A History of Christianity

We hope you enjoy your visit!
You're currently viewing Catholic CyberForum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our online cyberparish, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.
Join our community!
Messages posted to this board must be polite and free of abuse, personal attacks, blasphemy, racism, threats, harasment, and crude or sexually-explicit language.
If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Pages:
1
2
3

A History of Christianity; New Series - BBC4, Thursdays 9.00pm
Topic Started: Wednesday, 4. November 2009, 15:11 (471 Views)
Joseph	Wednesday, 4. November 2009, 15:11 Post #1
Posts: 768 Group: Members Member #37 Joined: October 18, 2006	A History of Christianity In this new series Diarmaid MacCulloch presents a history of Christianity but, according to Damian Thompson, its outlook is too politically correct - (in his opinion of course). Quote: ...Christianity is the world’s biggest religion, yet the BBC has not produced a major documentary series about it for decades. That will be rectified tomorrow, when BBC Four begins A History of Christianity, a six-part series presented by Diarmaid MacCulloch, an Oxford history professor whose books about Cranmer and the Reformation have been acclaimed as masterpieces. ...How closely will A History of Christianity reflect its presenter’s prejudices? We shall have to see; I’ve only watched the first episode. MacCulloch, however, will not take kindly to the suggestion that his interpretation of Christian history is slanted towards the liberal Left. “Dogmatism” is one of his pet hates, but press him on his own contentious opinions and what does he say? “People don’t like hearing it told as it is.” A History of Christianity is on BBC Four tomorrow, 5 November, at 9.00pm Link to full article:- http://tinyurl.com/yk9qf85 I'm not sure the timing of the opening program is that good - 9.00pm on Bonfire Night - but I hope to take it in anyway (Sky+ could come in handy yet again). If DT is right in his assessment though, I may find its PC slant too annoying anyway, but we'll see.
	Joseph


DannyD	Thursday, 5. November 2009, 09:20 Post #2
Posts: 65 Group: Members Member #244 Joined: September 1, 2009	It is on my Sky + Planner, Joseph, and I will certainly be giving it a go.....From memory, the book that he has written to accompany the series, has been well reviewed, so we shall see.....



Joseph	Thursday, 5. November 2009, 11:47 Post #3
Posts: 768 Group: Members Member #37 Joined: October 18, 2006	The introductory blurb, in the DT, for tonight's programme claims it explores what it means to be Christian - so maybe we can all learn something from that. In investigating the course of the spread of Christianity around the world, the programme apparently challenges the view that its origins lie in Paul's journey - claiming rather that it first spread east to Syria, Central Asia and India, and that Bagdad not Rome was set to be the centre of the faith. There should be plenty to go at there then!
	Joseph


garfield	Friday, 6. November 2009, 09:16 Post #4
Posts: 30 Group: Members Member #257 Joined: October 26, 2009	I watched and it was a fascinating program, so much that I didn't know. I was particularly impressed with the ancient Christianity in the far east with the Chinese pagoda and monuments. It made me realise just how much history the Church has, and not just the Roman Church.



Anne-Marie	Friday, 6. November 2009, 10:33 Post #5
Posts: 514 Group: Members Member #242 Joined: August 21, 2009	garfield Friday, 6. November 2009, 09:16 I was particularly impressed with the ancient Christianity in the far east with the Chinese pagoda and monuments. It made me realise just how much history the Church has. And perhaps how very much more there has always been to God and His family than abstract theology, verbal formulæ, rubrics, legalism and all the other nonsense 'control freaks' who have dominated the Western (Roman) Church have imposed on us. I just don't accept that's what Jesus died on the Cross for! There's a darned sight more to God than a rule book! We still have so very much to re-learn from simple, Early Christianity. We parted company because we had lost any meaningful comprehension of Jesus' concept of loving. The programme was, indeed, very interesting.
	Anne-Marie FIAT VOLUNTAS DEI


garfield	Friday, 6. November 2009, 13:24 Post #6
Posts: 30 Group: Members Member #257 Joined: October 26, 2009	It makes you wonder what the Church would have been like had Constantine not made it the 'State religion' of the Roman empire



Gerard	Friday, 6. November 2009, 13:31 Post #7
Posts: 3,118 Group: Members Member #12 Joined: September 26, 2006	Kinder ? In Scotland, Ireland and Wales it would probably have been centred around Monastic communities of monks and laypeople rather than on Diocese. As it was before Rome imposed the Roman model. Gerry Edited by Gerard, Friday, 6. November 2009, 13:36.
	"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).


