The Success of Christianity

After years of persecution in the early stages of the Christian church, Christianity has grown into the largest world religion with over two billion followers. But how did this come to be? Especially at a time when Jerusalem was ruled by the polytheistic Romans. The rise of Christianity can be attributed to the fact that Christianity offered people a way of life that had never been experienced before and to the persistence of Christians.
During the years of the early church there was no middle class; there was just the very rich and the very poor, Christianity presented a lifestyle that made comfort and security a possibility. The Christian communities would share everything, much like communist communities, everything that was earned would be redistributed to assure that everyone is taken care of. In a world where people were uncertain of when they would have their next meal this option would seem very attractive. The teachings of Jesus also encouraged the elimination of gender and class discrimination, which, again, would be very attractive to the poorer population of the Roman Empire.
The lifestyle Christianity presented along with Paul’s influence that made Christianity open to more people than just Jews was the reason Christianity survived. The reason Christianity has thrived, however, is because, unlike Judaism, Christianity has had a history of conversion. From Paul to the Reconquista to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christians have actively been converting people since the start of the religion. Churches will send mission trips to poor parts of the world and build houses for poor families and while they are there they will preach the teachings of Jesus.
The combination of presenting an attractive lifestyle to people who are desperate for some sort of salvation and the conversion of millions of people throughout it’s history has allowed Christianity to thrive and in turn become the world’s most followed religion.