Books
The Rise of Christianity: how the obscure, marginal Jesus movement became the dominant religious force
By Rodney Stark
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco | Released: 18 June, 1997
In this book, Rodney Stark uses modern sociological methods to track the rise of Christianity in the first three hundred years of the church. His findings are very helpful in understanding how we might grow the twenty-first century church.
Among his findings:
1. The Jesus movement spread among social networks of friends and families. It is those we have the most influence with who are most likely to heed our call to come learn about Jesus.
2. The early church elevated the status of women in the ancient world. Women were attracted to the church in great numbers. The large numbers of women joining the church in a world where men outnumbered women helped draw many men hoping to find a mate.
3. In the early time of the church, there was no state system of medical care, no safety net. The extreme contrast between high levels of care offered during epidemics by Christians and the pagan world created a strong offer. Believers put themselves at risk, often becoming sick and dying themselves in the place of those for whom they cared. This selfless behavior, and the larger number of Christians who survived epidemics due to the care, greatly grew the Christian community.
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