I think Rodney Stark makes a substantial contribution to the study of early Christianity in posing the kinds of questions that he pursues (which reflect his social-science background).

Early Christianity, like Roman-era philosophical traditions, laid emphasis on everyday behavior, about how to live your life.

[Christians] practiced moderation and chastity in marriage, for example, and Galen was puzzled at how they were able to do so. His comments are a kind of back-handed compliment, I suppose.

In its Roman-era setting, for example, Christianity was so different that critics of the time referred to it as a "superstition" (meaning a bogus or dangerous religion).

Justin Martyr says that he was impressed in his study of the Old Testament, at the seriousness and contents of these writings, and became convinced that Jesus fulfilled these texts.

I think that Rodney Stark puts his foot wrong on some things where he simply wasn't sufficiently current on scholarly developments.

Galen recognized, with some considerable puzzlement it seems, that Christians exhibited the virtues that he associated with the discipline of philosophy.

Some modern scholars contend that in terms of what "religion" was in that [Roman-era setting], you can't even call Christianity a religion.

I offer early Christianity as a case-study to show that the phenomena that we group under "religion(s)" comprise a somewhat artificial category, and that "religions" are not "all the same."

I think that Rodney Stark studies of new religious movements in the modern world give us some insights into the kinds of questions that we can ask about early Christianity.

The world is progressing. One man cannot slow it, no matter how determined he is."He stopped in the

No, you listen! All my life, you've told me that the world is a dark, cruel place. But now I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!

What keeps the marriage going is your commitment to your spouse's holiness.

He dispensed starlight to casual moths.

You have to live with your mind your whole life.

Focus on the moment, not when you are praying with your intellect, but when you are fully experiencing the prayer

A lot of boxers' features change - mainly when I fight 'em

I think the church needs to be much more countercultural than that and invite people into slowing down, into a "Be-still-and-know-that-I-am-God" mindset.

We like to think that the fate of the Earth and the fate of human worlds are the same thing, but we're not as important as that.

The Moon Pie is a bedrock of the country store and rural tradition. It is more than a snack. It is a cultural artifact.