Making Christians

By Denise Kimber Buell

Book Description

In the formative centuries of Christianity, believers faced a profound challenge: how to establish authentic spiritual authority and define true Christian identity. Denise Kimber Buell explores this pivotal struggle through an unexpected lens, revealing how early Christians used the powerful imagery of family relationships and procreation to shape their understanding of religious truth.

Drawing from the influential writings of Clement of Alexandria, a prominent theologian from around 150-210 C.E., this scholarly work illuminates the creative ways second-century Christians competed to establish their interpretations as authoritative. Rather than relying solely on abstract theological arguments, these early believers turned to deeply familiar concepts of kinship and spiritual generation to communicate their vision of authentic Christian practice and doctrine.

Buell demonstrates how cultural assumptions about family bonds and procreation became tools for determining who possessed legitimate teaching authority within Christian communities. These metaphors of spiritual parenthood and kinship networks provided a compelling framework for early Christians to articulate their claims about proper religious knowledge and practice.

For readers interested in understanding how spiritual communities form their identity and establish authority, this examination of early Christian discourse offers valuable insights into the human dynamics that shape religious movements. The book reveals how fundamental questions about spiritual authenticity and teaching authority were negotiated through the relatable language of family relationships, making complex theological debates accessible through universal human experiences.

Who Is This For?

📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)

🕉️ Tradition: Christianity

📄 Length: 221 pages

What You'll Discover

✓ Explore Religious aspects of Kinship
✓ Explore History of doctrines
✓ Explore History
✓ Explore Religious aspects
✓ Explore Apologetics, history, early church, ca. 30-600
✓ Explore Christianity
✓ Explore Human reproduction
✓ Explore Clement, of alexandria, saint, approximately 150-approximately 215

Topics Covered

Religious aspects of Kinship History of doctrines History Religious aspects Apologetics, history, early church, ca. 30-600 Christianity Human reproduction Clement, of alexandria, saint, approximately 150-approximately 215 Religious aspects of Human reproduction Kinship Early works to 1800 Apologetics