Sign-In
Cart
Cultural Christians in the Early Church: A Historical and Practical Introduction to Christians in the Greco-Roman World
Paperback
Religion General General Christianity
Publisher Price: $26.99
ISBN13: 9780310147817
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Published: Nov 14 2023
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.63
Height: 0.49 Width: 6.11 Depth: 9.02
Language: English
In the middle of the third century CE, one North African bishop wrote a treatise for the women of his church, exhorting them to resist such culturally normalized yet immodest behaviors in their cosmopolitan Roman city as mixed public bathing in the nude, and wearing excessive amounts of jewelry and makeup. The treatise appears even more striking, once we realize that the scandalous virgins to whom it was addressed were single women who had dedicated their virginity to Christ.
Stories like this one challenge the general assumption among Christians today that the earliest Christians were zealous converts who were much more counterculturally devoted to their faith than typical church-goers today. Too often Christians today think of cultural Christianity as a modern concept, and one most likely to occur in areas where Christianity is the majority culture, such as the American Bible Belt. The story that this book presents, refutes both of these assumptions.
Cultural Christians in the Early Church, which aims to be both historical and practical, argues that cultural Christians were the rule, rather than the exception, in the early church. Using different categories of sins as its organizing principle, the book considers the challenge of culture to the earliest converts to Christianity, as they struggled to live on mission in the Greco-Roman cultural milieu of the Roman Empire. These believers blurred and pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be a saint or sinner from the first to the fifth centuries CE, and their stories provide the opportunity to get to know the regular people in the early churches. At the same time, their stories provide a fresh perspective for considering the difficult timeless questions that stubbornly persist in our own world and churches: when is it a sin to eat or not eat a particular food? Are women inherently more sinful than men? And why is Christian nationalism a problem and, at times, a sin? Ultimately, recognizing that cultural sins were always a part of the story of the church and its people is a message that is both a source of comfort and a call to action in our pursuit of sanctification today.
1 different editions
Also available
Cristianos Culturales En La Iglesia Primitiva: Introducción Histórica Y Práctica a Los Cristianos En El Mundo Greco-Romano
Williams, Nadya
Paperback
Also from
Williams, Nadya
Christians Reading Classics: An Introduction to Greco-Roman Classics from Homer to Boethius
Williams, Nadya
Paperback
Cristianos Culturales En La Iglesia Primitiva: Introducción Histórica Y Práctica a Los Cristianos En El Mundo Greco-Romano
Williams, Nadya
Paperback
Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity
Williams, Nadya
Paperback
Christians Reading Classics: An Introduction to Greco-Roman Classics from Homer to Boethius
Williams, Nadya
Audio Book
Christians Reading Classics: An Introduction to Greco-Roman Classics from Homer to Boethius
Williams, Nadya
Audio Book
Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity
Williams, Nadya
Audio Book
Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity
Williams, Nadya
Audio Book
The Literate Soul: What Four Thousand Years of Reading Books Teaches Us about Loving God
Williams, Nadya
Hardcover
Also in
General Christianity
The Early Versions of the New Testament: Their Origin, Transmission, and Limitations
Metzger, Bruce M.
Hardcover
The Destiny of Modern Societies: The Calvinist Predestination of a New Society
Zafirovski, Milan
Paperback
The Death of Christ: The Bible and Popular Culture Vs Archaeological and Historical Evidence
Rutledge, Steven
Hardcover
The Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes: The Initiatory Teachings of the Last Supper
Gaffney, Mark H.
Paperback
A Child Shall Lead Them PB: Martin Luther King Jr., Young People, and the Movement
Burrow, Rufus
Paperback
The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-To-Face with Jesus
Johnston, Jeremiah J.
Paperback
The Elijah Mandate: A Call to Courageous Faith in a Hostile World
Piflaks, Tolik
Tsarfati, Amir
Paperback
Becoming Like Jesus Bible Study Guide Plus Streaming Video: A Bible Study on the Beatitudes
Chandler, Matt
Paperback
When God Doesn't Fix It: Lessons You Never Wanted to Learn, Truths You Can't Live Without
Story, Laura
Paperback
Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Koukl, Gregory
Paperback
Torn: Why People We Love Are Leaving the Church and What We Can Learn from Them
Strong, Jeff
Paperback
Christian Beliefs, Revised Edition: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know
Grudem, Wayne A.
