the practical expression of Christian love was probably among the most powerful causes of Christian success. Tertullian tells us the pagans remarked, “See how these Christians love one another.” The pagans’ words were sincere. Christian love found expression in the care of the poor, of widows and orphans; in visits to brethren in prisons or to those condemned to a living death in the mines; and in acts of compassion during a famine, earthquake, or war.
