[Steve Myers] We’re in Rome, studying the impact of the Roman Empire on the apostle Paul and the gospel message. Now, we’re standing here in St. Peter’s Square, before St. Peter’s Basilica, right at the heart of what many would say is Christianity itself. Thousands of people are around us, making a pilgrimage to this very spot, where they believe Christianity has its roots.

And yet, one of our tour guides said something interesting. He said, “Their history is our history.” And when you think about that, is that really true? Is the history of the Roman Catholic Church all Christianity’s history? He also said something else that was interesting, that I thought was pretty profound. He said that when Christians became Roman – or when Romans became Christian, Christians became Roman.

And that, I thought, got to the heart of the matter. When Romans became Christians, Christians became Roman. What was the impact of that? What effect did that have on Christianity? I think as you begin to think of that, by the time you get to 200 A.D., there was a very different Christianity on the world scene than we find in the pages of your Bible, than you find from what Jesus Christ taught, than what you find of the apostles. And so, when you hear that – “Their history is our history” – don’t take that as, you know, the gospel, because it is not. There was a very different gospel that began to be preached even during the time of the apostle Paul.

So don’t forget, don’t take anything at face value. Look into it, dig deep, and you won’t be sorry that you did.

That’s BT Daily. We’ll see you next time.