The great Robert Louis Wilken tells us that we can learn from the Fathers how to build a Christian culture on the foundations (or rubble) of a pagan one. It’s been done before. “Amo, Amas, Amat: Christianity and Culture” was delivered as the Palmer Lecture at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, NJ. If you haven’t read Wilken’s The Spirit of Early Christian Thought, please do. You’ll find my effusive review of it here.
I apologize for the double-posting of this information. I accidentally deleted the old posting. Newbie.
I echo the recommendation of Dr. Wilken’s excellent book.
Wilken spoke here in Pittsburgh late last year at a conference of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology (www.salvationhistory.com). He was profound, wide-ranging, generous, and accessible. His work borders on the miraculous.