num_pages: 512
description: Over 40% of people today are Xians. Their number grows more rapidly than that of any other major faith. In The Triumph of Xianity religious &amp; social historian Stark explains how an obscure Jewish sect became the largest most thriving religion in the world. In his The Rise of Xianity he examined the early success of Xianity &amp; how it conquered Rome. Now he tells a more extensive story beginning with the religious &amp; social situation prior to Jesus' birth &amp; continuing to the present. As it moves thru six historical eras The Triumph of Xianity gets right to Xianity's most pivotal &amp; controversial momentsoften turning them on their heads:-Xmas Eve surveys the religious situation within which Xianity began.-Xianizing the Empire looks at Jesus' life &amp; the formative days of the movement he inspired explaining why Xianity was a reprieve from the miseries of daily life for many.-Consolidating Xian Europe argues that Constantine's conversion did the church great harm examines the gradual demise of paganism &amp; clarifies the motives behind the Crusades.-Medieval Currents sheds light on the misleadingly named Dark Ages &amp; the vital role faith played in the scientific revolution.-Xianity Divided examines two Roman Catholic Churchesa Church of Piety &amp; a Church of Poweras they respond to heretical challenges Luther's Reformation &amp; the Spanish Inquisition.-New Worlds &amp; Xian Growth considers the development of religious pluralism in the USA &amp; the continuing vigor of Xianity worldwide disproving the popular notion that religion must disappear to make room for modernity. With his knack for making bold original scholarship accessible to all Stark presents the story behind the tragedies &amp; triumphs that have shaped the trajectory of the Xian faith &amp; much of global history. For scholars &amp; laity alike this is a journey thru events we think we know &amp; need to reconsider.IntroductionThe religious context Many JudaismsJesus &amp; the Jesus movementMissionizing the Jews &amp; the GentilesChristianity &amp; privilegeMisery &amp; mercyAppeals to womenPersecution &amp; commitment Assessing Christian growth Constantine's very mixed blessings The demise of paganism Islam &amp; the destruction of Eastern &amp; North African ChristianityEurope responds: the case for the CrusadesThe Dark Ages &amp; other mythical erasThe people's religionFaith &amp; the scientific RevolutionTwo churches &amp; the challenge of heresyLuther's reformationThe shocking truth about the Spanish InquisitionPluralism &amp; American pietySecularization: facts &amp; fantasiesGlobalizationConclusionBibliographyNotesIndex
language: English
title: The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion
publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (NYC)