Description In our Western, post-Christendom society, much of Christianity's cultural power, privilege, and influence has eroded.
But all is not lost, says bestselling author Gerald Sittser.
Although the church is concerned and sobered by this cultural shift, it is also curious and teachable.
Sittser shows how the early church offers wisdom for responding creatively to the West's increasing secularization.
The early Christian movement was surprisingly influential and successful in the Roman world, and so different from its two main rivals--traditional religion and Judaism--that Rome identified it as a third way.
Early Christians immersed themselves in the empire without significant accommodation to or isolation from the culture.
They confessed Jesus as Lord and formed disciples accordingly, which helped the church grow in numbers and influence.
Sittser explores how Christians today can learn from this third way and respond faithfully, creatively, and winsomely to a world that sees Christianity as largely obsolete.
Each chapter introduces historical figures, ancient texts, practices, and institutions to explain and explore the third way of the Jesus movement, which, surprising everyone, changed the world.
Jacket Recovering the Genius of Early Christian Discipleship As we witness a decline in church attendance and in church membership, and as allegiance to any religious group is on the wane, Sittser issues a persuasive call in Resilient Faith for a return to the systematic approach to discipleship developed by the early church to counter this downward trajectory.
No need to search for novel methods to halt the deterioration of the church's influence in the world; applying the heart of the gospel message will lead to flourishing again!--Kay Warren, bestselling author and cofounder of Saddleback ChurchToday's Christians must learn the way forward by looking back at the riches of the early church's way of life.
Sittser provides us an accessible history that not only te.
Brazos Press Resilient faith: how the early christian third way changed the world, paperback/gerald l. sittser
