International (MNN) — Looking at the state of the world today, Christians can feel confused about how to respond to conflicts between faith and cultural activities. These conflicts can range from disagreements to persecution. However, these are not the first times that Christians have faced situations like these.
International Media Ministries uses media to bring Jesus to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They have produced The Heritage Project, a docuseries that explores early Christians’ lives in North Africa under the Roman government.
“Culture and religion get into the same conflicts, whether intentional or accidental. I just find it fascinating that [history] does repeat,” says Denise Godwin, the president of International Media Ministries.
“Initially, we [looked] at the actual details of the history. As we were creating these programs, things were happening that [echoed] the great writers of the second, third, and fourth century that ended up shaping the Church.”
(Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)
Under the Roman Empire, the early Church did not adhere to societal norms like sacrificing to the gods or abusing slaves, which threatened Roman culture in the eyes of the other citizens.
“The Christians were drawing some really hard lines that were offensive to the culture in Rome. Even a few centuries later, [the lines were] offensive to the culture of the Visigoths, who wanted a different version of Christianity,” Godwin says.
“It’s so powerful. In that time period, people were defining doctrine with the Bible for a culture that we continue into our lifetimes.”
Godwin suggests the Church look to the lives of its founding men and women for guidance in the issues Christians face today. “In different time periods in Christian history, we’re able to love the persecutors. We’re able to communicate grace and mercy, even when people are in disagreement with us. It’s a huge challenge in our society today. And what we see is they had a very similar challenge,” Godwin says.
Watch a clip from The Heritage Project. Support the spread and translation of The Heritage Project through a gift to IMM.
Header Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries via Facebook.
