Rodney Stark
This book took me a long time to read - its a hefty one but oh so good! Rodney Stark merges his understanding of both sociology and history to walk us through the impact of Christianity throughout the ages. I like to ensure I read a hefty book once a year that talks about church history and this was my book of 2021. One of the things that stood out to me throughout the book was how community has always been vital to people throughout history - it is how God made us, yet there always seems to be an undercurrent of an attack against authentic community. The church started by forming community yet so often our churches don't show this in real ways - it is a real challenge to fight for community as this is the way Jesus intended it and modelled it to us through His relationship with the disciples. I loved how Stark looked at how the church influenced society, particularly being the ones to influence social reform. He also gave a whole chapter to why Christianity was attractive to women due to the way Jesus elevated the status of females....for that I am really grateful!
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