Attendance is Up

I would like to start a Church. Not because I have any interest in power, or accolades, or wealth. Rather for the reason that what I believe is authentic, and important to share with others. Of such import that my highest priority will be to obtain as many followers of my church as possible. Promulgation of this church will be pre-eminent.

If you are interested in popularity, my church is not for you. In fact, this church is in the vast, vast minority of beliefs within my country. The other religions are even a bit jealous of my church, and are being very aggressive in an attempt to close it down. You may be placed in some very uncomfortable positions.

If you are interested in power, or recognition—again you would be best suited to look elsewhere. We have a very loose structure, and not much of an organizational chart. Anyone can preach in my church, just about any time.

If you think that my church would be a great way to get rich—try one down the street. We tend to cater to the poor and working person. The few wealthy that enter my church distribute their wealth among the poorer members. The poorer members often take collections to help the even less fortunate. We try to share and share alike. In joining my church you will not starve, but you will not become rich by any means.

How do you think my church will do?

Oh, I forgot one detail. Minor, and really hardly anything to mention at all. If you join my church, and subscribe to my beliefs you will be healed.

When I say “healed” I mean of every imaginable disease. If you have arthritis, even rheumatoid arthritis—it is gone. Instantly. If you are blind—you will be able to see, perhaps for the first time in your life. Crippling bone disease or muscles wasted away from the inability to use them? Gone.

You will even lose the diseases you don’t know you have! You may be unaware, thanks to poor genes; you are prone to heart disease or diabetes. No more. In joining my church, your blood pressure will be regulated, cholesterol level corrected, and your electrolytes balanced. Any chemical imbalances will be fixed. Mental illness caused by these imbalances will be no more.

Sure, we will cover the big ones. You will not die of cancer, pneumonia, bird flu, or AIDS. A Stroke? Won’t happen. Heart Attack? Not possible. Alzheimer’s? Never in my church.

We take care of the small ones. No flu, upset stomach, diarrhea, minor aches and pains. No coughs, sore throats, earaches, or headaches.

Every single disease, every single illness will never happen in my church. You can even come back daily, weekly, monthly or yearly for a “check-up” in which you are healed of diseases creeping about your body you did not know of. We safely served spinach quiche at our meals.

You will have to have this thing called, “Faith,” of course. That is the belief that you will be healed. Don’t worry; all you have to do is sit in my church for a few services. You will see clouded eyes clear up. People crippled with osteoarthritis straighten up. Gangrene disappear. After you see one or two (thousand) of these examples, it would be hard to not have belief that people are cured in my church.

Now how do you think my church will do?

One of the interesting studies is the development of the Christian church in the First Century. Regardless of where one stands as to the historicity of Jesus, we all agree that a religion came into being within the First few centuries within the Roman Empire that eventually became the various sects of Christianity.

It seems to me, there are basically four (4) main theories as to how it progressed (with, as always) variations within the four theories:

1) Explosion. The common Christian theme that takes Acts literally in that following the Pentecost, 3000 believers were added to the 120, (Acts. 2:41.) Fairly quickly, this number rose to 5000. (Acts 4:4) By 64 C.E. there are so many Christians that Nero is persecuting whole groups as far away as Rome.

2) Gradual Development. The proponents of this theory is that Acts is way over-blown, that the Neroian persecution was minimal (if at all) and Christianity developed over the course of time at a fairly regular process.

3) Combination. That Christianity exploded in Judea, and under persecution, became a gradual to slowing development, then exploding into Gentile nations, and, again, gaining numbers in a gradual uphill climb.

4) Conspiracy. That Christianity’s entire history was essentially “created” by later writers, possibly as late as Eusebius.

Of course, there is no “bright-line” distinction between each of these theories, and much possible cross-over. In all of these possibilities, the Acts of the Apostles must be addressed.

Is it literal history? Is it legend? Is it a combination of both? The author of Acts must constantly dance between the concept that the early church was so popular that it was gaining believers by the thousands, yet on the other hand was so insignificant that it was possible to persecute the believers that it contained.

One curious section attempting to balance this is Acts 5:12-16:

“And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; and they were all with one accord in the temple in Solomon's porch. But of the rest durst no one join himself to them; howbeit the people magnified them. And were the more added to them, believing on the Lord, multitudes both of men and women: insomuch that they [even] carried out their sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that, as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some one of them. For they were set free from every sickness which each one of them had. And there came [also] together into Jerusalem a multitude from the cities round about, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and all were cured. “

(I quoted the section from the Western Text not so much that I need the added language, but more to spike any interest of Christians that did not know there was more than one text of Acts.)

This appropriately demonstrates the dichotomy. One the one hand we have “multitudes” of people believing the religion, on the other, “no one” was joining them. It is not like it is a big secret.

People (a “multitude”) were flocking in from nearby cities, lining the streets, so that if Peter’s shadow fell on them, that (and their faith) would heal them. “All were cured.” Is that hyperbole? Or is it history?

Go back to the church I described. Without the use of our technology, but just word-of-mouth, how fast would such a church grow? Ever go to a social function and mention a specific illness? Soon you will hear numerous home remedies, medicines, doctors, surgeries—you name it—all from people eagerly desiring to provide “the cure” for your problem. How much MORE so, if there was a church that cured everything!

People would be clamoring to get the closest seat near the road. If you were just a little too far back, and Peter’s shadow only grazed the person ahead of you, could you have missed your one chance to be cured? Or what if some larger person stood up at just the inopportune moment, blocking you (and others) and sealing your fate? Or you show up on a cloudy day? Or Peter walks by at noon? How treacherous to be relying on just a fickle shadow!

If his shadow was sufficient, how much more to actually touch him. Or even have a piece of his clothing to take back to others, and heal them as well. Do we see a calm crowd, waiting patiently for the right moment, and if it doesn’t work out, say, “Oh well. Try again tomorrow”? Or a mob stripping him naked within minutes.

Anyone attend a parade in America recently? The idea that has grown over the past decade is for the people on the floats to throw candy to the crowd. It started off with small Tootsie Rolls. Now it includes stickers, candy bars by the handful, gum, necklaces, balls and small toys. I attended a parade this past summer, and they were handing out these things to the children, with notepads, small plants and even golf balls to the adults in the crowd!

As I watch, I see a crowd mentality develop. First my kids start off by the curb next to the other kids. Then some candy is thrown. It does not all make it to the curb. They begin “the wander.” ‘Course if the person next to you is one step ahead, they will get the best candy, so the next child starts to “wander” out. By the fifth float, they are dodging in and out from under the wheels of the fire trucks, trying to get even closer for the best candy.

What if a person on a float offered healing? We would be bringing our young, our old, our relatives, our friends—every one of us knows someone we would bring. One person surges forward to guarantee being in that shadow. The next would as well. Soon, the float would come to a grinding halt. Peter could never have walked the streets.

In and of itself, this “healing by shadow” appears to be legendary.

Even by the slow process of word-of-mouth, a church that cures everything would explode. There would be no slowing it, let alone stopping it! So in the story created by the author, we have a church that is skyrocketing. At that rate, Christianity would encompass the world within the matter of decades.

Clearly it did not, so how to slow down the progress? Simple—introduce persecution. In the chapter before, the author talks of the first arrest by the Sadducees of the apostles. (Acts 4:3) There is a shift between the Gospel accounts and Acts. In the Synoptics, the primary antagonists to Jesus were the Pharisees. But in Acts, the Pharisees are portrayed as sympathetic to the Christian cause. (Acts 5:34; 15:5; 23:9) It is the Sadducees that are seen as the enemies of early Christianity.

The problem for the Sadducees, is that they held the positions of power, but not the popular support of the people. Josephus reported at times they were obliged to adhere to the notions of the Pharisees, due to the Pharisees’ popularity.

We start this scene with historically background of the Sadducees unwillingly forced to cave into the requests of the Pharisees. Enter the Christians. A lot of ‘em. The Sadducees decide to quash this troublesome new idea, but even at the very first arrest, already find they are unable to do so because of the popularity of the belief. (Acts 4:21) The Sadducees are uncomfortably beholden to the Pharisees on one hand and the Christians on the other.

Christianity becomes even more popular. Neighboring townspeople are pouring in to get healed. Imagine the crowds, the shoving, the pushing, and the near riots, just to be in the shadow of a fellow walking by. If the Sadducees were afraid to punish the apostles before, now that “all were healed” they would be terrified!

Despite this popularity, the Sadducees arrest the Christians again. This time the Pharisees side with the Christians. We have the two most popular religious sects banding together against the religious leaders who have demonstrated in the past they will back down from what the populace wants.

I ask you—How would the Christians be persecuted? If they were popular, PLUS healing everybody in sight, PLUS had the tacit approval (or at least neutrality) of the Pharisees—the Sadducees would never dare touch them. Never.

The author of Acts could not possibly be writing history. There must be legend sprinkled within the book. If the healing account of Acts 5 was accurate, there could never have been a persecution. If the persecution accounts of Acts 6-9 were accurate, there could never have been this healing.

Christianity must have developed differently than what is accounted for in Acts. How, is a matter of open question.

I did not write this blog to provide brilliant insight as to how Christianity grew within its first years. Rather, to have the reader ask themselves the question—does what the author of Acts say make sense as to persecution vs. growth? From there you will have to evaluate on your own to determine a methodology as to determining legend from actual happenings in Acts.