"[Jesus] somehow transformed the system's greatest weapon [the cross] against him into his greatest marketing tool, proving that his secret about strength through weakness wasn't just philosophy but practical engineering."
Getting nailed to a cross as a marketing tool. The whole essay is heavy mental gymnastics.
Haha, should have written it less sensationally. This is not false though. I think you might find "Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church" by WHC Frend interesting.
"Persecution was seen by early Christians, as by later historians, as one of the crucial influences on the growth and development of the early Church and Christian beliefs."
The timing is good too, as I sit here browsing HN waiting for my men's Bible study to start.