The Church is often viewed as European or Euro-centric. Even among those who see Christianity as a 'foreign religion' they view it so because it is 'from Europe'. The white man's religion! This is something quite taken for granted. But we forget - very easily and comfortably - that Jesus and the early Christianity were all very much situated in the middle-East. Jesus was born and later carried out his whole ministry in Israel. Though it is true that the apostles did cross national boundaries, it is actually with Constantine embracing Christianity and making it the state religion, that Christianity spread far and wide. That Rome has played a central role in the development of Christianity as a popular universal religion can never be questioned. But it all began in the middle-East - not in Europe!!
The universality of the Church and of Christianity is not a quality of it being present in most of the world, and predominantly in Europe. Universality is its virtue to be able to embrace the world - not the world embracing Christianity.
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