I’ve recently been noticing a drastic change in how the average person responds to Christianity. A few years ago, it seemed like almost everyone who did not profess the faith perceived Christianity as something mostly negative: any mention of religion, Christ, the Bible, or the Church would receive prideful scoffs and rolling eyes in response.
Now, it feels quite different. Now, Christianity is becoming “cool” again. Even people who do not profess the faith wear its symbols (you’ve surely seen the cross necklaces, clothing items, earrings and other pieces of jewelry), and the average response when you tell people you’re a Christian —except among those most hostile to religion— is one of approval, and often even one of slight admiration.
I believe people are starting to realize just how sad a world without Christ is. I believe this is a good thing, and I love the fact that it’s becoming easier to share the Gospel without being attacked (in the West, at least). I do think that this is a time of many honest conversions and a time for Christ to transform the hearts of thousands who used to brush Him off as a fairytale.
However, I think the fact that Christianity is becoming something “cool” now is not without risks. As with any belief system, the further it spreads, the easier it is for it to become shallow and performative. This is just what happens with any trend: it begins with a group of strong adherents, but when it reaches critical mass, more and more people start to join for all the wrong reasons.
My goal with this short article is simply to offer a warning to those of you who might be new to the faith, and motivate you to take it seriously. To adopt it not as a trend, but as a covenant, as a promise that you are making to follow Christ until the end.
You see, the early Christians were a heavily persecuted vast minority, and even though that meant that their lives were marked by great suffering, it also served as an automatic filter: only the ones who truly, truly believed in Christ and only those who were willing to lose everything for Him would call themselves Christians.
Then, with time, Christianity became more popular and accepted. Of course there were —and there still are— persecutions, but at least in the western world, after the scandals within the Church at the beginning of this millennium which so greatly hurt its image, we are now at a point when proclaiming the Christian faith receives much more social approval than it did a few years ago or, obviously, during the first couple centuries.
Christianity becoming mainstream and “cool” opens the door for people to approach it with impure intentions. There are now real, tangible incentives to claiming to be a Christian. For the apostles, there was none. They knew their faith would bring only pain and suffering, and they professed it anyway because they truly believed it. Today, a man might claim to be a Christian to be seen as moral, to be able to wear its signs for fashion, or to gain some form of approval, attention, or praise. The danger is that all of us are liable to these temptations, and thus we must beware and self-examine ourselves daily so that we do not fall into the shallow faith that gets abandoned at the first sign of hardship.
Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
— Matthew 7:21
The main difference between the real faith that endures and the shallow faith that quits is the commitment to the most fundamental aspects of Christianity: a man of real faith will make it a point to receive the sacraments frequently, study his faith, submit to the Church's authority even when it is inconvenient, and remain faithful even when the cultural approval disappears.
While I hope and pray that all the recent conversions are sincere, I think there’s a high chance that many aren’t, but we will only know for sure once Christianity becomes hated again, once the persecutions start, and when our faith once again costs us something. Suffering is a filter that separates those who truly believe Christ is Lord from those who just say it as a marketing slogan. This is not only true on a social and cultural level, but on an individual level as well: it’s easy to proclaim the faith when everything is working out in your life. It’s not so easy to remain faithful when the deserts come. And they always do.
Do not think that you are fully converted yet. Do not forget that perseverance, fortitude, and total commitment are required to endure this race. Ask the Lord to purify your intentions daily, and remember that if you profess the name of Christ, you have a responsibility to imitate Him until the day you die.
That means that there might be a Cross for you too, and that like Him, you must be willing and able to carry it lovingly.
Almighty God, in whom we live and move and have our being, thou hast made us for thyself, so that our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee; grant us purity of heart and strength of purpose, that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing thy will, no weakness from doing it; but that in thy light we may see light, and in thy service find perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
— St. Augustine
Ad Maiora Nati Sumus,
Juan
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I literally had this specific conversation recently and you hit it right on 👍🏾. It’s easy to be a faithful Catholic Christian when life is going well and it is socially accepted. However, the real challenge is keeping the faith in the face of adversity and persecution when it’s not socially accepted. Will we be willing to still carry that cross?? Even Christ himself warned his apostles to remind themselves that they hated him FIRST before they hate them. During the test of time, we will see who the real strong faithful Christians are especially during the reign of the Anti-Christ, because most will unfortunately accept and concede to the Mark of the Beast.
Thank you for sharing this important warning on Christianity's newfound popularity. I suspect many recent conversions may not be entirely sincere. I hope that I am wrong. But as you note, we will come to know the true colors of many when Christians are made to suffer once more.
St. Ignatius of Antioch put it bluntly when he remarked: "The fire, the cross, packs of wild beasts, lacerations, rendings, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of the whole body, the horrible tortures of the devil, let all these things come upon me, if only I may gain Jesus Christ!"