What made the first Christians so different from their surrounding culture?  How did their worship differ from the way the average Roman citizen viewed the gods?  Why did the early church view themselves as a family and why is that so significant?  We’ll discuss these questions and more with our guest Dr. Nijay Gupta around his new book, Strange Religion: How the First Christians were Weird, Dangerous and Compelling.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. Read a transcript of this episode at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/think-biblically/2024/christianity-as-a-strange-religion.==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.