The church and pandemics

In 1996, sociologist Rodney Stark attempted to find out how Christianity went from being a small rag-tag group of people after Christ’s death and resurrection to being the dominant religion of the Roman Empire.

In his ground-breaking 1996 book, The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force, he asked: “How was it done? How did a tiny and obscure messianic movement from the edge of the Roman empire dislodge classical paganism and become the dominant faith of Western civilization?”

Stark concluded that while there was no single answer to explain the triumph of Christianity, one important factor was the way the early Christians responded to two terrible epidemics. The first, in 165, killed up to a third of the total population of the Roman Empire in 15 years. A second, in 251, struck with similar results.

According to Stark, the way the Christians selflessly cared for the sick left a powerful impression on their neighbours. While non-Christians would sometimes discard the infected onto trash heaps, Christian believers “would go and rescue them and give them some dignity in dying, often in the process contracting the disease themselves.”

This care for others, and the Christian practice of mutual aid, enhanced the young faith’s reputation and helped to cement the rise of Christianity.

Tim Foggin, a B.C. family physician, member of Willingdon Church, and moderator of an email group called Church Emergency Preparedness, wants to be sure that people are prepared to weather the coming pandemic. As a Christian, he wants to make sure the church is active in responding to the needs that will result from the illness.

When a flu pandemic hits, Christians will either prove themselves irrelevant when so many people are in need, says Foggin, or play a huge role in responding to the crisis. He hopes that today’s Christians, like the Christians of old, will do the latter.

—JL