Paperback
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
Kobes Du Mez, Kristin
Paperback
Jesus & Your Mental Health: Linking God's Word and Modern Science to Find Peace about Mental Health
Maxwell Lmft, Rebecca
Paperback
Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity): On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
Leo XIV, Pope
Hardcover
Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy
Jones, Robert P.
Hardcover
Friendship in the Lord: A Catholic Classic on Holy Friendship and Life in Christ a Christian Classic
Hinnebusch Op, Paul
Paperback
Determined to Believe?: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility
Lennox, John C.
Paperback
The Unseen Battle: Spiritual Warfare, the Three Rebellions, and Christ's Victory Over Dark Powers
Muddamalle, Joel
Paperback
Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
Pope Leo XIV, XIV
Paperback
Sounding the Seasons Enlarged Edition: One Hundred and Ten Sonnets for the Christian Year
Guite, Malcolm
Paperback
The War on Reality: Recovering Truth in a World That Celebrates Lies
Hayes, Phoenix
Turek, Frank
Paperback
The Promise of Heaven Bible Study Guide: Why You Can Get Excited about Your Eternal Home
Jeremiah, David
Paperback
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume
Meyer, Marvin W.
Robinson, James M.
Paperback
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
Strobel, Lee
Paperback
Making Your Case for Christ Bible Study Guide: An Action Plan for Sharing What You Believe and Why
Mittelberg, Mark
Strobel, Lee
Paperback
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
Comer, John Mark
Hardcover
Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You
MacArthur, John F.
Paperback
Bloodline Deliverance Study Manual: How to Set Yourself, Your Family, and Your Bloodline Free from Demons and Curses
Brewer, Andrea
Brewer, Mike
Paperback
Evidence That Demands a Verdict Bible Study Guide: Jesus and the Gospels
McDowell, Sean
McDowell, Josh
Paperback
The Official Study Guide to I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
Geisler, Norman L.
Jimenez, Jason
Paperback
Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Burpo, Todd
Paperback
Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West
Ehrman, Bart D.
Hardcover
Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You
Burke, John
Paperback
Did America Have a Christian Founding?: Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth
Hall, Mark David
Paperback
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions-A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord - 2nd Edition
Concordia Publishing House
Hardcover
Church History in Plain Language, Fifth Edition: The Story of the Church for Today's Readers
Shelley, Bruce
Paperback
From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search for What the Bible Really Says about Women in Leadership
Sprinkle, Preston
Paperback
Tactics Study Guide, Updated and Expanded: A Guide to Effectively Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Koukl, Gregory
Paperback
All-In-One Holy Bible with Apocrypha: 300 Books in Print Plus Audiobook, Videos, and Thousands of Digital Books
Publishing, Dunatos
Hardcover
Help Is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit
Lucado, Max
Paperback
The Two Swords of Christ: Five Centuries of War Between Islam and the Warrior Monks of Christendom
Ibrahim, Raymond
Hardcover
The Divine Conspiracy Bible Study Participant's Guide: Jesus' Master Class for Life
Willard, Dallas
Paperback
Messiah: A Contemporary Adaptation of the Classic Work on Jesus' Life, the Desire of Ages
Thomas, Jerry D.
Paperback
Every Moment Holy: Death, Grief, and Hope: (Pocket Edition) (Over 100 Prayers and Illustrations for Finding Purpose & Hope During Seasons of Loss or S
McKelvey, Douglas Kaine
Hardcover
The Final Flood: Ancient Supernatural Technology, Fallen Angels, and Taking Your Place in the Noah Generation
Ragland, Larry
Paperback
Follow the Healer: Biblical and Theological Foundations for Healing Ministry
Seamands, Stephen
Paperback
Praying Their Way: 24 Prayer Practices for Kids and the Adults Who Love Them
Owens, L. Roger
Paperback