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How Christians Can Succeed Today: Reclaiming the genius of the early church
Rediscovering the radical, transcendent and downright weird message of Jesus, How Christians Can Succeed Today is the third title in Greg Sheridan's bestselling trilogy about Christianity in the modern world.
'A grace filled, God filled book of truth and wonder and the glorious mystical experience of faith.' - Stan Grant
'Inspiring and engrossing' - Richard Glover
'A trustworthy and encouraging blueprint for Christians everywhere' - Anthony Fisher
The first Christians confronted a cultural environment vastly more hostile than today's. They had no powerful backers, very little money and numbered no more than a few hundred. Yet they revolutionised the ancient world and spread their movement far and wide.
There is a deep, pervasive crisis of meaning and purpose across all Western societies today. Greg Sheridan encourages us to listen to the voices of the early Christians and emulate their commitment, integrity, resilience and smarts. He shows how early Christians built communities, met persecution with courage and grace, dispensed universal mercy during plagues, pioneered equality for women, and redefined the nature and purpose of the human experience, always with Jesus Christ at the centre of their lives.
He also charts the journeys of modern Christians who live by those same values Leila and Danny Abdallah, who met great suffering with great forgiveness, young people making a radical commitment to faith, country pastors, and Christians inspired to welcome and help the homeless. He profiles cultural leaders who communicate Christianity with great effect, including Marilynne Robinson, Jordan Peterson, Bishop Robert Barron, Pastor Mark Varughese, former US Vice President Mike Pence and Dallas Jenkins, the creator of The Chosen television series.
It's a powerful and inspiring message of what living Jesus-centric lives, seeing God in every human being, and finding access to the transcendent can mean for ordinary people. It could once again transform our fractious, polarised world.
'A wonderful mix of historical observation, social commentary and moving interviews' - Michael Bird
'A clarion call to return to the raw, revolutionary faith of the early church' - Russell Evans
'A grace filled, God filled book of truth and wonder and the glorious mystical experience of faith.' - Stan Grant
'Inspiring and engrossing' - Richard Glover
'A trustworthy and encouraging blueprint for Christians everywhere' - Anthony Fisher
The first Christians confronted a cultural environment vastly more hostile than today's. They had no powerful backers, very little money and numbered no more than a few hundred. Yet they revolutionised the ancient world and spread their movement far and wide.
There is a deep, pervasive crisis of meaning and purpose across all Western societies today. Greg Sheridan encourages us to listen to the voices of the early Christians and emulate their commitment, integrity, resilience and smarts. He shows how early Christians built communities, met persecution with courage and grace, dispensed universal mercy during plagues, pioneered equality for women, and redefined the nature and purpose of the human experience, always with Jesus Christ at the centre of their lives.
He also charts the journeys of modern Christians who live by those same values Leila and Danny Abdallah, who met great suffering with great forgiveness, young people making a radical commitment to faith, country pastors, and Christians inspired to welcome and help the homeless. He profiles cultural leaders who communicate Christianity with great effect, including Marilynne Robinson, Jordan Peterson, Bishop Robert Barron, Pastor Mark Varughese, former US Vice President Mike Pence and Dallas Jenkins, the creator of The Chosen television series.
It's a powerful and inspiring message of what living Jesus-centric lives, seeing God in every human being, and finding access to the transcendent can mean for ordinary people. It could once again transform our fractious, polarised world.
'A wonderful mix of historical observation, social commentary and moving interviews' - Michael Bird
'A clarion call to return to the raw, revolutionary faith of the early church' - Russell Evans
- GenresHistory
397 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 7, 2025
“Complacency in Christendom, or fear in an apostolic age, can both lead to what many of us really like to do most of all - nothing.”
January 25, 2026
Is Christianity in a crisis? If churches survive in the west, which they probably will, where are they headed? What seems to be working now that the previous generation of ‘Christendom’ has passed? I am particularly interested in these questions as they pertain to Australia’s church, and I like the fact that an Australian author is taking up this question. In the case of Sheridan, this comes with a high profile beyond the Christian circles due to long career as an Australian journalist. Hopefully, books like Steve McAlpine’s ‘being the bad guys’, which gets a mention, will see additional reading as a result.
I like the fact that the book is not much about politics or external social opinions about Christianity or the church, even though it touches on these. Rather, there is a sense of addressing how Christians can be their best in spite of, or because of, the apparent opposition and increasingly minority status. The example of the early Christians inspires courage to hold to the faith amidst extreme opposition. The examples of modern faith provide inspiration that the Christian message continues to cut through today in surprising and creative ways. The final chapter, what then shall we do, is useful to be ruminating over – I plan to spend a bit more time with that.
(An aside: I am not convinced that Christianity has ever been as popular or pervasive in Australia as many like to think. Growing up, there were plenty of school-mates in the 1980s who were Christians, but we were still a minority, so perhaps one has to go back further than this to find reach levels which could be considered ‘christendom’. Yet decline and dislike of and toward churches is real enough. So, an acceptance of this ‘minority’ status I think is a healthier position for churches to see themselves in. Debate in the public sphere, which sometimes assumes a right to be heard, almost entitled in some sense, will be provide with a humbler tone. Further, the rights sought for, will be ones which pertain to church congregations rather than presuming to speak on behalf of those who don’t profess.)
I have not had a chance to read Sheridan’s previous two books but it didn’t detract from the reading of this one, or perhaps enhanced it if it is recapitulating some of the previous material. In some ways, much of the book was relatively familiar. I am reasonably well read on early church and New Testament history, and some of the biographical chapters have been featured in podcasts, newspaper articles and other news media. But there was plenty that was new or expressed in a different style, so the read did not stall at any point.
I like the fact that the book is not much about politics or external social opinions about Christianity or the church, even though it touches on these. Rather, there is a sense of addressing how Christians can be their best in spite of, or because of, the apparent opposition and increasingly minority status. The example of the early Christians inspires courage to hold to the faith amidst extreme opposition. The examples of modern faith provide inspiration that the Christian message continues to cut through today in surprising and creative ways. The final chapter, what then shall we do, is useful to be ruminating over – I plan to spend a bit more time with that.
(An aside: I am not convinced that Christianity has ever been as popular or pervasive in Australia as many like to think. Growing up, there were plenty of school-mates in the 1980s who were Christians, but we were still a minority, so perhaps one has to go back further than this to find reach levels which could be considered ‘christendom’. Yet decline and dislike of and toward churches is real enough. So, an acceptance of this ‘minority’ status I think is a healthier position for churches to see themselves in. Debate in the public sphere, which sometimes assumes a right to be heard, almost entitled in some sense, will be provide with a humbler tone. Further, the rights sought for, will be ones which pertain to church congregations rather than presuming to speak on behalf of those who don’t profess.)
I have not had a chance to read Sheridan’s previous two books but it didn’t detract from the reading of this one, or perhaps enhanced it if it is recapitulating some of the previous material. In some ways, much of the book was relatively familiar. I am reasonably well read on early church and New Testament history, and some of the biographical chapters have been featured in podcasts, newspaper articles and other news media. But there was plenty that was new or expressed in a different style, so the read did not stall at any point.
October 2, 2025
As a new Christian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s filled with inspiring stories, and made me very proud of my newly found faith.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews