Promise and Poison
The Story of Emerging Christianity
Foreword by Thomas Sheehan
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
196 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.39 in
- Paperback
- 9781666775662
- Published: September 2023
$25.00 / £21.00 / AU$39.00
BuyOther Retailers:
In Promise and Poison, psychologist and former Catholic priest John Van Hagen argues that the long-standing Jewish hope for the history-changing intervention of YHWH and the cursed, shameful crucifixion of Jesus were two elements from which emerged new moral communities whose members were soon called Christians.
While the history of Emerging Christianity appears fraught with battles about what to believe (orthodoxy), what often goes unnoticed is the intense struggle to live a virtuous life (orthopraxis). In their desperate efforts at self-definition, communities demonized outsiders and held insiders to unrealistic standards of conduct. That insistence on living a highly moral life was also fueled by the promise of a new afterlife on a transformed earth.
The presence of retaliatory rage lay close to the surface. While the verbal violence toward those others only became actuated when Christians gained political power, the pressure for remaining a highly moral community spawned hypocrisy and harsh competition among insiders.
This religion's moral struggle in ancient times is also a challenge for us today. Can we establish boundaries which are so necessary for an identity as a moral community without demonizing those outside or ostracizing those inside who are perceived to be different? The United States still struggles with this question.
John Van Hagen is a psychologist and former Catholic priest who has written extensively about practicing Christian faith in a time when science and theology argue for different views of religious origins. His previous books include Rescuing Religion and Agnostic at the Altar.
“As a former Catholic priest and current psychologist, John Van Hagen uniquely blends psychology and theology to provide the reader with deep social psychological and religious insights into the confluence of factors that lead to the expansion and proliferation of Christianity as we have come to know it today. Refreshingly, as an agnostic, he presents an objective view not blinded by any particular agenda. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the emerging Christianity of the past and the present.”
—Thomas G. Plante, professor and director, Applied Spirituality Institute, Santa Clara University
“John Van Hagen distills the best of recent scholarship on Christian origins for his lucid description of how diverse groups of Jesus followers took different paths as they found their ways forward in the first two centuries. Van Hagen also shows how these ancient approaches live on in modern forms of Christianity and offers insightful and balanced assessments of their benefits, as well as their toxic side effects.”
—Robert Miller, professor of Christian and religious studies, Juniata College
“John Van Hagen, through a deep, illuminating exploration of the origins of Christianity, manages to reflect our own time’s struggles. With his straightforward approach and clear prose, he provides an antidote to much of the poison coursing through our spiritual, political, and personal discourse. A clear voice for reason, kindness, and humanity is brought to essential questions of faith and purpose. Do yourselves a favor: stop your twenty-first-century doom scrolling and accompany Van Hagen to ancient scrolls that can inform us still.”
—David Greenwald, psychologist
“In Promise and Poison, John Van Hagen goes back into history to understand, for better or for worse, how a minor religious movement in an obscure part of the known world became one of the major world religions, and he writes with penetrating insight for anyone interested in the real story of the growth and development of Christianity.”
—Brian Cahill, author of Cops, Cons, and Grace
“Is Christianity bigoted or benevolent? Does it hurt or heal? Is Christianity a social bane or blessing? Does it promote hostility or harmony? According to John Van Hagen, the answer to all such questions should be ‘Both.’ As a psychologist and former Roman Catholic priest, he invites those who are troubled by the contradictions and moral ambiguity displayed among today’s Christians to accompany him on an introspective analysis of Christian literature from the first two centuries of the common era.”
—Douglas Griffin, retired United Church of Christ pastor
Related Titles
