Real and Counterfeit Christianity

I am always looking for new ways to speak out for real Christianity and against counterfeit Christianity. The problem is the middle ground; the place where counterfeit Christianity produces real Christians. It makes the speaking difficult.

What is real Christianity? The following passage, written around the year 200, gives an excellent starting picture for what I believe real Christianity to be. This is from a letter written to the Roman emperors, though I am sure the emperors never saw it.

If we are commanded to love our enemies, as I have pointed out earlier, whom do we Christians have to hate? If we are forbidden to retaliate when we are injured, lest we become as bad as those who injured us, then who can suffer injury at our hands? … We are banded together and ever so ready to sacrifice our lives, yet what single case of revenge can you point to? You cannot, even though it would be easy, if we considered it right to repay evil for evil, to get plenty of vengeance in a single night with a torch or two. … If our religion did not consider it better to be slain than to slay, we would overwhelm you even if you had greater forces.(Tertullian, Apology, ch. 37)

But keep pressing forward with zeal, good presidents! You will stand higher with the people if you sacrifice the Christians at their wish. Kill us; torture us; condemn us; grind us to dust; your injustice is the proof that we are innocent. That is why God allows us to suffer like this. … Your cruelty does not do you any good, though. It is a temptation to us. The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed. … Many of your writers encourage people to be courageous and bear pain and death. Cicero does so in The Tusculans; Seneca does in his Chances; Diogenes, Pyrrhus, and Callinicus do the same. Nonetheless, their words do not make as many disciples as the Christians because we do not teach by words, but by our deeds. (Tertullian, Apology, ch. 50)

I left out the parts where Tertullian argues that the prayers of the Christians are the best defense the empire has ever had. I also left out the parts where Tertullian says that Christians are the only ones who do not try to dodge taxes.

I suppose I think that in the early 21st century, the political views of the original Christians are sufficient to show the difference between real and counterfeit Christianity.