Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World

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.

• On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts
• Pastor Paul: Nurturing a Culture of Christoformity in the Church (Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic)
• The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians
• How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People
• Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon
• Theology as a Way of Life: On Teaching and Learning the Christian Faith
• The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor's Heart
• Pastor in a Secular Age (Ministry in a Secular Age)
• That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation
• History and Eschatology: Jesus and the Promise of Natural Theology