How and why did the early church grow in the first four hundred years despite disincentives, harassment, and occasional persecution? In this unique historical study, veteran scholar Alan Kreider delivers the fruit of a lifetime of study as he tells the amazing story of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Challenging traditional understandings, Kreider contends the church grew because the virtue of patience was of central importance in the life and witness of the early Christians. They wrote about patience, not evangelism, and reflected on prayer, catechesis, and worship, yet the church grew--not by specific strategies but by patient ferment.

Does the market promote its own intrinsic and selfish values, or does it merely reflect the values of society? This question is becoming more important as contemporary opposition to globalization and the unfettered operation of market forces demonstrates. This collection offers reports from all areas of the business and policy sectors, providing a debate on the supposedly conflicting relationship between the market and spiritual values. Sharply contrasting accounts emerge from contributors who have been actively involved in business and finance in the UK, while other authors discuss business models which have a very different set of values from those of most participants in commercial markets. Alternative perspectives are provided by contributors responsible for the design and implementation of public policies with non-market values, and the collection concludes with reflections on the values implicit in modern economic analysis.

Part of an expanding and academically acclaimed series, this is a genuine trans-denominational work on Nonconformity.

As Sara Wenger Shenk, President-Elect, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, puts it, "Rooting Mennonite spirituality within the earthy settledness of her grandmother's story, Nelson lovingly shows the way toward a spirituality of pilgrimage, in the company of Jesus" In a book that is part narrative, part theology, part spiritual memoir, Dawn Ruth Nelson draws on a Mennonite background, encounter with Irish Catholic faith, and the spiritual life she discovers in her grandmother and her own everyday life to propose contemporary forms of spiritual formation and expression. "Although Nelson's six suggestions for contemporary spirituality are focused on Mennonite tradition and experience," observes Joann Wolski Conn, Professor of Christian Spirituality, Neumann University, "their transforming power make them applicable for anyone desiring Christian formation." C. Arnold Snyder, Professor of History, Conrad Grebel University College, comments that "Nelson's search leads from her grandmother's life in Mennonite community, through peace work in Ireland and engagement with the Roman Catholic tradition, and finally to the essential inner/outer balance of the Anabaptist spiritual tradition-a response of discipleship made possible by the spiritual connection to the living vine, Jesus Christ."

Today, as Christendom weakens, worship and mission are poised to reunite after centuries of separation. But this requires the church to rethink both "mission" and "worship." In post-Christendom mission, God is the main actor and God calls all Christians to participate. In post-Christendom worship, the church tells and celebrates the story of God, enabling members to live in hope and attract outsiders to its many tables of hospitality. In this passionate and thoughtful study, Alan Kreider and Eleanor Kreider draw upon missiology, liturgiology, biblical studies, church history, and the vast experience of today's global Christian church-to say nothing of their long tenure as teachers and writers in contemporary England and the United States. Academically responsible but also practical and accessible, Worship and Mission After Christendom is a much-needed guide for people who take seriously God's call to be the church in a world where institutional religion is no longer taken for granted. 324 Pages.

This book focuses on conversion and Christendom, and the relationship of one to the other. Alan Kreider helps readers think about the meaning of the word Christendom, its character and inner dynamics, arguing that methods of conversion produced Christendom. This study, then, examines Christendom as the product of conversion, the latter understood as changes within categories of belief, belonging, and behavior.

For well over a millennium the civilization of Western Europe was 'Christendom, ' with Christianity the dominant religion, buttressed by social and legal structures. This volume studies Christendom at its origins, bringing the insights of leading scholars in the fields of ancient history, theology, patristics, and liturgy to bear on aspects of Europe's Christianization. From a missiological perspective, the contributors ask what is Christianity's impact upon culture, what is culture's impact upon Christianity? Focusing on the first four centuries, but also looking forward to the future of Christianity in the West, this book combines scholarly excellence with accessibility. It will be valued by scholars and students alike.

This booklet explores the Christianity of the days before it became an official religion of the Roman Empire. It considers the impact of various areas of church life in this initial state.

Composing Music for Worship is a unique, challenging and timely book that asks vital questions about the future of music for Christian worship. The increasing presence of background music in public places, the unlimited choice of recorded music cheaply available, the ease with which we can control our musical environment and ready access to musical perfection in the comfort of our own homes all have profound implications for churches and their music. While the availability of musical choice has exploded, organized religion has declined. Traditional institutions, including the churches, are increasingly avoided. What does this mean for music as a medium for conveying spiritual truths? What is the way forward for composers of Christian music? What music will speak deeply to worshippers and build churches into embodiments of Christian theology? What music will intrigue new people and attract them to the Christian good news? An impressive line-up of eminent musicians, representing a wide variety of music styles, consider these questions and explore the future for church music in all its expressions. The result is a cutting-edge examination of the challenges facing the churches in the modern age and a dynamic range of responses to those challenges. STEPHEN DARLINGTON is Organist and Tutor in Music at Christ Church, Oxford and director of music at Christ Church Cathedral. ALAN KREIDER was previously director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, Regent's Park College, Oxford.He is presently teaching at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana.