What if Christianity never existed?

What’s a historian to do when everything about a topic has already been written? Write about what didn’t happen.

That’s a rather cheeky way to introduce what is in fact a tour de force of world history.

What if Christianity never existed?

If Jesus never existed, never preached, or was never executed. Or even if it did exist but died out quickly. How would the history of the world, especially the history of Europe change.

I’m especially interested in how this would affect modern history and European colonialism. I know that traditional European pagans weren’t really interested in spreading their religion, maybe they’ll even have move amicable relationships with the natives because the similar nature focused themes of their religions.

Europe and the Americas are culturally unrecognizable. Christianity was so critical to the formation of western civilization that we might as well ask if there were no Romans. It was a cultural titan that stood from England to Russia. Christian beliefs are part of the daily lives of over two billion people, influencing everything from their charity to their biases.

What would have likely replaced Christianity is hard to say. Unless you are a Muslim, then you’ll concede that without Christianity Islam will not develop. Many say that Greco Roman Paganism would have survived, but this is quite suspect given that the religion was splintering and weakening to the point of being multiple religions by the time Christianity came to prominence.

The Migration Period would have likely crushed it under Germanic Paganism as well. Germanic Paganism is a more likely candidate to survive in Europe given how far spread it’s practitioners were, but it suffers the fatal flaw of other pagan religions in that it would suffer from divergence.

Perhaps Europe could be like India where the prominent polytheistic religion has a thousand variants but is still considered part of the same whole.

People say that Christianity has become irrelevant. That it’s an outdated list of ideas and philosophies that no longer apply in today’s world. Christianity seems to be an easy target these days. Yes, it’s true; we’ve not always handled our influence well. And that’s definitely something for us to ponder and bring before the Lord. Our Kingdom influence matters.

But paganism could still be replaced by another religion. Buddhism could travel the Silk Road and spread to the people of Europe, adapting itself to their warlike lifestyle just as it did for the Japanese, Tibetans, and Mongolians. If that were the case than Europe could have Buddhist monks be the preservers and promoters of learning

Or maybe some prophet could emerge from anywhere in Eurasia, and his message could spread to all corners of the earth

Jesus warned us that people will hate us because they hated Him. But it’s another thing to be rejected because we’re obnoxious or angry or reactionary. Lord, transform our hearts so that we may reflect Your heart. Help us to walk this journey in a humble, loving, sacrificial way.

But what might life look like if Christians didn’t exist? No churches; no Christian radio stations; no youth groups; no missionaries. How different would the world be?

Historically, while much of culture disregarded the poor, Christians tended to them. While much of culture turned its backs on widows and orphans, Christians took them in. While slavery was largely the cultural norm, it was Christians who led the charge to abolish slavery. It was Christian missionaries who moved into poverty-stricken villages to minister to the communities.

It was Christians who started hospitals and schools, and orphanages. Why? Because Jesus called us to love the hurting and the broken and to tend to those the world most often ignores.

Imagine our world today with zero Christian influence. Some may cheer at the thought of it, but what would it really be like? No more Christian orphanages. Millions of dollars of charitable giving suddenly come to a jarring halt. The majority of global relief organizations suddenly absent. Ministries that advocate for the unborn, are suddenly no more.

No more youth groups gathering together to help young teens sort through the stresses they face. No more worship music over the airwaves. No more talk radio to disciple people in their faith. No more Bibles, churches; no more Holy Spirit. No more conviction of sin.

It’s a slippery slope when God is sidelined, and Christianity is marginalized, evil reigns. Unfortunately, cultural forces are now moving in such a way that we may be doomed to see history repeat itself if we do not wake up. And, as the saying goes, ‘Each time history repeats itself, we pay a higher price.’”

We know our world needs Jesus. We know He is alive in us! It’s not time to shrink back in fear. It’s time to step out in faith and trust God to do in and through you what you could never accomplish on your own. Ask Him to show you His heart for the world. Ask Him to light the way for your feet. Then simply do the next thing He asks of you. He’s coming soon. May He find us full of faith, living expectantly for His return.

Revelation 22:12-13 (NLT)

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”