In “The Early Christians Were Odd, Too,” Michael Kruger describes how four aspects of early Christianity offended the Romans. Despite this offense, the church flourished and grew; and, Kruger says, this should be an encouragement to us to remain faithful:
There were many things about Christianity that it made it odd—exclusive worship, controversial doctrines, strange moral proclivities, and a hyper-focus on books.
And these aren’t fringe aspects of Christianity; they’re core parts of Christian identity.
We’re reminded, then, that we have much in common with the second-century church. Therefore there is much cause for hope. That weak, fledgling, persecuted church not only survived, but eventually spread across the empire and the entire world.
That didn’t happen because the early Christians abandoned these distinctives. It happened for precisely the opposite reason: they stayed faithful to them.
If we in the modern church remain faithful to them, we can share in the same hope.
Read the rest here.