The Triumph of Christianity How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion

Free Download The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion By Rodney Stark
2011 | 512 Pages | ISBN: 0062007688 | EPUB | 1 MB
Over 40% of people today are Xians. Their number grows more rapidly than that of any other major faith. InThe Triumph of Xianity, religious & social historian Stark explains how an obscure Jewish sect became the largest, most thriving religion in the world. In hisThe Rise of Xianity, he examined the early success of Xianity & how it conquered Rome. Now he tells a more extensive story, beginning with the religious & social situation prior to Jesus' birth & continuing to the present. As it moves thru six historical eras,The Triumph of Xianitygets right to Xianity's most pivotal & controversial moments-often turning them on their heads:-Xmas Eve surveys the religious situation within which Xianity began.-Xianizing the Empire looks at Jesus' life & the formative days of the movement he inspired, explaining why Xianity was a reprieve from the miseries of daily life for many.-Consolidating Xian Europe argues that Constantine's conversion did the church great harm, examines the gradual demise of paganism & clarifies the motives behind the Crusades.-Medieval Currents sheds light on the misleadingly named "Dark Ages" & the vital role faith played in the scientific revolution.-Xianity Divided examines two Roman Catholic "Churches"-a Church of Piety & a Church of Power-as they respond to heretical challenges, Luther's Reformation & the Spanish Inquisition.-New Worlds & Xian Growth considers the development of religious pluralism in the USA & the continuing vigor of Xianity worldwide, disproving the popular notion that religion must disappear to make room for modernity.With his knack for making bold, original scholarship accessible to all, Stark presents the story behind the tragedies & triumphs that have shaped the trajectory of the Xian faith & much of global history. For scholars & laity alike, this is a journey thru events we think we know & need to reconsider.IntroductionThe religious contextMany JudaismsJesus & the Jesus movementMissionizing the Jews & the GentilesChristianity & privilegeMisery & mercyAppeals to womenPersecution & commitmentAssessing Christian growthConstantine's very mixed blessingsThe demise of paganismIslam & the destruction of Eastern & North African ChristianityEurope responds: the case for the CrusadesThe "Dark Ages" & other mythical erasThe people's religionFaith & the scientific "Revolution"Two "churches" & the challenge of heresyLuther's reformationThe shocking truth about the Spanish InquisitionPluralism & American pietySecularization: facts & fantasiesGlobalizationConclusionBibliographyNotesIndex