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So what can be learned from this account of the major movements in Christian history? What do all Stark’s contrarian conclusions have to teach? First, it must be said that the existence of a book like this should serve as a warning. Far too many popular retellings of certain events in the Christian past rest on worn-down, long-disproven theories and accounts. These accounts reinforce cherished assumptions, political theories, or old grievances, but they don’t actually tell the truth about the past. Books like Stark’s are a bracing blast of historical reality. Facing reality and declaring the truth ought to be the point of historical inquiry, and Stark deserves credit for pursuing this ideal relentlessly.
More than that, though, Stark reveals that Christianity as a religion is always at its strongest when it is empowering all its adherents to live fearless and sacrificial lives. Its largest periods of growth never came during periods of establishment, and coercion was not a part of its rapid rise. Its adherents have had periods in which they violated their highest ideals in conformity to the culture in which they lived, but the remarkable self-corrective and universal power of the Christian message was and is good news, not only for individuals, but for the world.
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Jonathan Master is an associate professor at Philadelphia Biblical University and Director of its Center for University Studies. He and his family reside in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
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