The Expansion of Christianitytells the fascinating story of how Christianity developed from its beginnings as a persecuted sect in an outpost of the Roman empire to become the largest religion on earth. For Timothy Yates human zeal and courage are key to the story, and his book concentrates on the missionary pioneers--people such as Paul, Columba, Willibrord, Francis Xavier, John Eliot, William Carey and Mary Slessor.Yates examines continents individually, showing how Christian mission has moved forward despite many periods of retreat. By the twentieth century churches had been planted in every major ethnic group in the world, with estimates putting the number of Christians across the globe today at two thousand million--33% of the population.All those interested in history and the growth of a truly worldwide religion will findThe Expansion of Christianitya rich and enlightening resource.

The volume explores the relationship between religion and violence in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Early modern period, involving European and Japanese scholars. It investigates the ideological foundations of the relationship between violence and religion and their development in a varied corpus of sources (political and theological treatises, correspondence of missionaries, pamphlets, and images).

Vol. 19, no. 1 consists of the Federation's Annual report, 1924/25.

This "fresh, blunt, and highly persuasive account of how the West was won—for Jesus" (Newsweek) is now available in paperback. Stark's provocative report challenges conventional wisdom and finds that Christianity's astounding dominance of the Western world arose from its offer of a better, more secure way of life. "Compelling reading" (Library Journal) that is sure to "generate spirited argument" (Publishers Weekly), this account of Christianity's remarkable growth within the Roman Empire is the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance...must read it." says Yale University's Wayne A. Meeks, for The Rise of Christianity makes a compelling case for startling conclusions. Combining his expertise in social science with historical evidence, and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark finds that early Christianity attracted the privileged rather than the poor, that most early converts were women or marginalized Jews—and ultimately "that Christianity was a success because it proved those who joined it with a more appealing, more assuring, happier, and perhaps longer life" (Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago).