Molly Worthen
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
During the 19th century, a second wave of revivals swept North America and Britain, and this "Second Great Awakening" had tremendous consequences for Christianity in the West. After reviewing the origins of Methodism, Professor Worthen surveys the new approach to revivals and shows how America became a majority-Christian country.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
For nearly 2,000 years, the Christian faith has remained at or near the center of Western moral debate and conceptions of human identity. It has both shaped history and responded to history, showing an extraordinary adaptability within greatly differing cultures. Discover the phenomenal story of Christianity's first 1,500 years, in all its remarkable diversity and complex dimensions.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
For Western Christians, the 20th century seemed to bring growing secularization. Professor Worthen unpacks this term and places it in the historical context of the 1950s and 1960s. See how religion has increasingly become a private business, one worldview among many, and theologians proclaimed the death of God - despite Billy Graham's booming revivals.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
One key theme from this course is the way religious motives are often inseparable from political and economic ambitions. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than Spain in the 16th century. See how Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand joined forces to create a unified Catholic nation, and how they worked to spread Catholicism into the Americas.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Start your journey in Renaissance Italy where - right in the pope's backyard - two men gave very different yet powerful critiques of the church, years before the Reformation. By examining these representative figures, Professor Worthen unpacks several key themes running through Christianity for the past 500 years.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
In this third lecture on the Protestant Reformation, you'll meet the most radical of rebels, the Anabaptists. Based on the slogan sola scriptura - the Bible alone - the Anabaptists wanted to cut ties completely between church and state, making them politically as well as theologically dangerous.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
In 1962, thousands of bishops gathered in Rome to convene the Second Vatican Council. Here, they debated how the church should respond to the challenges of modernity. Explore the high drama of these debates and see how Catholic reforms in worship, church authority, and doctrines of sexuality made real-life impact everywhere from America to the Philippines.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Continue your study of contemporary global Christianity. In China, the rise of Christianity has met with an uneasy mix of enthusiasm and suspicion. After reviewing early Christian contact with China, Professor Worthen traces 19th and 20th century missions, delves into the brutal Cultural Revolution, and reflects on religious tensions under the Communist regime.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Survey the fascinating history of the English Civil war, from the rise of Charles I, his battles with Parliament and eventual beheading, to the rule of Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration of Charles II. This political tumult allowed a profusion of radical sects to flourish, from the proto-communist Diggers to the apocalyptic Fifth Monarchy Men.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
How do you make people and a society Christian? What does it mean to "convert" foreign lands for Christ? In this lecture, Professor Worthen tackles these difficult questions. After reviewing early missions in Africa, she examines the role of women (particularly abolitionists) in the process of Christian reform.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Although historical records are relatively scarce, the clever detective work of some enterprising scholars has revealed the rich religious world of enslaved Africans, and highlights Christianity's role in both oppression and liberation. Trace the evolution of religion among slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries, and consider how they made "white man's religion" their own.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Delve into the early Reformation, which begins with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. An original thinker and an outlaw to Catholic authorities of the time, Luther was also surprisingly conservative in many ways. Review his critique of the church and his theology in the context of the 16th century.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
On the heels of the Scientific Revolution, the "Enlightenment," as Professor Worthen explains, was not one single movement but rather a constellation of ideas and philosophers who debated the relationship between faith and reason. Explore the theories and worldviews of Diderot, Voltaire, Locke, and other Enlightenment thinkers.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Dig into the rise of the modern university and its influence on the history of Christianity. By examining modern biblical scholarship in Germany and Britain as well as advancements in 19th century science and the theory of evolution, you will gain a greater understanding of the battle between faith and reason.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Continue your exploration of Soviet religious persecution and consider life behind the Iron Curtain. In this lecture, you will see how Khrushchev and Brezhnev continued Stalin-era pro-atheist policies. Then turn to the persistence of the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe - particularly Poland, home of Pope John Paul II.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
One theme we've seen again and again is the morally complex role of churches in social change. Here, you'll reflect on the stories of the American civil rights movement and the South African battle over apartheid to explore the ambivalent role of Christian institutions and ideas in the 20th century's global struggle for human rights.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
In this final lecture, consider three challenges for Christians in the 21st century: their encounters with the world of Islam, their attitude toward global capitalism, and their reaction to the forces of secularization. Discover how understanding the past 500 years of history can help us better understand these challenges today - and how to prepare for the future.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Is America a "Christian" country? Did the Founding Fathers use the Bible as a blueprint for government? What about France - how did revolutionaries there both oppress and adopt religion to advance their cause? In both cases, history is so much more complicated than culture-war slogans.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Christianity today is a truly global religion. Even as church attendance declines in America and Western Europe, Christianity is growing rapidly around the world. Here, Professor Worthen reviews the explosion of controversial revival movements in Africa, as well as the promise - and peril - they offer to struggling believers trying to survive times of political upheaval.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Shift your attention from the Protestant Reformation to another schism. Centuries before Martin Luther, Orthodox Christians in the East broke with Rome and developed their own theology. Reflect on the principles of Orthodox Christianity and see what role it played in the rise of the Russian Empire.