Question

There was a time when the Church was very powerful ... In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." Things are different now. The contemporary Church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch-supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the Church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the Church's silent and often vocal sanction (approved action) of things as they are.
What is the main idea of this paragraph?

Answer 1

The main idea of the paragraph must encompass all the ideas stated by the supporting details. In this paragraph, the main idea would be: There was a time when the Church was very powerful. As a support to this topic sentence, an example of an incident was given about the early Christians. Also, the main idea implies that the power of the Church was very influential in the past only, not in the present. The context clues for this is the phrase 'was a time'. This means it was applicable to the past only. Hence, another example of the present is given for contrast.