In Rodney Stark’s book, The Rise of Christianity, he describes several factors in the growth of the Early Christian Church.
The message of the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit were the most significant.
But the means were also important:
The Romans fled their cities in times of disease. If they had unwanted children, it was acceptable to leave them exposed in the wilderness.
Christians opened their homes for the sick and unwanted and then built the first hospitals and orphanages.
Christians held women in high regard, equal to men in being created in God’s image.
The Romans respected and admired that. What is it that sets us apart today?
How do we offer a better way?
I would suggest that today, it is the same. The message and the power are the same. It is the means that make them visible and give us a hearing.
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