which may also be relevant to understanding the larger picture these may include theology, historiography, ecology and others. I do intend to write these essays in a mostly chronological way so I would not expect anything on World War II for some time. I also hope to have a review process in place to catch typos, misnaming, or to adjust an essay should I later be informed that it misrepresents a situation or person that comes up in the narrative.

In closing, this is an ambitious project, I endeavor to do my best given the tools, knowledge and time available to me. I hope that this is a good experience for both my readers and myself.