Oppressing people to end oppression By any measure, 1848 was a year of high drama in Europe. That year the Treaty of Westphalia was signed bringing an end to the Thirty Years War that killed eight million people. The treaty established livable boundaries among the three leading religions jostling for power: Roman Catholics, Lutherans and…

Tethering freedom to logic instead of the Divine Logos Enthusiasm for the study of man and nature awakened in Europe during the Renaissance and transformed how empires were justified. This and succeeding briefs will draw our narrative closer to modern times, and you’ll begin hearing ideas that sound familiar today. The Renaissance in Europe was stirred…

Reckoning empires by death tolls and territory Historians count roughly 70 empires that have ruled multiple people groups across large regions of the world for distinct periods of time. In this brief, you’ll find metrics and maps of some of them to help picture the social cost of rulers’ efforts to secure and expand their…

A new imperial force contending for world dominance Around 570 AD, Muhammad was born to an aristocratic clan of the Quraysh tribe that controlled Mecca, in what is now modern Saudi Arabia. His name means “praiseworthy” in Arabic. His father died before he was born, and his mother died when he was six, leaving Muhammad…

Conquering the world in Christ’s name A list of wars from the 6th century BCE until today can be found on Wikipedia. The list includes 250 wars with death tolls of 25,000 or more, plus 186 wars from 1500 BCE until now with fewer than 25,000 total deaths. If you’re like me, you’ve probably never…

Forming the big picture of a world divided against itself The global identity crisis mushrooming before our eyes sheds new light on dysfunctions that breed violence. It’s not difficult to recognize social traumas that fester like extended plagues. This threesome stands out to me: My goal in this section of Messiah Now is to highlight…