But to play Devil’s Advocate, Christianity spread rapidly and confidently when it was backed by force (in many cases despotism). Historically, it has degenerated into schism and heresy when the struggle to evangelize is over. Now, the danger is not falling back into some past period of tyrannical religion, but into a wide spread paganism or atheism.
The greatest spread of Christianity was in its first 300 years, when Christians were all martyrs and there was NO FORCE on our side, .... except maybe for the Holy Spirit.
***Christianity spread rapidly and confidently when it was backed by force****
Thew first nation to fall to Christian armies was ARMENIA! then Greece and Rome! The the Christian Armies trampled England and Ireland, spreading with the sword clear to China with Nestorians! Then Russia fell to the advancing hordes of Christian armies on the march!
OH WAIT! There were NO CHRISTIAN ARMIES until the advance of Islamic armies! Only unarmed preachers and priests, armed with nothing more than the Sword of the Lord, the Word of God.