Strange Religion - by Nijay K Gupta

About the Book

The first Christians were weird. Within Roman society, they stood out for the oddness of their beliefs and practices. A New Testament teacher traces the emerging Christian faith against its Roman context to offer today's believers encouragement and hope.

Book Synopsis

Outreach 2025 Recommended Resource of the Year (Culture)

The first Christians were weird.

Within Roman society, the earliest Christians stood out for the oddness of their beliefs and practices. They believed unusual things, worshiped God in strange ways, and practiced a whole new way of doing religion that would have been viewed as bizarre and dangerous compared to other religions of the ancient world.

In Strange Religion, award-winning author and New Testament teacher Nijay Gupta traces the emerging Christian faith in its Roman context, showing how the first Christians

● dared to be different and pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable
● believed, worshipped, and lived in radical ways
● transformed how others thought about religion
● started a movement that grew like wildfire

Brought to life with numerous images, this book shows how the example of the earliest Christians can offer today's believers encouragement and hope.

"A fresh and rigorously researched take on Christianity's founding."--Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

"Insightful, funny, captivating, and forceful"

The first Christians were weird.

Within Roman society, the earliest Christians stood out for the oddness of their beliefs and practices. They believed unusual things, worshiped God in strange ways, and practiced a whole new way of doing religion that would have been viewed as bizarre and dangerous compared to other religions of the ancient world.

In Strange Religion, award-winning author and New Testament teacher Nijay Gupta traces the emerging Christian faith in its Roman context. Although Christianity would have been seen as radical, some found this new religion attractive and compelling. The first Christians dared to be different, pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable, transformed how people thought about religion, and started a movement that grew like wildfire.

"An absolute joy to read! The book is both academically responsible and very practical. It makes me excited to be a Christian."
--Preston Sprinkle, bestselling author and host of the Theology in the Raw podcast

"In the twenty-first century, when Christianity has been so dominant for so long, it is hard to imagine a context in which the Christian faith was viewed as out of the ordinary and in some respects dangerously weird. This book packs a punch and is well worth reading."
--Paula Gooder, canon chancellor, St. Paul's Cathedral, London

"A must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the cultural context of the New Testament. You'll love it."
--Kat Armstrong, Bible teacher and author of the Storyline Project Bible study series

"A terrific resource for anyone wanting to enter the world of the first Christians and understand how Christians were once loathed for practicing a rogue religion."
--Michael F. Bird, deputy principal, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

"Insightful, funny, captivating, and forceful all at once. Strange Religion reminds the church of its mission: keep things weird."
--A. J. Swoboda, associate professor, Bushnell University; author of After Doubt

About the Author

Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, Durham University) is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He is cohost of the Slow Theology podcast, founder of the Crux Sola blog, and has written numerous books, including Tell Her Story, A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies, 15 New Testament Words of Life, and commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. He is also the coeditor, with Scot McKnight, of The State of New Testament Studies, and a senior translator for the New Living Translation. Gupta lives in Portland, Oregon.