-- Wayne Meeks, Yale University"A provocative, insightful, challenging account of the rise of Christianity." West because Christianity was essential to its birth. In the meantime, voluntary martyrdom, especially a generation after the death of Christ, reinforced the commitment of the Christian rank and file. Full of interesting facts and explanations of historical circumstance that I had not previously considered. Rather, the New Testament recounts human efforts to spread the faith. has been added to your Cart. says Yale University's Wayne A. Meeks, for The Rise of Christianity makes a compelling case for startling conclusions. . He comes equipped not only with the logic and methods of social science but also with insights gathered firsthand into why people convert and how new religious groups recruit members. This is not the case. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. 1 shall qualify this assumption at several later points in the chapter. For example, in order for Christianity to have achieved success in the time allowed, must it have grown at rates that seem incredible in the light of modern experience? Not an "academic" book. In Christianity, "doctrine took on actual flesh," and all seekers not only found a place but flourished in the culturally strange (for its time) dynamic of the nonethnic Christian community. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999. Stark has proposed in The Rise of Christianity that Christianity grew through gradual individual conversions via social networks of family, friends and colleagues. One in Christ directs you to the great reconciler, Jesus. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. Part 5: Christianity Divided begins with the rise of two very distinctive and opposed Roman Catholic “Churches” and contrasts their impact on the outbreak of heretical movements in the twelfth century as well as their brutal repression. If not, then we have some well-tested propositions to draw upon. To browse Academia. ... Rodney Stark brings a sociologist’s perspective to bear on the puzzle behind the success of early Christianity. [2] He has twice won the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, for The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation (1985, with William Sims Bainbridge), and for The Churching of America 1776–1990 (1992, with Roger Finke). He reveals: Islam is not overtaking Christianity 81 percent of people around the world claim to belong to an organized religious faith Half attended a worship service in the past week Despite all the attention paid to the "New Atheists," atheists remain. What Stark ultimately offers is a multifaceted portrait of early Christianity, one that appeals to practical reasoning, historical curiosity, and personal reflection. Combining his expertise in social science with historical evidence, and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark finds that early Christianity attracted the privileged rather than the poor, that most early converts were women or marginalized Jews—and ultimately "that Christianity was a success because it proved those who joined it with a more appealing, more assuring, happier, and perhaps longer life" (Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago). I think Stark's work here is a reminder of the importance of competition. Here is theoretical brashness combined with disarming common sense, a capacious curiosity, and a most uncommon ability to tell a complicated story in simple prose." Be the first to ask a question about The Victory of Reason. Categories : Living people People from Jamestown, Yale University, North Dakota American Christian writers American sociologists American historians of religion American male non-fiction writers American hhe writers Converts to Christianity from atheism or agnosticism Sociologists of religion Researchers of new religious movements and cults Baylor University faculty University of California. The Rise of Christianity is a book by Rodney Stark wherein he looks at Christianity’s rise to prominence from a sociological perspective. Despite the predictions of academics and liberal religious leaders, and began his career as a newspaper reporter, the world is becoming more faith-filled. Learn more about the program. Indeed, as Robert M. Grant pointed out, "one must always remember that figures in antiquity . An exercise such as this could lead one to conclude that Stark is using sociology to disregard or dismiss the role of the divine nature of Christianity. Unable to add item to List. . After 2000 years the enigma is decoded. A perfect insight into how Christianity grew, how the good word was spread and won over the minds of the people back then. Phone: +86 10 8457 8802 Welcome back. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance. Nor is this limited to antiquity. ?Sandra Collins, SLIS, Univ. His thirty books on the history and sociology of religion include The Rise of Christianity, Cities of God, For the Glory of God, Discovering God, and The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success. But in this chapter I will pose the question in a more precise way than has been done. It is marvelous exercise in sociological imagination and a warning to those who like simple explanations. In a fast-paced, highly readable book that addresses beliefs as well as historical facts, Rodney Stark brings a sociologist's perspective to bear on the puzzle behind the success of early Christianity. Yet it is one of many myths that must be discarded if we are to understand just how a tiny messianic movement on the edge of the Roman Empire became the dominant faith of Western civilization. HarperSanFrancisco; unknown Edition (May 9, 1997), The Rise of Christianity shares some great insight into the rapid growth of Christians, Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2016. Studies of the rise of Christianity all stress the movement's rapid growth, but rarely are any figures offered. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. A new way of explaining why it was so successful that is very insightful of how humans behave in social groups. [5][6], Stark has been one of the most vocal critics of theories of secularization. Cultural Divides pagan culture displays Christian moral values superseding the brokenness and failure of the most vocal critics of of! 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