By Laurence M. Vance
June 2, 2026
Review of Andrew Garnett, Christians & the Roman Army: Lessons for Today (Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2024), ix + 146 pgs.
Is the relationship between the early Christians and the Roman army relevant to twenty-first-century Christians in the United States ? Andrew Garnett thinks so.
According to the book's back cover, the author is a Baptist pastor in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, "which has the largest concentration of military bases of any metropolitan area in the world." The author's "doctoral study focused on the relationship of the early Christians to the Roman army." He "has traveled extensively throughout the former Roman empire and has led groups to Rome to explore early Christianity." According to the book's introduction, he pastors "a relatively moderate Baptist church" that is not "filled with service members" (p.