Mrs.Pogle	Friday, 6. November 2009, 13:59 Post #8
Happy Couple! Posts: 831 Group: Members Member #219 Joined: February 2, 2009	Yes, let's bash Rome at every opportunity...why not?!
	"Living Life on the Home Front!" My Blog: Life on the Home Front “It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping.” ~ St. Frances of Rome


Anne-Marie	Friday, 6. November 2009, 14:02 Post #9
Posts: 514 Group: Members Member #242 Joined: August 21, 2009	garfield Friday, 6. November 2009, 13:24 It makes you wonder what the Church would have been like had Constantine not made it the 'State religion' of the Roman empire Yes. Whatever Constantine's intentions and motives, he was the start of the rot. With the interference of Constantine, Christianity ceased to have much to do with Christ. We really might be a lot better off getting back to the simplicity of Jesus and His early followers.
	Anne-Marie FIAT VOLUNTAS DEI


garfield	Friday, 6. November 2009, 14:52 Post #10
Posts: 30 Group: Members Member #257 Joined: October 26, 2009	I'm sure the power of Rome had a lot to do with the survival and spread of Christianity through the centuries, and the fact that it survived the onslaught of Islam. The whole Church could have met the same fate as Byzantium Edited by garfield, Friday, 6. November 2009, 14:54.



Gerard	Friday, 6. November 2009, 15:39 Post #11
Posts: 3,118 Group: Members Member #12 Joined: September 26, 2006	I think we were supposed to defeat Islam the same way we defeated Rome. With love not power. Also, I am not sure power has actually worked anyway. Gerry
	"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).


Joseph	Friday, 6. November 2009, 16:43 Post #12
Posts: 768 Group: Members Member #37 Joined: October 18, 2006	Yes, I greatly enjoyed that first instalment too - so much to learn as you say, and I thought the enthusiasm of the presenter really came over well. Often programmes like these seem primarily to serve and publicise the knowledge of the presenter rather than effectively communicating the story, but I felt the balance was just right in this one. Concerning the Eastern emphasis of this first instalment, I couldn't help wondering what our friend O'Ratty would be making of it. I do hope he watched it and gives us his expert opinion on it, so far.
	Joseph


Derekap	Friday, 6. November 2009, 17:30 Post #13
Posts: 3,415 Group: Members Member #14 Joined: September 26, 2006	Anne-Marie wrote: "We really might be a lot better off getting back to the simplicity of Jesus and His early followers" A large community like The Catholic Church inevitably needs a large administration and leadership, otherwise there would be many conflicting beliefs and practices.
	Derekap


Anne-Marie	Friday, 6. November 2009, 18:08 Post #14
Posts: 514 Group: Members Member #242 Joined: August 21, 2009	Derekap Friday, 6. November 2009, 17:30 A large community like The Catholic Church inevitably needs a large administration and leadership, otherwise there would be many conflicting beliefs and practices. I've heard that argument deployed before. It's a totaL Nonsense, of course. Jesus' idea of leadership was to choose the weakest member, Peter, and found the 'Church' on him. Peter, of course, was not only horribly weak, he was also illiterate. Perhaps we should stop trying to tell God how to do His job...? If we're in a mess, it's precisely because we've ignored God. Well, let's face it: What's God got to do with anything? God should butt out and let us show Him how it's supposed to be done....
	Anne-Marie FIAT VOLUNTAS DEI


pete	Friday, 6. November 2009, 18:58 Post #15
Posts: 695 Group: Members Member #76 Joined: April 2, 2007	I watched it too and found it to be very interesting. I do remember seeing another programme some time ago, where it said Christianity was also well established in Britain in the 4th century, prior to the time of St Patrick, presumably introduced by the Roman Christians. After St Patrick escaped from his slavery in Ireland on reaching Britain Christianity had declined dramatically. I imagine that was something to do with the fall of the Roman Empire. I don’t think the Church is in a mess Anne-Marie, it’s the free thinkers within the Church who think that the Church is in a mess. The programme last night revealed problems have existed from the very beginning of Church history. Which brings up another point, was Saint Cyril of Alexandra right in casting free thinkers into prison for preaching against the Divinity of Christ?



1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · General Catholic Discussion · Next Topic »

Pages:
1
2
3