I remember talking to a professor in law school and I don’t know what frame of mind I was in. I was probably in some kind of practical, trying-to-get-oriented type of mindset. Maybe it’s because I heard that you couldn’t get a big law job if you didn’t have an economics background or a practical background in terms of what you studied in college. I studied philosophy and rhetoric, and the professor asked me what I studied, and I said philosophy. I think I was kind of apologetic about it, and I asked him what he studied and he said economics. But he said that the philosophy that I studied would mean that I could read it and get more out of it.
And I think later in life I certainly think that I’m much happier that I studied philosophy than economics or something quote-unquote practical. I always thought that when I was in college the first thing to figure out was life—like what is the point of all this life stuff—and that drew me to philosophy. And I happened to be in a class—I got there an hour early—and I was part of a class that had a professor making fun of quote “Liberal Artsville USA” and kind of pounded the table about his practical economics instruction.
But when you get to be older, all that stuff just kind of evaporates. And I’ve had that confirmed by Henry Nouwen’s speech and also the guys in my men’s group, who recognized that career trophies don’t really mean anything after you retire.
But for me, it was just trying to live life. I wasn’t trying to be some kind of special person. It just seemed like that was the right thing to do, given that I had the opportunity anyway.
And part of this intersects now because I’m trying to pivot and still trying to make a career of myself or for myself and for my family in the Washington, D.C. metro area. And I know that trophies don’t last. I know I won a sales award 15–20 years ago and I didn’t even have the plaque anymore. It was in my trunk and it got scratched up and eventually I threw it away many years ago.
And I know it’s all empty. But I’m still surrounded by people trying to self-actualize through their career, and it’s exhausting.
Your comparison highlights a real historical contrast. The early Christian church in the Roman Empire was often defined by its refusal to submit to state power, even embracing martyrdom rather than compromise its beliefs. Roman authorities demanded public acts of loyalty—such as sacrifices to the emperor or Roman gods—and Christians who refused were persecuted, sometimes brutally executed. This willingness to suffer and even die rather than submit was central to early Christian identity and helped the faith spread, as martyrdom was seen as a testimony to the truth of Christianity[1][2][5].
In contrast, much of American Christianity today is closely intertwined with national identity and political power. Rather than positioning itself as a countercultural or oppositional force, it often seeks influence within the state and sometimes equates patriotism with religious faith. This can create the illusion of controlling or guiding the state, rather than standing apart from it or challenging it on matters of conscience.
So, while early Christians were known for resisting state power at great personal cost, American Christianity has often taken a different path—aligning itself with state authority and national symbols, sometimes at the expense of prophetic critique. The difference is significant, though both reflect how religious communities navigate power and identity in their historical contexts[1][2][5].
Sources
[1] The Early Christian Martyrs: Persecutions in the Roman Empire https://www.thecollector.com/early-christian-martyrs/
[2] Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians_in_the_Roman_Empire
[3] The Roman Empire and the Early Roman Martyrs https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2021/06/the-roman-empire-and-early-roman-martyrs.html
[4] Christian Martyrs in the Roman Empire – Early Christians https://www.earlychristians.org/christian-martyrs-in-the-roman-empire/
[5] How the Early Church Viewed Martyrs | Christian History Magazine https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/how-early-church-viewed-martyrs
[6] Mythbusting Ancient Rome – throwing Christians to the lions https://theconversation.com/mythbusting-ancient-rome-throwing-christians-to-the-lions-67365
[7] A Brief History of Christian Martyrdom Accounts in Antiquity https://www.shawnjwilhite.com/blog/brief-history-of-martyrdom-accounts-in-antiquity
[8] Roman historian views early martyr narratives as ‘living texts’ https://classics.cornell.edu/news/roman-historian-views-early-martyr-narratives-living-texts
Boyd Camak 