Cultural Christians in the Early Church: A Historical and Practical Introduction to Christians in the Greco-Roman World

by Nadya Williams

In the middle of the third century CE, one North African bishop wrote a treatise for the women of his church, exhorting them to resist such culturally normalized yet immodest behaviors in their cosmopolitan Roman city as mixed public bathing in the nude, and wearing excessive amounts of jewelry and makeup. The treatise appears even more striking, once we realize that the scandalous virgins to whom it was addressed were single women who had dedicated their virginity to Christ. Stories like this one challenge the general assumption among Christians today that the earliest Christians were zealous converts who were much more counterculturally devoted to their faith than typical church-goers today. Too often Christians today think of cultural Christianity as a modern concept, and one most likely to occur in areas where Christianity is the majority culture, such as the American "Bible Belt." The story that this book presents, refutes both of these assumptions. Cultural Christians in the Early Church , which aims to be both historical and practical, argues that cultural Christians were the rule, rather than the exception, in the early church. Using different categories of sins as its organizing principle, the book considers the challenge of culture to the earliest converts to Christianity, as they struggled to live on mission in the Greco-Roman cultural milieu of the Roman Empire. These believers blurred and pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be a saint or sinner from the first to the fifth centuries CE, and their stories provide the opportunity to get to know the regular people in the early churches. At the same time, their stories provide a fresh perspective for considering the difficult timeless questions that stubbornly persist in our own world and when is it a sin to eat or not eat a particular food? Are women inherently more sinful than men? And why is Christian nationalism a problem and, at times, a sin? Ultimately, recognizing that cultural sins were always a part of the story of the church and its people is a message that is both a source of comfort and a call to action in our pursuit of sanctification today.

Genres: History, Christian, Theology, Church History, Audiobook, Christian Non Fiction, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Matthew McBirth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5) Loved this book and highly recommend it. Williams lays out history marvelously and seamlessly. 98% of the book is proving the thesis: there have always been cultural temptations for Christians. The record shows many sub-coming to those temptations and also some pushing against it. Nothing is new with those same cultural temptations today. The other 2% were fun jokes that are corny (but in a good way). Enjoyed this book a lot, and I will be integrating into my thoughts, teachings, and study.

[Bfleegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The central tenet of this book is that "cultural Christianity" has always existed as a potential ditch into which believers can fall, being defined as simply accepting culture instead of examining it in light of scripture. Nadya does an excellent job of demonstrating this fact through church history using vignettes from the past, some shocking and some sadly commonplace, with which she leads the reader to evaluate their own propensity toward "cultural Christianity." Of special interest are her chapter conclusions, which take the central premise of the chapter and apply it to the modern day, with many personal examples included. All in all, an enjoyable, informative, and convicting read - it has changed the way I think about this issue.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My pastor lent me this book and I'm so glad he did! There's something profoundly reassuring about the fact that there truly is "nothing new under the sun." Knowing that the early church dealt with the same cultural forces we do now and has weathered it before accomplishes two goals. Firstly, it keeps the reader from looking at the past with rose-colored glasses. But secondly, it can provide us with insight into how to address those issues today. Excellent read, and boasts quite a heft works cited if I want to look further into any of the topics covered.

[Ari's library · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a well enough researched and pleasant book to read, informative yet not to dense.

I would recommend this book for novices in ancient history and roman history, but only to them. Some of the anecdotes of the author amused me and were well-linked to paint a vivid picture of the atmosphere and the mores of the time, but as a history major specialized in early church history, some of the shortcuts, phrasings and simplifications made me cringe a little bit.

I was, for exemple, bothered by her use of completely anachronic terms such as "powerful prayer warriors" to talk about consecrated virgins and their elevation by the early church. Also the author seemed to attribute some of her personal conclusions as "how the early fathers/christians thought".

The thesis on the other hand is very interesting and should be explored in depth. We do have a tendency to idealize the early church but it is always good to remember that the Church has been made of sinners : saints and martyrs have always been the minority.

