Christianity

This major eight-part series presents an alternative view on the history of Christianity. Each program is authored by a different presenter; some are believers, some are not—but from Howard Jacobson to Rageh Omar to Cherie Blair, each has a deeply personal reason for taking part. Each thought-provoking film will investigate a key moment in Christianity’s history, from its birth in Palestine, through its conquest of the Roman Empire and its conversion of Britain; from the bloody legacy of the Crusades to the intolerance and division of the Reformation; from its global expansion at the barrel of a colonial gun to the devastating impact of Science; and finally through to its future prospects in the world of the 21st century. Presenters include Howard Jacobson, Michael Portillo, Dr. Robert Beckford, Rageh Omar, Ann Widdecombe MP, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Prof. Colin Blakemore, and Cherie Blair.

Christianity is now over 2,000 years old. Yet today in the West it faces its greatest challenge--modernity and the rapid rise of the secular society. Can Christianity survive in the West? In the final episode of the series, practicing Catholic and leading barrister Cherie Blair examines how Christianity has fared in the face of World Wars, unprecedented suffering and monumental social change. While Christianity is marginal in Western Europe, it is strong in the U.S. Blair examines U.S. megachurches and argues that U.S. Christianity broke free of the tradition, architecture and aesthetics that cut Western European Christianity off from modern society. The U.S. experience shows that Christianity can make itself part of contemporary society.