Today, we have Dr. Nijay Gupta back to talk about his new book, "Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling." In this book, Dr. Gupta discusses and explores the social force of early Christians in the Roman Empire. He highlights the contrast between Roman religion and the beliefs and practices of the early Christians. The early Christians defied Roman hierarchy and power, rejected rituals of appeasement, and emphasized direct access to God. They also practiced gift-giving and generosity, expanding their acts of kindness beyond their own community.

The early Christians challenged the notions of Romanness and monoculturalism, embracing diversity and inclusivity. What are the parallels between Christianity and Roman religion? How does Christianity resemble the Roman religion, including hierarchy and power, appeasement and divine judgment, and elitism and limited access? We talk about the influence of preachers, the role of the church, the professionalization of pastoral ministry, elitism and limited access, building up each other, the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus, authentic relationship with Jesus, dying to everything but Jesus, the daily question of dying, the scandal of pastors falling from grace, and making Christianity weird again...

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

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