Outsider religious way versus seat of power

 The roots of the Jesus Movement to fulfill the teachings of YHWH center on houses of worshipers meeting secretly, since neither the Establishment of Jewish leaders, nor by extension the Roman occupiers wanted to see something that did not conform to peaceful social order and status quo. Later, the early church spread along the trade and transportation routes around the Mediterranean basin and attracted not only Jews far from Jerusalem's sway, but other God-fearers, as well as pagans - citizens of Rome, its slaves, and those from inside and outside the Empire.

The status of outlaw sect of Judaism changed overnight with the declaration by Constantine at the beginning of the 4th century C.E. that Christianity would be the State Religion of the Empire and that he would be its champion in the wide world (the Edict of Milan in 313, which declared tolerance for Christianity in the Roman Empire). His pledge to do this if YHWH would allow military victory thus was fulfilled after defeating the attackers at the battle of Milvian Bridge.

From now on the followers of The Way could own property, govern themselves openly, establish schools of learning and all the things that make a group of people an organization and perpetuate it until at last becoming a self-sustaining institution. Hierarchies grew, buildings were endowed, traditions of knowledge expanded, and doctrinal hairs were split ever more finely. With power comes corruption. Reforms came and sometimes gained traction. Sects splintered and power in the World grew bigger and bigger.

Importantly, Jesus answered Pilate by saying "my kingdom is not of this world." And a good deal of the meaning behind the phrase of the Lord's Prayer, "...Thy will be done; on Earth as in Heaven," is about one's own heart. That is, the Kingdom is not something standing on the surface of the planet, but instead dwells within each practitioner's own heart: the person's attitudes, habits of talking, strength of relationships, daily exercise of care for others, expressions of humility and also unshakeable faith, and so on. Therefore, the watershed begun with Constantine the Great to bring Christ-followers into the light of the world to freely worship and evangelize, is a mixed blessing and curse. The blessing is the reduction in persecution. The curse is the accumulating power, generation by generation, that imposes temptation and corruption.

Given the choice of fringe religion and mainstream institution, perhaps most would opt for today's model. But maybe there is a third way, neither institutionalized rigidity nor small-time desperation. Perhaps the sweetest form of The Way is to be in the World but not of the World; blessed by the material well-being and physical abundance that may be put to good use, but not redirected from stewardship of God's creation and distracted by stewardship of "stuff" bought or bequeathed from the faithful.

The question remains: can it still be Christianity when there is wealth and power and prominence involved?

Ephesians 5:3-10, being warry of self-satisfaction

In the weekly Men's Bible Study we heard the list of old habits that the recipients of Paul's letter were wont to do. This is followed by reference to living in the light and not wallowing in the dark.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^{[a] 6} Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.
⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.  [source at Bible Gateway.com from NIV]

The distinction of light and darkness reminds me of Barbara Brown Taylor's book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, about all the important developments noted in the Bible that *do* require dark. Elsewhere in the Bible there is reference to darkness and light being identical in God's knowing: there is little  difference since all is known to God, with or without photons to stimulate one's visual cortex.

Continuing on the theme of light, visibility, seeing-as-knowing (at least among mortals), it seems that perfect vision leads a person to believe that everything has been grasped; to see is to know. And yet there is much the eyeball misses: the old guy searching in vain for something right in front of him, the person disregarding pandemic preventative measures because the virus is invisible to the naked eye, the edges of the visible light spectrum that are just beyond human capacity (but which dogs can see; and the things that birds can 'see' but not with light to perceive the Earth's magnetic lines). The line from St. Exupery's book, The Little Prince, sums up the limitations of the visual senses that lead a person to assess and judge in confidence the appearances that present themselves: "It is only with the heart that one can truly see."

By extension, also the book of James emphasizes deeds over words. This form of engaging others can change one's heart as a side-effect, but rote good deeds do not "make merit" or improve one's Godliness, since only by grace (not by works) is a person forgiven and salvation advanced. A person who is preoccupied with doing good deeds can easily be lead to the sense of achievement and rest: that all efforts are completed and all duties are fulfilled; vigilance can be relaxed, and the awareness of opportunities to lend a hand can dim.

A third instance for a person to be led to believe that a goal has been accomplished is with knowledge; it could be the Gnostic game of "secret knowledge" (if only I knew the key Bible passage, mysterious number, or symbolic meaning, then my spiritual growth can reach perfection), or it could be more pedestrian knowledge gained by memorizing, reading commentators, taking part in seminars, and so on. All three of these instances - seeing in the light, accomplishing tangible results in one's deeds, and adding to one's store of knowledge - have some value as a process that leads to something else, but can also be a danger in leading the person to self-satisfaction, perceiving the goal has been attained and therefore that no further (self) examination is needed.

In the end, the premise upon which God knows all the creatures, including each person, is love; or maybe a better translation is something Buddhism's Loving-kindess, an agape basis for caring for self and others. Once a person accepts this fundamental relationship of belongingness, then strangers are not really strangers, but instead are in the same family of God that everyone and everything belongs to. There is the instruction to strive to move one's heart and being ever closer to God's ways and will; and to take Jesus as a flesh-and-blood role model. But knowing that Jesus is infinitely closer to God's ways than we are, or could be, a better first step would be to see among one's peers some examples of habits, routines, phrases and aspirations that are closer to our own - ideally a step or two ahead of our own condition, but not in the pinnacle position of Rabbi Jesus. Even when it is not immediately clear how to be more like Jesus, at least there are many temptations and distractions to discard and disallow: knowing how NOT to be like Jesus reduces the universe of possible ways to be. Then the remaining alternatives in this narrowed field come into sharper focus.