Church Subordination: What the State Couldn't Do by Bullying It Did by Bribing

Jesus shared with his disciples the Parable of the Sower. Some of the seed fell among thorns. Later he explained, the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful (Matthew 13:22, New American Standard Version).

In his book, An Historian’s Approach to Religion (1956), English historian Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975) applies this parable to the Church. He notes that, in Roman times, the Church stood up well when the Roman State bullied it with persecution. He regrets that the Church lost its integrity when the Roman State next challenged it with bribes.