Day 323 of 1000
The last issue of World Magazine had an article on the most recent Rodney Stark book, the Triumph of Christianity. I have read other books he has authored: The Rise of Christianity, The Victory of Reason, and God’s Battalions. He is an amazing author whose non-fiction books on the sociology of Christianity read like novels. I have not yet read this one. Stark was a professor at University of Washington for 32 years before he moved on to a position as University Professor and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University.
I had bought into a many of the popular myths about Christian culture that permeate our society before I read his books. Some of the ideas held by society at large with respect to the Crusades, the Dark Ages, and the spread of Chrisitanity are just wrong. Rodney Stark has done more to debunk these myths than anyone. Whenever I hear such myths confidently propounded, I want to just start handing out Stark’s books. I can hardly wait to read his latest effort.
Which of his books would you recommend one starts with?
The Victory of Reason!!! Without question. It is an amazing book about how the Dark Ages weren’t. God’s Battalions is about how the Christians were not the bad guys in the crusades. The Rise of Christianity is interesting, but not as earth shatteringly contrary to a lot of stuff that is taught in schools.