10 Ways Christianity Has Made the World a Better

Place Jeremiah J. Johnston

1. The world looks radically different with the introduction of Christianity.
What are the major changes, culturally?
The single greatest change was the concept that God loved his creation and especially human beings. In the
pre-Christian world the gods were indifferent to humanity. Indeed, sometimes the gods were jealous of
humans. Humans feared the gods and tried to placate them, even bribe them. But Christians proclaimed that
“God is love” and that God sent his Son to bring reconciliation between God and humanity. Ancient pagans
had never heard of such a thing. The idea that God actually loved them and was willing to send his Son to
serve humanity, even die for humanity was almost incomprehensible. 

How has Christ changed the overall worldview of most people in our
modern culture?
The impact of Jesus Christ on the world is huge, probably impossible to measure fully. Thanks to Jesus most
of the world now believes in one God (most of the pre-Christian world had been polytheistic). Moreover,
most world believes that Jesus was a very significant person, even if many do not believe in him in the way
Christians do. Consequently, many of Jesus’ teachings are heeded, at least to some extent. The result is that
much of the world has been Christianized to some extent and that has resulted in an enormous improvement
in quality of life.

3. Why did Christianity attract such an incredible following so quickly?

Christianity spread rapidly for two principal reasons: (1) Christians embraced the God of Abraham, that is,
God of the Jewish people. Many pagans were sensing that Jewish monotheism made more sense than pagan
polytheism. (2) The message of the resurrection, heavily backed by credible eyewitness testimony, provided
the world with an assurance regarding salvation and life beyond this world that the world had never known
or even imagined before. The message that God had raised up Jesus was the all-time game-changer.

Why was a loving God, rather than a vengeful one so

revolutionary?
Most pagans believed that the gods felt little or no compassion for humans. Some gods were even jealous of
humans who were beautiful, gifted, or whatever. The gods of the pagans were petty, easily offended, and
vengeful. Indeed, the gods were often deceitful and could not be trusted. This is why the God of Jesus,
described as a heavenly Father, who loved his children, who was patient with his children when they were
foolish and sinful, and who was a wholly reliable, faithful God of truth was simply mind-boggling for
pagans.

5. How was the historic Jewish culture NOT embracing the values
which Christianity brought to the table?
The Jewish culture of the time of Jesus drew a sharp line between the Jewish people, on the one hand, and
non-Jews (i.e., Gentiles), on the other. Jesus reached out in compassion to non-Jews. He even stated that
food did not make anyone impure. These ideas were adopted by his followers, leading Paul, for example, to
declare that in Jesus Christ “there is neither Jew nor Gentile.” Such an idea was revolutionary, both for Jews
as well as for Gentiles. Jewish culture resisted such an idea. 
6. The regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Mao Zedong all had
atheist roots. Why were these men drawn to atheist thought?
All four of these men had broken relationships with their fathers. Their fathers were violent or atheists or
both. Atheism served Hitler and company well because without God one could easily do away with the
Judeo-Christian world view and the ethics and morals that went with it. With God out of the picture it was
easier to argue for the elimination of unwanted people, easier to justify violence, easier to justify war, easier
to promote a superior race or ideology that trampled people under foot. In short, if you want to be a thug, it’s
a lot easier without God muddying the waters.

7. You attribute social and cultural freedoms of women to

Christianity, too. Will you explain how Christ brought equality to
fruition? Why was the early church so attractive to women?
The Jewish scriptures taught that God made humans in his image. Jesus and his followers rightly inferred
from this teaching that men and women were equal. Men and women may have different, complementary
roles in family and the public, but in the eyes of God they are equals. Early Christians demonstrated this
belief by entrusting positions of leadership to women. Gifted, educated women were permitted to speak in
the Christian communities and churches and exercise leadership. The church also showed compassion to the
sick, poor, and homeless. The church’s compassion and mercy attracted women, who often felt abused and
unloved. 

8. Why does our world still struggle with many of the values which
Christ ingrained?
Many of the values of Christ clash with selfish worldly values. Even when the human conscience tells us
that this or that is wrong, we often will do it. Humans want to do what they want to do and they do not want
any authority to say, “That is wrong.” It is a lot like discipline: The child gets angry and wants to strike out;
or the child wants to eat ice-cream and not his dinner. So it is with adults. We often want to do things that
will hurt ourselves or others. We are all too willing to cause long-term damage for immediate gratification. 

9. 'Unimaginable' highlights the traumas of many atheist figures;

what differentiates the growth of hatred and love/redemption?
Without forgiveness and redemption, trauma can lead to hatred and a desire for vengeance, even self-
destruction. Hitler, Stalin, and other violent tyrants suffered traumas in childhood and youth and experienced
no love and no redemption. Why some people respond to God’s loving grace and find redemption and others
do not is difficult to say. Hitler himself had a moment when a priest confronted him and challenged to
abandon his evil, violent past. He was initially shaken, but then chose to ignore the pastoral warning. Hitler
hardened his hearted, even as Pharaoh did thousands of years ago, and then led Germany on a path that
resulted in unimaginable death and destruction.

10. How has Christianity ultimately brought the only redemption

available to us?
Christianity is the only faith that holds the view that God himself has purchased our redemption. In no other
religious thought or system do we find God or a god who suffers for humanity and in doing so brings about
redemption. All other systems teach either that we learn to accept life as it is or that we attempt to redeem
ourselves. It is not a surprise that the Christian message of a loving, redeeming God has attracted 2.4 billion
followers, more followers than in any other faith.