A Return to Primitive Christianity in a Modern Age ; the Earliest Texts Provide Shelter from Currents of Change

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As many seekers have set off in recent years to pursue spirituality outside the bounds of organized religion, another trend has quietly emerged within and across Christian denominations: a return to orthodoxy.

In response to the disillusionments of modern life, this resurgence is gathering believers of many ages and faith communities - mainline and evangelical Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox - in a vigorous ecumenical exploration of the early teachings of Christianity.

It is perhaps most visible in the least expected place - the liberal mainline churches - where many "renewal" groups are taking an assertive stance, seeking to replace what they …