In conclusion, not an excellent book but not a bad one either.

[Tope]

Started listening to it expecting an academic approach from the description and the author's introduction, not realizing who the publisher was (Zondervan). I doubt I would have started it had I known. The quarter or so of the book I got through seemed basic and not particularly reliant on the author's classics training, and it became increasingly clear that the main purpose of the book is apologetics, specifically for conservative evangelicalism of a distinctly American flavor. As I'm more than familiar enough with that kind of apologetics and have neither any need to read more or interest in doing so, I moved on from the book. No rating.

[Matthijs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over hoe christenen in het Vroege Christendom zich soms meer door de cultuur dan door het evangelie lieten leiden. Historische beschrijving vanuit een bepaalde norm. (Nadya Williams is een van een seculiere tot evangelicaal geworden christen).

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful book to think through and well-written. Perhaps most delightfully surprising of all to me was the relevance to the world today, particularly Tokyo, where I live.

[Scott Sealy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned more about the author's political views than I did about the Early Church. Good basic point, but debatable application.

[Dabi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a history book, rather a christian talking to other christians about theology and how christians should live ‘according to christ’ in the modern day. One star for the incredibly misleading blurb. Literally not even pretending to be a history text.

[Adam Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: A look at the ways that early Christians were "cultural Christians." 

One of the ongoing discussions within the guild of historians (which I have observed from the outside since I have no academic training in history) is the role and method of writing history for contemporary use. Some believe that historians have an obligation to educate and draw connections between history and current events. Some historians go beyond that and become activists in their writing and historical work. Some historians believe that a historian's work should only involve history rather than connect that history to modern events or culture. (There is way more nuance and range of positions than this brief sketch can accurately represent.)

Cultural Christians in the Early Church is an unusual book by a historian. First, Nadya Williams is actively trying to draw spiritual connections from her historical work that can be used today. This is not activism, but it is more than what many historians are willing to do. As a non-historian who reads history explicitly because it is an integral part of understanding our current events and because I am a spiritual director interested in Christian formation, this book is right up my alley. Second, Williams is not only a good writer who keeps the reader engaged, she is also funny. Many academic writers attempt to be funny but are limited to bad Dad jokes. Cultural Christians in the Early Church has a lot of subtle but engaged humor.

One of the strengths of the book is that she has a pattern. Williams identifies and gives context about Roman cultural values. Then she gives an example of a Christian leader who understood the problem of the Christian value (for instance, Cyprian encouraging Christians to give to the poor for the sake of the poor and not just for the glory it would show to the giver). Then, she talks about the evidence that many of the Christians of the era did not live up to the Christian ideals that were present at the time and instead followed the Roman cultural ideals, not the Christian ones that they were called to. A reflection follows this up on how that subject area of cultural Christianity in the early church parallels the modern US church. That sounds more formulaic than it is in practice. There is subtlety and variation in presentation, but those components are present in almost every chapter.

The idea of cultural Christianity does shift a bit, and I am not sure I would identify cultural Christianity in the same ways. For instance, identifying that Romans went on tours of religious sites before Christianity and then Christians also went on tours of religious sites as Christians does tell us something about how Christians adapted their cultural values, but it is a different understanding of cultural Christianity than Christians not being willing to give to the poor or not seeing a problem with going to prostitutes. Culture shapes us. We cannot be Christians apart from culture because we can never entirely leave the reality of cultural influence. We can still work to become aware of how culture influences us. And it does not mean we cannot challenge culture (as many of the examples in the book show.) But it does mean that not all cultural adaptations influenced by culture oppose Christianity. (For instance, the styles of music that Christians sing are often culturally derived, and being able to sing in a culturally relevant mode is good.) The reality is that the ways that culture influences Christians are varied. While I think there are differences in how she uses the idea of cultural Christianity throughout the book, she points out essential aspects of how culture influences our practices of Christianity with the lens of the early church, which is very helpful.

