Bullies and Saints is one of the most insightful books on the Christian faith I have ever read (granted that I haven't read too many as of yet). As the book's tagline will say (and I heartedly agree), it seeks "an honest look at the good and evil of Christian history".
Overview
Bullies and Saints seeks to answer a question. Is the Christian faith a poison to humanity? Or is it a beautiful melody that is oftentimes performed terribly?
Throughout the book, Dickson frequently uses the metaphor of the teachings of Jesus being a "melody" that is beautifully composed. Dickson firmly establishes in the beginning sections of this book that the teachings of Christ are good, and, if followed, have wonderful benefits for human society (examples will be provided in later chapters.)
Unfortunately, this "melody" of Christ's teachings is oftentimes butchered by those who follow Him. Dickson critically examines many notable (and notorious) events in Church history. The horrors of the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and for a modern example, the terrible crimes committed against children by certain religious leaders, as a few examples. Dickson strives to be objective and fair. He does not shy away from holding the historical church accountable for these terrible events. He also examines the steps that lead up to these major events so that we can see what potentially went wrong and how Christ's teachings were violated.
Of course, Dickson does not only talk about evil, but he spends just as much time speaking of the good of the Church. Dickson argues that the teachings of Christ, when practiced correctly, produce so much good. Examples include the first instances of pure (mass) charity, the first public hospitals, and the Church's huge contribution to education. Dickson gives short biographies of notable "saints" throughout Church history to showcase how Christianity is also a force for good.
In the end, Dickson offers his own insight into this beautiful melody and how it is played. I will let you read that part on your own, I found it very insightful and touching.
Why Read This?
As I mentioned before, this book was very insightful. I have always taken a lot of pride in the effect that Christianity had on human progress (especially after reading J Warner Wallace's Person of Interest). Sadly, I have neglected to consider the evils that have risen out of Christianity. Whenever I'm challenged with examples of the immoralities of the historical church, I always deflect the charges to the Roman Catholics or fire back by pointing out immoralities committed by secular forces (however, this argument does have its merits, Dickson points this out in the book as well). After reading this book, however, I gained a better understanding of the history of the Church, I must admit that the Church is certainly not innocent. I think it is very important for Christians to know these shortcomings of the Church so that we will not make the same mistakes.
On the flip side of this, Dickson also clears up much of the misconceptions behind the evils of the Church. In many cases, the events are inflated and dramatized (sadly, the church itself is at fault for much of these misconceptions). Dickson provides a real historical view of these events so we can examine them with better clarity.
Of course, we can also learn from the "saints" of Christian history. We should see how they applied the teachings of Christ into their lives and how that transformed many aspects of human civilization for the better. The most wonderful examples of this can be found in the early Christian Church (before 400 AD), read the book to find out more.
My faith has been greatly encouraged by this book. My idolization of Christ-followers has diminished, seeing how frequently they failed. The biggest takeaway for me is that Christ's "melody" is indeed beautiful (as demonstrated by history) and should be listened to by every ear, but we must be very careful about the ones playing this melody, even ourselves.
I encourage you to take an honest look at the history of the Church. Remove the log that is in your eye, whether you are Christian or secular, and let us listen to the beautiful melody composed by Jesus of Nazareth without any bias in our hearts.
Potential Pitfalls
Before going into this book, I must give you a warning: Remove the log in your eye! Don't go in this book with the goal of looking for only the good or only the evil of the Church. We must look at the big picture. we must examine every event with fairness.
I have noticed that within certain Christian groups, it is quite popular to criticize and lament the shortcomings of those who came before us (I suppose this isn't just a Christian thing). That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to me that many are doing so to virtue signal, to show off their moral superiority. If that is you, then please check your heart. It is VERY easy to scoff at the historical Church while reading this book if you already have a bias against them.
Just a personal (Christian) opinion, but this book did seem overly apologetic (in the sorry sense) towards its secular audiences. I sensed that the strong commitment to Christian convictions has been partly abandoned to please a secular audience. That's fair, given that this book is not addressed exclusively to Christians.
As always, with history books, the legitimacy of Dickson's retelling of these events should be examined critically. Of course, Dickson cites his sources, and the book is endorsed by many qualified individuals.
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