Christianity came to Europe in the 4th century by way Emperor Constantine who consolidated a heretofore diverse religion under the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic Church. The consolidation of the faith was codified during proceedings of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). Prior to this “First Ecumenical Council” Christianity was comprised of populations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. These early Christian communities were victims of Roman persecutions and prosecutions, until the emperor’s conversion to the rapidly growing Christian faith. As a matter of fact, the advent of the Roman Catholic Church occurred 300 plus years after the birth of Christianity.

The sequence of these historical events, are recorded thusly. In 312 AD, Emperor Constantine was deposed in a brief military coup. The night before the decisive battle to regain the throne Constantine reportedly saw a cross in the heavens and he (Constantine) interpreted that vision as a sign of his triumph. Constantine was victorious and he regained his throne. Subsequently, in 313 AD Constantine signed the Treaty of Milan, which outlawed the confiscation of Christian’s property. There is irony in the fact that there is no account of Emperor Constantine being baptized or converted by a Christian bishop.

The newly converted emperor was able to convene virtually all of Christendom in the context of the First Ecumenical Council. The world of Christianity was represented (Middle East, Africa, Asia), and most bishops signed off on to the “Nicene Creed” that vowed absolute authority to the Roman Catholic Church. On the other hand bishops that did not subscribe to the Nicene Creed were excommunicated from the proceedings. In addition to challenges regarding the Nicene Creed, Ethiopian bishops disagreed with the “nature of Jesus Christ” as advanced by the Roman Church.

Roman Catholic theology asserts the nature of Jesus Christ as dual, (part human and part divine), while Ethiopian Church theology adherents to the “monophysite” doctrine (single divine nature). The Ethiopian bishop did not conform to the Nicene Creed, would not subscribed to the duel nature of Jesus Christ therefore Ethiopia was excommunicated from further proceedings and all future councils, and they were branded as heretical. The consequence of Ethiopia’s excommunication from the First Ecumenical Council actually bifurcated, Judeo-Christianity between east and west and is referred to in history as the great “schism.” The schism established a separation between the Roman Catholic Church in the western hemisphere, and the oriental Orthodox Church.

Roman Christianity was thusly brought to European monarchs who established and expanded Christianity by way of conquests by their respective empires, vis-à-vis divine right. The Roman Catholic Church enjoyed an absolute monopoly of Christianity in the western world from the 4th to the 16th centuries at which time the Protestant Reformation bifurcated the church in the western hemisphere into Catholics and Protestants. The Protestant Reformation began as a feud between the pope and king of England. Ultimately, the king of England (Henry VIII) split from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England (Anglican Church). But the Church of England was soon thereafter accused by the ongoing “Protestant” reform movement of mimicking the excesses and sins that were peculiar to the Roman Catholic Church. Subsequently, the “Puritans” emerged to be consequential to the Protestant Reformation movement.

Accordingly, the pilgrims (Puritans) are at the cornerstone of founding the United States of America, the zeitgeist of modern civilization. There is a sublime mythology that posits America in the context of a prophetic role in world history. And in the comparatively brief history since the advent of America, she is proven to be a vanguard of modernity as the “America experiment” represents a prototypical trajectory for 21st century nation states. This messianic perception of America, that some hold regarding the profundity of America has an historical nature with ancient roots. This idea goes beyond the concept of “manifest destiny” that pervades high school American history and social studies curriculums as it can also be detected in the popular Greco-Roman historical narrative. But, notwithstanding its origins the same idea is currently being expressed in the political and social arena and is being marketed vociferously in the name of “American exceptional-ism.”

It is indeed the Protestant component of Christianity that is responsible for the founding nature of the United States of America. Among the unique ideas that are consequential to the America project is the separation between church and state. Prior to this advent, church and state enjoyed a precarious marriage with one overshadowing the other at various times in history. This novel idea of church and state separation was without question inspired by the overbearing, 1200 year of absolute authority that the Roman Catholic Church exercised. South America remained a stronghold of the Roman Catholic faith, but North America became immersed in Protestant denominational Christianity.

Hence, by way of the “Protestant ethic” the United States of America pioneered secular government in the context of a Constitutional Republic and what is popularly referenced as “classical liberalism,” which was advocated by John Locke among others. Interestingly enough, the prerogatives handed down to Christian monarchs by the papacy regarding their divide rights associated with conquests remained in place and unadulterated.

Therefore, during the infancy of America’s mainland colonies she easily adapted the social, economic and political norms that prevailed in the Caribbean colonies, in the context of the colonial “master” narrative. The obvious adaptation from the old world to the “New World” was the institution of trading in enslaved Africans. Slavery in the America colonies was consequential to her economic growth, but on the other hand the issue of slavery became a dividing line that threatened to spit the country between north and south. Nevertheless, since the abolition of slavery on the America’s mainland and Caribbean colonies, the issue of race continues to be an albatross around the neck of America, and a profound conundrum.

Compelling arguments are offered that America was born with birth defeats, and they sight the conceiving document establishing the United States of America, vis-à-vis, the Constitution. The referenced birth defects are the social, economic, political and educational facts on the ground that facilitated the 3/5 clause in the Constitution. On the other hand, arguments are advanced that constitutional amendments, override, debunk, neutralizes, and nullifies the 3/5 clause formulation. But the ideas, concepts and perceptions that established and sustain the race paradigm remains popular…

Current scientific evidence has confirmed and affirmed that there is no biological evidence that multiple races exists. Accordingly, all human beings living in the world today have a common origin that can be traced to a woman that lived in East Africa millennia ago. Therefore, the race paradigm is a social construct that was designed to achieve subjective outcomes, such as justifying the inferiority of Africans as less than human and equivalent to beasts of burden. The abolition of trading enslaved Africans and the plantation slavery system was decisive and definitive in ending the African bondage and enslavement system.

Despite a proliferation of the colonial “master” narrative throughout the New World, mainland America’ and European, popular sentiment among the “white” general public developed into a critical mass that ultimately required the abolition of slavery on the New World and Europe. Efforts by some citizens to abolish slavery during the 19th century were spearheaded by “Christian” citizens both black and white and including ministers and congregations. Some churches played a direct role in the abolition and rebellion activities. In fact Denmark Vesey was a member of the clergy and an abolitionist, and the names of prominent black and white folk along with a diverse supporting casts are legion.

By way of the modern civil rights movement of the 20th century African American political, economic and social advancement was on par with the impressive development that occurred during the 19th century’s period of “Reconstruction” in the black community. Interestingly enough, both periods of unprecedented of former enslaved Africans, was followed by political ambivalence on the part of former liberal and progressive benefactors, and reactionary initiatives undertaken by social-conservative anti-black advocates.  For several critical reasons the storied achievements and successes noted during “Reconstruction” and the “modern civil rights” movement could not be sustained or realized as a practical matter.

The Christian Church played a consequential role during the civil rights movement of the 20th century, as well as during the 19th century. The clergy, community and political activists, black, and white, among others created the critical mass that resulted in storied successes of the modern civil rights movement, and the period of Reconstruction. And the enactment of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, respectively remain high points of the modern civil rights period. Both the civil rights movement of the 19th century and the modern civil rights movement in the 20th century are touted as successes in the context of how the “races” can cooperate and achieve successes.

While cooperation among the “races” sounds like a laudable and noble objective, we find it hard to imagine how cooperation and understanding can occur when the subject (race) is a phantom. Moreover if that were possible, cooperation on a practical level would not approach the psychological condition breed by the sublime perception of black inferiority codified by the vertical hierarchal relationship between the black and white “race” as designed, justified and promoted for centuries.

Apart from the dubious nature of “race” and the pernicious role that this vertical hierarchal that distinguishes human beings; the role of America’s Christian heritage and legacy remains dynamic and relevant. While there was a percolating civil rights and “black power” political movement in America during the 1960s; liberation movements occurred in the context of international politics. The 1960s witnessed successful liberation movements in former slave colonies of the Caribbean and on the African continent. Apart from the important role the church in America played during the modern civil rights movement, the Christian Church played a profound role in liberation and freedom struggles in the Caribbean, South America and on the continent of Africa.