Misery and Mercy - Conclusion

In his concluding paragraph on his chapter, Misery and Mercy, Stark writes:

"Some will object that to stress the importance of tangible, worldly benefits for Christian conversion is to wrongly downplay the religious motivations for the rise of Christianity.  This objection overlooks that these worldly benefits were religious in the fullest sense.  "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Matt 25:40).  It was by imitation of Christ that Christians were able to live longer and enjoy more comfortable lives." - Stark, TC, p119.