9780802878540

0802878547

9781467468343

"Stephen O. Presley guides Christians in engaging with secular culture, using the early church as a model"-- Provided by publisher.

"How to keep faith in a culture hostile to Christianity In an increasingly secular world, Christians are often pulled in two directions. Some urge us to retreat and build insular communities. Others call upon us to wage a culture war, harnessing the government to shore up Christian cultural power. But there is another way-and it's as old as the church itself. Stephen O. Presley takes us back to the first few centuries AD to show us how the first Christians approached cultural engagement. Amid a pagan culture that regarded their faith with suspicion, early Christians founded a religious movement that transformed the ancient world. Looking to great theologians like Augustine, Origen, and Tertullian, Presley shows how the early church approached politics, family, public life, and more. From these examples, he draws lessons for practicing authentic, pious discernment in how we engage with the wider culture. The Christians who came before us endured persecution to share a vision of human flourishing that changed the world. Following in their footsteps, we can sanctify our society through social witness. Readers anxious about shifting cultural tides will be left with hope in the already-present kingdom of God and the promised resurrection"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction

Identity

Citizenship

Intellectual life

Public life

Hope

Conclusion.

Church history > Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.

Secularism > History.

Christianity > Influence.

Church and state > History.