The conclusion and its reflection on the "so what" of the previous chapters is helpful. Her status as an immigrant (coming to the US in high school) gives her a helpful status to be a part of the American Christian culture but also have a distance, which helps to see issues of cultural Christianity with different eyes from those that have not had cross-culture experience or spent time studying. I think that areas where I disagree with some of her framing of cultural Christianity are very likely the result of my blindspots around how I, as a Christian, relate to culture.

I am a part of an ongoing book discussion group. The previous book before the one we are working through right now was Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes. While these two books' approaches are very different, they have complementary results of challenging the reader to introspectively look at our assumptions about Christianity and culture in ways that we may not have thought to inspect because we have not previously thought about the connections in those ways. This book would make for an excellent small group discussion because it challenges the reader and how different readers will be challenged differently, leading to a fruitful discussion.


Originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/cultural-christians...

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
I'm filing review one under: "Done. Not good—or what I wanted it to be—but it's done. Finally.
---
WHAT'S CULTURAL CHRISTIANS IN THE EARLY CHURCH ABOUT?
First, let's define "Cultural Christian"—for Williams, they're "individuals who self-identify as Christians, but whose outward behavior, and, to the extent that we can tell, inward thoughts and motivations are largely influenced by the surrounding culture rather than by their Christian faith and teachings of Jesus." It's easy to find examples of these types of Christians today—and many ministers will talk about the struggle to minister in some areas (like the Bible Belt) because of this phenomenon. But clearly, from the title of this book, Williams holds they were present in the Early Church.

She has three reasons for writing (or reading) this book—the first is to combat the idea that the Early Church was too spiritual and correct to have to deal with these individuals—and because of that we can have some problematic ideas about the Church today. Secondly, because of our historical ignorance, we can fail to see how the Early Church was influenced by the culture around them. Third, if we see how the Early Church is susceptible to this, and that we are, too—we can more easily see the need to push beyond Cultural Christianity to the genuine article.

To pursue these aims, Williams considers Early Church History (the first five centuries A.D.) in three eras:
"Part 1 focuses on cultural Christians in the New Testament era and considers sins resulting from Christians’ culturally inspired treatment of property, food and drink, and sexuality."
"Part 2 moves past the New Testament period and considers apostasy, the gendered nature of sin, and the sin of self-care among cultural Christians in the second and third centuries CE."
"part 3 looks at the shifts that occurred after Constantine’s conversion, when Christianity went from being a persecuted minority to a privileged minority, and eventually, a privileged majority religion in the empire. How did the conversion of Constantine change the story of cultural Christianity in the church? The answer, we will see, is the rise of new forms of cultural Christianity, which were not possible when the Christians were a persecuted minority."

AVERAGE BELIEVERS
Most books that I've read on or around these years in Church History focus on the heavyweight theologians and Church Leaders of the time—those people whose names we still recognize, who played significant roles in the development of Creeds and Dogmas, etc. And yes, Williams does cite and discuss some of them.

But her focus is on average believers—people like you (probably) and me. People who will never be cited in a history text, people that few will know existed 10 years after we die. But people who leave records, or who will be talked about (at least in aggregate) by others.

Again, this is not to say that the "big names" of history are ignored—for one thing, it's frequently through them that we have records of, and access to, the average person. But to get a real flavor of what life is like we don't just need the theological tracts and creeds, we need to know what people ate, wore, did for a living, and so on.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT CULTURAL CHRISTIANS IN THE EARLY CHURCH?
I absolutely loved this book and have brought it up in casual conversation a lot over the last couple of months (and repeatedly tossed out drafts of this post because I didn't like it enough).

Because this book isn't just a history, it's about the current Church, too. How we are susceptible to the same—or similar—foibles. Frequently, the reader can see this just by reading the historical portions and reflecting (it usually doesn't take deep reflection). But Williams will also focus on parallels, or draw out clear lines of comparison. This is a call to the reader to think about their own beliefs and practices and to examine them—are they based on Scripture or are they based on the culture around us?

