The irony is inescapable: Whenever and wherever Christians are persecuted, their faith flourishes. This was true in the early days of Christianity, and it is still true today, more than a thousand years later.
This point is one of the "awe-inspiring paradoxes of Christianity" highlighted in the newly released book titled "Tried by Fire: The Story of Christianity's First Thousand Years," a detailed historical narrative written by William J. Bennett, a former U.S. secretary of education, syndicated radio host, and New York Times bestselling author.
Bennett takes his readers to the earliest years of Church persecution when the early Christians showed remarkable perseverance resulting in the expansion of their faith.
Describing the book, Amazon points out that it is "full of larger-than-life characters, stunning acts of bravery, and heart-rending sacrifice."
Bennett traces the rise and expansion of Christianity from a remote localised sect in the mid-first century in Judea spreading in all directions to become the world's largest religion with over 2.4 billion followers.
The author also describes the extraordinary lives and exploits of saints, sinners, paupers, kings, merchants and monks—people who against all odds spread the faith worldwide.
He follows them through the controversies and challenges of their time amid persecution, heresy, and schism.
The book offers insight into the people and events that led to the growth of Christianity which has shaped the lives of billions of people through the centuries.
Today, Christians are being persecuted more than ever before—from Africa to the Middle East to Asia and around the globe, CBN News notes.
Open Doors USA says nearly 4,000 Christians are killed for their faith every year. Thousands more suffer violence in the form of beatings, abductions, rapes, and false arrests.
But as the Third Century writer Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." That's as true today as it was in early years of Christianity, according to CBN News.
