Genuine Christians are known for their love for people, all people; however, love is not revealed in songs, declarations and slogans, but in acts of kindness, help, sacrifice, etc. The Bible often refers to love, and this love was finally shown to the world when God became man in Bethlehem, lived and preached for about 33 years, and then willingly died on a cross for each person’s sin . His love and divinity were demonstrated in a victorious resurrection.
The world was never the same after that.
After Christ’s ascension, Christians were visual examples of God’s love demonstrated by how they lived, gave, served, and preached through good times and hard times. The world has experienced one disaster after another and each time, Christians have been there to help, as is evident today in African nations ravaged by famine, war and natural disasters. And now we see Ukraine where civilians are hungry, cold and sick. We have seen many Christian groups active in Florida and other southern states after catastrophic storms.
Weather-related and other natural disasters in recent years have supported the fact that Christians are very generous and loving people willing to serve, sacrifice and suffer to help those in need, regardless of religious factors , political or racial of the sick. With no bureaucracy to curb their responses, Christian groups are often the first on the scene and the last to leave.
This is how it should be even though the main message of the groups is personal salvation, they also have a passion to help others. Disasters in distant cities and nations have seen numerous acts of kindness to help people overcome disasters and improve their political, social, religious and everyday lives.
The first global pandemic (thought to be smallpox) was the “Antonine Plague” of 165-180 which killed about five million people. Soon after, in 249, the so-called “Plague of Cyprian” broke out during a very troublesome time that lasted well into 271. It killed 5,000 people a day in Rome.
Rodney Stark wrote The Rise of Christianity “Christians stayed in the affected cities as pagan leaders, including doctors, fled.” When the first symptom appeared, the victims were often thrown into the streets, where the dead and dying were piled up.
Saint Dionysius of Alexandria witnessed the pagan reaction to the plague: “At the first onset of the disease, they drove away the sick and fled from their loved ones, throwing them into the roads before they died and treating the unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thus to avoid the spread and contagion of the plague. fatal disease; but do what they could, it was hard for them to escape.”
The first Christian leader continued: “Most of our Christian brothers showed unlimited love and loyalty, never spared themselves and thought only of each other. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, tending to all their needs and ministering to them in Christ, and with them they departed this life serenely happy; for others spread disease to them, taking upon themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, by nursing and healing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their place.”
Dionysos added: “But with the pagans everything was different. They abandoned those who began to be sick and fled from their dearest friends.”
The last pagan emperor, Julian the Apostate, reprimanded the pagan priests for not setting an example as the Christians were during another plague in 362. He attributed the growth of Christianity to their compassion and sacrificial service during dangerous and deadly times.
In 540 AD, the Plague of Justinian struck the Greek Empire with 10,000 deaths per day! When the pestilence passed, there was such general depravity and licentiousness that it seemed, said Procopius, that “only the worst were left alive.”
There is no doubt that Justinian’s plague propelled Europe into the Dark Ages, so informed people are aware of the current danger posed by repeated terrorist attacks against our nation. Such attacks would affect our constitution, community, commerce, churches and culture; they could also affect your character. Christians of character will be a major improving force in helping civic officials clean up the mess.
The incredible chaos of the COVID scandal with all the lockdowns, school closings, business failures, medical confusion like never before, unnecessary deaths, laid off workers, political controversy, etc. is a perfect example of the impact on every person.
Along with other disasters, Justinian’s plague abated the population of the Mediterranean world by 40% before 600. Repeated subsequent waves of plague continued to ravage the area throughout the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries. Constantinople (now called Istanbul) was the most important political and cultural center of the Western world and the center of Christian civilization. Constantinople ground to a halt as food began to run out and law and order broke down into anarchy.
Millions of Europeans died from the plague, receiving little help from the medical establishment or the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, people lost respect for them and began to examine the ancient “truths” with an inquiring mind. They discovered that many of the old “truths” had no foundation, so people decided to think for themselves. At this time, the Pope gave permission for the bodies of plague victims to be dissected in an attempt to gain knowledge about the plague. This laudable spirit of inquiry and defiance of past authorities was the beginning of modern science. I salute the Pope for his health and brave decision.
Others think the plague helped trigger the Protestant Reformation. However, John Wycliffe had lit a flame in England in the late 1300s when he exposed the unscriptural doctrines of the Roman Church. He demanded that the Bible, not the church, guide all Christians. He supported his positions with his new translation of the Bible. Yes, the plague affected the nation, but it was only a small impetus for the Reformation. John Wycliffe (and his Bible) was the “Morning Star of the Reformation”.
In light of the horror stories above, should we expect to see similar outcomes from the crises we would face when terrorists strike again and again? When faced with the possibility of biological, chemical, or nuclear warfare, what impact would it have on your life if you lived through the events?
Great epidemics, famines, and natural disasters not only have a profound effect on the political, business, and agricultural life of a nation, but also change people. My purpose is to consider the possibility of horrific and adverse reactions to the epidemics and disasters we face. Human reactions in the past have wreaked havoc on society and if the next terrorist attack is biological or chemical, we could face the same experiences of people in the past when pestilence was natural, not man-made.
The continued atmosphere of constant death and terror prompted men to look honestly at their lives and their religious experience. This caused thousands to become more sincere and put more emphasis on their personal relationship with Christ. It also drove them away from established churches in various countries. The printing press had been invented in 1450 and people were now reading the Bible and thinking for the first time in over a thousand years. They realized that church membership and church attendance did not produce personal satisfaction or personal salvation as they had been taught. After personal conversion, those new converts (but old church members) lived and died as Christians.
Christians believed they had a responsibility to help others as a Christian duty, so during times of famine they shared their food; in times of pain, they wept with the bereaved; and in times of pestilence, they nursed the sick and dying. Non-Christians and pagans noticed this kindness, and at a time when other institutions were damaged, discredited and often disbanded, Christian churches flourished and developed. William McNeill wrote: “The heathen fled from the sick and abandoned them without heart.” The Christians stayed and served, and died.
This is what real Christians have always done and are doing as I write. Love is always shown in the daily activities of self-sacrifice, service and sacrifice thanks to Bethlehem, Calvary and an empty tomb.
See the link to the original publication article and more articles by Don Boys, Ph.D.
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