While we may think that we are removed from the world of the early church, the nature of human sinfulness has not changed. The stories of these early Christians, therefore, are surprisingly familiar and convicting, if only we look closely. While it is at times jarring to admit, their stories are our stories too.

We have the same feet of clay as our forefathers did—and the same challenges to overcome. Thankfully, we have the same Savior. This book helps us to remember that—and I encourage everyone to pick this up (and not just so you don't have to hear me do it in person).

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful book that reminds me of Rodney Stark’s Cities of God, yet with a slightly different interpretive lens for the modern audience. The research is commendable and Williams’ applications to contemporary issues is very illuminating.

I appreciate her even-handed analysis. She maintains a deep love for the church without glossing over the many historical faults it has sadly displayed. The chapters are thematically arranged with sections such as Christian Nationalism, church sectarianism and institutionalized racism providing a polemical corrective to the romantic views of the patristic era that we often perpetuate.

It is refreshing to read an academic work on the prescient church that is neither laden with unjustified skepticism nor minimizing in its critique of what early church leaders had to confront. Williams succeeds in demonstrating that nominalism was as prevalent in early Christianity as it is today. Furthermore, what the ancient Church did to address those realities can be very instructive for us today. Leaving us to authentically celebrate the early saints who were bold in the crucible of persecution while humbly acknowledge their imperfect legacies as individuals in need of God’s grace on the journey.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent readable integration of Greco-Roman history and how it impacted specific Christian activity in the first 400 years of Christianity. Williams wants to prevent current Christians from romanticizing the church in the past and trying to return to it. The church has contained folks who didn’t act in ways that reflected Jesus ever since it began. Each chapter focuses on both a Christian story and its Roman context to throw light on some actions or practices of the early church that current day Christians might not know were reflections of Greco Roman culture and not based on Jesus. Williams makes many connections to issues in the 21st century such as Christian nationalism, sexism, anti-immigrant feelings, and racism. She’s gentle but unbending in making her points. This will appeal to folks who love the classics, the Bible and the church, but who might have a bit too nostalgic about the past to face the problems of the present. Historians who have battled romanticism about the past will love recommending this book.

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really loved reading this book. Ancient history isn't just history to me (and so many others)--it's an entirely incomprehensible historical beast, foreign not just in its actual locations and figures but in the way that it actually asks you to look at it and strive to understand it. Williams's book provides a stellar introduction to cities, people, and cultures that was endlessly fascinating and straightforwardly explained, and the way this intersected with the realities of Christianity as a cultural phenomenon and the way it contributes to understanding both the realities and problems of where culture and Christianity meet is fascinating. The applicability of ancient lessons and the problems of ancient people to the world and church of today is astounding, and this book beautifully articulates the things we need to learn from our forebears as well as the things that need to remain buried in the past.

[Matt Graubner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadya Williams examines the first few centuries of the history of the Christian church and explains how cultural Christianity is not a modern American phenomenon, but has been present in the body of Christ from the very first days of the church.

I really appreciated the breadth of her examples as they covered the pages of Scripture (e.g. New Testament epistles), early Christian communities during persecution, and the church after Constantine when Christianity was legalized.

You will definitely come away from this book with insight into the nature of the early church and hopefully avoid the temptation to idolize early Christians as ones who had it all figured out or who didn’t give in to cultural sins like we do today.

[Taylor M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book does a good job in what it sets out to do, that is to show that the early church had its warts and bruises like the rest of us and that it’s not wise to try to look back so fondly, but to focus on the present and work towards improving.

I thought the book moved a bit quick and would have liked more historical detail but it contained lots to think about and was structured well.

The takeaways in the conclusion were helpful. When she moved into application I thought it did a disservice to the book. It was too short, not nuanced enough about possibilities. All you get is a progressive view of options without other considerations. Would have been better to have a lot more investment in commentary or avoid altogether.

