by Rodney Stark - published by Princeton University Press, 1996
A fascinating book that I'll probably never read, but I found this review interesting.
An extract from the review:
Stark underlines the fact that Christianity brought a new culture capable of making life in Greco-Roman cities more tolerable: "To cities filled with homeless and the impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity. And to cities faced with epidemics, fires, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services." Can it be that the very fact that any of our cities are livable today is due in large part not to technological progress, but to the Christian virtues and ideals lived by their inhabitants, and that the answer for those cities afflicted by the same ills as ancient Antioch is simply more lived Christianity?
1 comment:
Sounds an interesting read. But we must be careful. Its the real life experiece of seeing this love in action, not the second hand hearing of it.
What I mean is - in reporting for instance "Christian where the ones who set up Unions & Schools in England!". This is then recieved negativly - e.g. "So are you say we owe you one then?" (not realy grace is it) or "are you saying other religions don't do these things?"
People need to have first hand experience of the love not hear of second hand reporting!
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