I am currently reading The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark. The book was originally published in 1996 by the Princeton Press. Dr. Stark was a professor of Sociology and Comparative Religion. It is a book about Christianity, but not from a religious or scriptural point of view, but from a social science perspective. His entire thesis is based on his question: why was Christianity so successful in the ancient world? For me, this is an entirely new way of looking not at the theological bases of Christianity, but at the very dynamics or structure of Christianity and how it overcame the paganism of its time.

Why would this be of interest to current times and our modern society? As he presents his study of the dynamics of Greco-Roman society and times, I realized that many of the social structures present at the time of the Caesars have a familiar pattern in our own society. Granted, there are two thousand years between our times and the immediate world of the Apostles. But there are some striking observations I would like you to consider.

We have often heard that the early church was composed of the poor and slaves because it addressed their desperate lives and gave them something or somewhere that made them count as people. Stark presents several studies that undermine this idea, showing that many of the upper and middle classes were drawn to the early church. One surprising group was women from the upper classes who were drawn to the Church. Why? He found that, although married to powerful and wealthy men, women lived under total control in their husbands’ hands. Roman males were of principal importance, and small families of one or two children were the norm. Girls were often eliminated by abortion or infanticide. There is clear evidence that girls were often allowed to die rather than to live. The wife or mother had no choice in this matter. This cruel and inhuman practice left women with emotional scars. When Christianity came into the community, women had a new status; they were co-partners in a marriage, and the Christians did not practice abortion or infanticide. Each human had a soul and was important to God himself.

Why this is an important dynamic is that the Christians had more children; they became a populace that Roman society could not match. The Roman community, especially the upper classes, was shrinking. At the end of the empire, they brought in tribes from the north to take over land and areas that Rome could not control, for lack of loyal Roman families. Some plagues struck the empire, and the Early Christians often nursed and cared for everyone who needed help. This impressed many in the community, and new converts were made.

Why would I go on about this ancient history? We live in the new, enlightened century, but human nature, being human nature, hardly progresses. I often think about my own children, who, when they were young, warned them about a hurtful situation. Did this stop them from putting their hand in the fire? NO! They had to find out for themselves that the fire was hot. This is human nature; it goes round and round in each generation. Christianity gives hope, granted it is a reward that we earn by following the path given to us by God himself, who made us in his own image. That image embodies love, compassion, care, and forgiveness. It leads us into a life that is wholesome and satisfying. I think this is what the first Christians showed the

pagan world around them. Women were important. Women were very active in the Early church as deaconesses, supporting the community and the church alike. Women and their children were gifts, not commodities; the community was of great importance, and building and preserving that community was an active duty. These values have not gone away in the last 2000 years. The charge of loving your neighbor as yourself still stands. In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan. Giving tolerance to all religions in the empire. He would become a Christian on his deathbed in 337AD.

When I think about the basic idea of this study, I see many of our own problems today. Paganism is understanding that life is temporary, entertainment and pleasure are to be sought, and that emotions are discounted for status and power. The Christian life, right from its start, is about caring, community, sharing, and love. All ends in death, but for Christians, we enter into eternity. Christan’s prospered, populated, and built a civilization. Today, Christians are often marginalized in modern society, but the values they represent and live by allow human beings to be persons with an identity and a calling. We are not disposable items living in time. The message of Jesus is still as bright and as compelling as ever.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst,”(Matthew 18:20)