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Constantinianism is areligiopoliticalideology inChristian politics that epitomizes the unity of church andstate, as opposed toseparation of church and state. This view is modeled after an idealChristendom, which arose during the reign ofConstantine the Great.
Contemporarytheologians have used the term to characterize a view thatChristians should readily participate inliberal democracies.
Fundamentally, the Constantinian view deeply identifies the Church and state, taking inspiration from theRoman Empire following theEdict of Milan.[1] Some elements of this identification are willingness by the church to use coercive power structures of the state and a tendency towards Christian triumphalism.[2]
Stanley Hauerwas argues against a Constantinian view, saying that it leads to a compromised form ofChristian ethics, "[It] leads Christians to judge their ethical positions, not on the basis of what is faithful to our particular tradition, but rather on the basis of how much Christian ethicsCaesar can be induced to swallow."[3]
John Howard Yoder andKarl Barth have been identified as an anti-Constantinian due to their shared "church-world" distinction.[4]
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