Bearing False Witness

Rodney Stark, a prodigious and ground breaking church historian with no deeply held faith, has researched the growth of the early church, the role of friendship groups in affiliation and conversion and much else. Out of the fruit of a lifetime of historical study he has taken aim at the calumnies constantly alleged against the Christian Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church. 

Have you ever heard that the Christian Church suppressed scholarly and scientific development when it became the official religion of the Roman Empire, ushering in the Dark Ages of ignorance and prejudice? That the Pope promoted unprovoked attacks on peaceful Islam in the Crusades? That Pope Pius XII was a Nazi sympathizer? 

Stark shows that not only are these errors; they are intentional libels that reputable historians have known to be false for generations. Bearing False Witness is a readable yet thorough debunking of these anti-Christian myths, valuable for all of us who as St. Peter says, want to “always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15). If you have been taught these views or find that they come up in conversation with others, you will want to read this book. Stark’s motivation is somewhat different. As he writes at the conclusion of his introduction, “I did not write this book in defense of the Church. I wrote it in defense of history.” Not a bad motivation, is it?