Second Century Believers

What if we could talk to the early Christians from the second century after the birth of Christ? What could they tell us about the new religion they adopted and why they became believers? What insights could we gain? This is, of course, impossible and few records remain of the lives, experiences and thoughts of the ordinary Christians of the day.

The Bahá’í Faith began in middle of the 19th century in Iran, coinciding with the invention of the telegraph, in an era when mass communication and travel was also born, when people could read of current events in newspapers and move about relatively quickly. By the second century of the Bahá’í Faith, which began in 1944, the history of the religion was already well-documented and, though still small, had spread to many countries. It was now possible to learn something of the lives, experiences and thoughts of ordinary Bahá’ís.

And then came a unique decade in the annals of the Bahá’í Faith. The years between 1964 and 1973 saw a large number of young people becoming Bahá’ís, among them the author, Deborah Clark Vance. What was their motivation, she wondered. How, she asks, did the social environment of that eventful decade influence the thought processes of that generation of youth? What were they seeking and why did they find the answers in the Bahá’í Faith?  And what has enabled them to remain actively engaged in the religion for half a century?

Vance interviewed American Bahá’ís who heard of the religion for the first time when they were still in their teens or early twenties and became the first Bahá’ís in their families – second century believers. Here are their stories. Learn about their lives, experiences and thoughts in their own voices. 

About the Author

A member of the Bahá’í Faith since 1970, Deborah Clark Vance earned a PhD from Howard University in Intercultural Communication and was Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and Cinema at McDaniel College. Since retiring from academia she has been working as an independent researcher and writer. She is married with three children and five grandchildren.

Softcover
Print on Demand
Year of Publication: 2024
Pages: 238
Dimensions: 216mm x 140mm
Weight: 307.99g
ISBN: 978-0-85398-670-6