Do the Crusades Prove that Christianity is Evil?
There have been many reasons people have refused to take on the Christian faith since the time Christ was on earth. Some couldn’t believe in miracles. Some rejected Jesus’ claim to be the only way to God. Others didn’t want to abide by God’s rules for living and chose to risk the threat of an eternity separated from their Creator.
Today, those reasons seem to be less cited by those who reject or leave the faith. When you read or hear the stories of many who “deconstruct” their faith or deny Christianity, the reason often comes down to one central idea: Christianity is “evil”. The Crusades are pointed to as evidence that Christianity is used for conquest and subjugating people. Is this true? How should a Christian respond to this?
Caveats
This can be an extremely emotional argument for some people, and I want to make a few things clear. This article is to serve in no way to justify any immoral or unethical act by anyone claiming to be a Christian, ever. It is also an extremely small summary of a very long and complex history. That said, if people use the idea of the crusades as evidence that Christianity is evil, a Christian should be able to grapple with the question.
A Very Brief Summary of the Crusades
It should be remembered that the story of the Crusades was not only about the Christian faith. An objective reading of history shows that this was a struggle between two faiths, Christianity and Islam. Islam came about in the 7th century AD, long after Christianity had become a common faith all over Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East, joining pagans, polytheists (Romans, Greeks), and other worldview groups that typically existed in relative peace by the 7th century
There were eight individual military campaigns deemed by historians as “The Crusades”. They occurred between 1096 and 1270. The Crusades were initiated at times by church leadership, at times by kings, and at times by diplomats. The first Crusade (The Prince’s Crusade, 1096) was actually in response to aggression by Muslim forces that attacked Christians on pilgrimage to the holy lands, and in response to a request for aid from Byzantine Christians who were dealing with Muslim aggression from the Turks. Jerusalem was captured by the Christian crusaders, and protective forts were established to allow for safe pilgrimage from Europe to the holy land.
This led to a back-and-forth between Christians in “Crusader States” and Muslims seeking to exert their dominance in those regions. The successive Crusades were almost always in one way or another called in response to cities or regions that had fallen to Muslim conquerors following the first Crusade. (1) In the end, the areas the crusaders were able to temporarily control for a time largely fell to Muslim armies.
Notable Atrocities
Even though the Crusades were usually in response to Muslim advances, Christians committed acts that are widely condemned by historians as atrocities during the Crusades. In addition to civilians, Jews, pagans, and Christian “heretics” were also put to the sword by crusaders at various times in some of the campaigns. Notable massacres occurred in Jerusalem in 1099 and in Constantinople in 1204. That said, atrocities were not limited to Christian crusaders. Muslim forces were known to enslave, rape, and murder Christian civilians and hostages in the course of their advances. While the body count is very much in dispute, the accounts from eyewitnesses in that era from both Christian and Muslim sources tell a very dark story of humans mistreating other humans.[i] (2)
Summary of the Summary
Despite recent scholarship that attempts to paint the Crusades as nothing but bloody, unjustified aggression by colonializing Christians, it is well documented that the Crusades are more accurately described as an attempt by Western European Christians to respond to centuries of Islamic wars of expansion, reclaim the control of the holy land, and check the expansion of Islamic control in the East.[ii] (1) An objective view of history tells us that both the Christian and Islamic faiths were responsible for their shares of ungodly behavior. The fact that some crusaders committed atrocities should not be left out of any conversation about the Crusades. That should also be true for the acts of those with whom they fought. The story of the Crusades deserves a fair hearing with all of the evidence available for context.
Bad Religion?
Acknowledging that some Christian crusaders committed atrocities, should we deduce that the religion itself is evil? As Christian Apologist Frank Turek often argues, when someone plays Mozart poorly, you don’t blame Mozart. Where Christians sinned, Christians sinned. This is not an exclusive feature of the Crusades, and Christians (including yours truly) sin to this very day. But that does not affect the message of the namesake of Christianity.
Compared to What?
I would also expect that the honest critics would consider the actions of non-Christians who have also done evil in the name of things like progress, socialism, humanism, and other systems that sought (or seek) to conquer or eliminate people groups. Atheistic socialist regimes like Russia, China, and other countries are credited with killing more than 100,000,000 people in the 20th century alone.[iii] (3) This is a far more bloody history than anything the Crusades could be charged with. If that is life without Christianity, I will take Christianity. How does the atheist defend non-Christian atrocities?
One could easily write many, many books about all the evils committed by Christians since Christ last walked the earth. And it is worth remembering that Christ is far more knowledgeable of all of the sins committed by Christians than we are. How saddened and angry He must be with us for the way we have treated our fellow image bearers, and for the way we have failed to love others as He loves us.
The Christian can and should acknowledge the wrongdoing of other Christians at any time, but they are certainly justified in also pointing out that there are no perfect non-Christians either. This can be a way to help people understand a point so apparent throughout the Bible, and summed up in the passage that states, “there is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:1-3). Now, we can talk about the good news.
The Good News
Christians must remember that the object of our faith is not the perfect behavior of 12th-century knights, or, for that matter, 21st-century pastors and priests. The object of our faith is not in how well Christians behave. The object of our faith should be Jesus Christ and His perfect life, death, and resurrection, displaying the willingness of God to save us from our sins by our faith in Him and His work.
There is no need for anyone to lose trust in Christ, even when we lose trust in Christians. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No amount of other people’s sins will allow you or me to be considered sinless. But Christ lived a perfect life, told us to love God and one another, and died to save any who would repent and follow Him. So, consider your own sins, and seek Christ for yourself, being confident that we are all guilty and in need of what only a loving Creator could do through His Son’s death and resurrection.
References:
[i] Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Crusades. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved October 14, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Crusades
[ii] Ibrahim, R. Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West. Grand Central Publishing, 2018.
[iii] Rummel, R. J. Death by Government. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1994.
Recommended Resources:
What is God Really Like? A View from the Parables by Dr. Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3, and Mp4)
Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4), and (DVD)
How Can Jesus be the Only Way? Mp4, Mp3, and DVD by Frank Turek
Stealing From God by Dr. Frank Turek (Book, 10-Part DVD Set, STUDENT Study Guide, TEACHER Study Guide)
Tony Williams is a retired police officer from Southern Illinois and currently lives in Kentucky with his family. He has been studying apologetics in his spare time for two decades, since a crisis of faith led him to the discovery of vast and ever-increasing evidence for his faith. Tony received a bachelor’s degree in University Studies from Southern Illinois University in 2019. His career in law enforcement has provided valuable insight into the concepts of truth, evidence, confession, testimony, cultural competency, morality, and most of all, the compelling need for Christ in the lives of the lost. Tony plans to pursue postgraduate studies in apologetics in the near future to sharpen his understanding of the various facets of Christian apologetics.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/3NO4vPG
