The abiding corruption of medieval Christianity began with establishment. No point in denying the fact.
No it began the moment human beings fell, in the garden. There was corruption in the early Church, there was always controversies and issues which needed to be addressed even before Constantine. Paul had to punish a man and expel him from Corinth, he had to advocate against Judaizers and warn Churches not to associate with people. St Peter for all his blessings and position refused to associate at one time with gentiles.
There are also a few Ante Nicene examples I can think of. I believe it was St Cyprian in one of his letters who caught a violation of the rule regarding the sleeping quarters of consecrated virgins. Men and women sleeping in the same room. There was infighting and competition between Churches and Christians had it out for each other sometimes. Look at Origen who was targeted rather relentlessly by the Bishop of Alexandria.
I don't think you understand the history. You have idea in your head that everything became bad immediately after Constantine came about. Things have always been bad to one degree or another. Corruption is not in the idea of the religious sphere holding some kind of power, corruption is the violation of a standard. Was it corrupt for Thomas Becket to excommunicate Henry II? Was it corrupt for Theodosius to make the Emperor publicly repent? Why, when the Church became established, did the most faithful and devout establish monasteries and the corrupted worldly powers decide that the best Bishops would come from those same places?
So against political power. I get it.
You don't really understand power, do you or what you're advocating. You have made abundantly clear elsewhere that the Churches should not be political. They should not concern themselves with politics. Yet you approve of Theodosius calling out the Emperor for his sins and using a spiritual power to leverage an actual political result? For instance, could you approve of the same for Joe Biden? He has been condemned by some Catholic Priests and we were told by the left that this was improper and the Church has no real right to be political.
Like, do you understand that when an Emperor, someone who is regarded as something akin to God's anointed or a divine sovereign, that when he is forced to publicly confess his sins, that it's more than a mere religious act? It challenges the very nature of the Emperor himself. This was actually one of the triumphs of Christianity, that it humbled Emperors, that it limited their power by recognizing power that men could be held to account. This was the early stages of Christian secularism and the limitation of near absolute authority of the Emperors and Kings.
It's happening. That's why the denominations that became politicized are bleeding out members. Their former members are moving to denominations that follow God, rather than Caesar. I get that this is alarming for you. But it's what Jesus told us to do.
I think all denominations will have to bleed their members. The current mindset of most Christians is not one that will sustain future growth, thus I unironically think that is partly good that this bleed is happening. It will purge those Christians who are not strong enough in faith and willing to persevere through a Godless society whose values are radically opposed to Christ's. I believe Christianity can rebound but it cannot be found in the attitudes of most Christians today. The mainstream Churches are not the solution, they are becoming less Christian and if the only way to maintain growth is to that, it's not worth it.
