Countdown Day 66

When the Roman emperor Constantine converted (the story goes) to Christianity and Christianity then entered into a troubling alliance with his Roman Empire … unity of belief became politically useful – and enforceable. So the empire that had crucified Jesus now claimed to be the agent, patron, and police force of a newly dominant Christian religion…. The Roman Empire could thus claim to be validated by the God of the Christians, not just the ancient Greco-Roman pantheon. (12)

From A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith (available February 9, 2010)