Rich Bledsoe provides a fascinating historical and theological analysis of the principalities and powers on the Biblical Horizons Blog. While lengthy, they are well worth your time and consideration. Part 1 covers the period from the Early Church through the Reformation. Part 2 explores the implications for the current world climate of the East and West. One quotation Dr. Bledsoe cites, that is particularly interesting, comes the Academy of Chinese Social Sciences. In trying to discern why the West has been so successful to date, the Academy reached this conclusion:
We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. But in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don’t have any doubt about this.
(This quote can also be found here in a different report).
That is a stunning admission, but neither is it surprising. The Church is the salt of the earth and light of the world, and so wherever faithful Christians go, they are bound to have an impact upon the cultures, societies, and nations where God has placed them. Since Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” the Lord has been answering that prayer. We still enjoy the fruit and blessing of the answer to that prayer here in the West. And what an amazing thing it will be when the power of communism is toppled in China at last, and the Gospel of Christ’s Kingship is openly proclaimed.