[Joelendil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christians have always struggled with areas where biblical values, ethics, and commands conflict with the way society at large thinks and behaves. The premise of this book is that there have always been people who call themselves Christians but who are virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding culture…even in the earliest days of the church.

I don’t think that this should be a shocking revelation to anyone who has read the New Testament (especially Paul’s letters to the Corinthians), but there are plenty of interesting historical goodies here from the first three centuries of church history. Some of the inferences, supposed modern parallels, and applications seem to be a bit of a stretch, but overall, the book is a good reminder for Jesus’ followers to guard against the tendency to unthinkingly adopt culturally acceptable sins.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, I loved this book! It was both fascinating and easy to listen to, providing a great way to reflect on early church history and what it has to say to contemporary Christians. The historical stories are engaging and well chosen to speak to contemporary issues, which are approached with grace, nuance and a commitment to authentic discipleship.

I don’t think you need to be an historian or a theologian to find this book thought provoking, interesting and relevant. The audio narration is brilliant and drew me into the book with ease. One of the most refreshing and relevant church history/culture books I’ve read!

[Jake Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. While certainly helpful for understanding the cultural sins of Christians in the first five centuries of church history, the book is quite dense and long-winded at times. I appreciated the exhortation to avoid idolizing early believers and the final chapter exposing many of the church’s current cultural sins (i.e., toxic nationalism, xenophobia, abuse, etc.) was accurate, but sobering. While I think it could have been more succinct, Williams proves to be a helpful guide to better understanding the church’s relationship (and complicity) with the Greco-Roman world.

[Rpbyn Penner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opening and informative glimpse into what the early church may REALLY have been like. My preconceptions had elevated the early saints and martyrs to almost super-human status, but this book gives perspective and also made the historical context of the epistles in the New Testament more relevant to us today. Williams’ writing is very accessible and I appreciated her wry humor through the book

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a lot of the historical anecdotes very interesting and fascinating; I learned a lot from this book. I very much appreciated all the other sources the author pointed to and referenced - I love it when academic authors do this - there were a lot of topics that I wanted to explore in further detail, and the next step is written in the footnotes for me, which makes it so easy! This book was very well done, and I thought the modern applications were well placed. Thank you.

[Becky Filipek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the historical narrative of the Roman empire and Christian history. We most definitely should not idolize any past era or past people because they were not as great as we think they were. Human history is full of a record of the terrible things that people have done to each other, even in the name of Christ. We would all do well to look more critically at ourselves to evaluate how we have been influenced by the culture around us, instead of having the mind of Christ.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

About as good an introduction to the culture in which the early (1st to 4th century) church existed. Exciting and fun writing for those who might not be excited by history books. Turns out the Christians in the early church faced many of the same temptations that Christians in the developed western world face. Nothing new under the sun. We can take encouragement from their struggle and faithfulness.

[Kristie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read! Nadia has a great ability to bring the literature and evidence of antiquity to the modern reader. Furthermore, it gives such richness and reality to the early centuries of Jesus-followers.

The hypothesis that cultural- Christianity is hardly a modern concept was well developed and thoughtful.
Nadia also a sense of humour which made this book highly readable!

It’s dense and scholarly - yes, but the conclusions sections of each chapter highly applicable.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

How are today's Christians the same as or different from the Christians of the early church? As to how they behave and/or interpret the teachings of Jesus there is not much difference. In other words they are all getting it wrong. All of them have made mistakes and still make mistakes. Christian history, just as world history in general, is a messy business.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super enjoyable and the central thesis is convincing. The chapters on the post-Constantine age were the most provocative and interesting, in my opinion.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/U4IHVzgXqDo

[Zach Korthals · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Great book. Worth picking up. I think there are some parts that were definitely more revealing than others, especially in the third part.

[Ralph D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book.

[Carla Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars