Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part 1 Christmas Eve
1 The Religious Context 9
2 Many Judaisms 33
Part 2 Christianizing the Empire
3 Jesus and the Jesus Movement 49
4 Missions to the Jews and the Gentiles 71
5 Christianity and Privilege 87
6 Misery and Mercy 105
7 Appeals to Women 121
8 Persecution and Commitment 137
9 Assessing Christian Growth 153
Part 3 Consolidating Christian Europe
10 Constantine's Very Mixed Blessings 169
11 The Demise of Paganism 183
12 Islam and the Destruction of Eastern and North African Christianity 199
13 Europe Responds: The Case for the Crusades 213
Part 4 Medieval Currents
14 The "Dark Ages" and Other Mythical Eras 237
15 The People's Religion 255
16 Faith and the Scientific "Revolution" 273
Part 5 Christianity Divided
17 Two "Churches" and the Challenge of Heresy 299
18 Luther's Reformation 315
19 The Shocking Truth About the Spanish Inquisition 333
Part 6 New Worlds and Christian Growth
20 Pluralism and American Piety 353
21 Secularization: Facts and Fantasies 369
22 Globalization 387
Conclusion 413
Bibliography 419
Notes 461
Index 495