The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History Two excerpts from Rodney Stark's book probing what helped Christianity succeed. One excerpt looks at the appeal of the Christian message itself, for example, how it brought a new conception of humanity "to a world saturated with cruelty." In 'Organization and Opportunity,' Stark examines other factors, such as paganism's weakness and the early church's social structure, which helped draw so many to the new faith. Audio Excerpt from the Documentary New Testament scholars assess the reasons why Rome ultimately embraced Christianity.