The Influence of Emperor Constantine on the Present Day Church: A Case Study of Anglican Diocese of Ughelli

Abstract

Constantine was a Roman Emperor turned Christian. His reign was remarkable as he left indelible marks on the body of the church. His activities in the church of his time have generated much scholarly and theological debates bordering on his theological significance, political contributions, administrative impact and his socio-economic and spiritual inclinations. The issues mainly revolve around the question whether he helped the church positively or not; hence his impact has been viewed with ambivalence by theologians and scholars alike. Previous studies on this matter have focused on different aspects without adequately dealing with the question about how his legacies or antecedents have influenced the operations of the church, particularly as it affects the Anglican Diocese of Ugheli. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to investigate and examine the impacts of Constantine on the church in his time and how his influence extends to the Anglican Diocese of Ugheli. To achieve this objective, this study employed historical, phenomenological, analytical and evaluative methods. The study found out that most of the lifestyles and operations of the Church today have roots in Constantinean influence; while promoting the freedom of the church and enhancing her prosperity, he cast shadows on true Christianity and dimmed the light of spirituality by promoting apostasy, materialism, worldliness, politics and class consciousness into the church. It concluded that Emperor Constantine liberalised and reconfigured Christianity by introducing several secular principles and practices that have positive and negative impacts on the church today and these traits are evident in the Anglican Diocese of Ugheli.

Keywords: Constantine, influence, present day, church, Anglican Diocese, Ugheli.