Thinking Anglicans

A History of Christianity

Last week’s Church Times had a feature article by William Whyte entitled The Church: ‘appalling, yet wonderful’.

Diarmaid MacCulloch has just completed a sweeping history of Christianity. William Whyte dragged him from his indexing to talk about it. A History of Christianity: The first three thousand years (Allen Lane, £30 (CT Bookshop £27) is published on 24 September.

The Guardian published a review of the book, written by Rowan Williams last Saturday. See A History of Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch.

The Economist also published a review, under the heading The greatest story, or the trickiest?

The BBC television series can be previewed here.

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john
john
14 years ago

I am very glad to see this posting. I am glad also that RW gives the book such a favourable review. But it is dreadfully eloquent that RW fails to report – still less endorse – D MacC’s great approval of the C of E. That endorsement carries all the more weight because D MacC, although of Scottish Episcopalian stock and himself a one time believer, now no longer believes. Of course, as it happens, he is gay and not afraid to admit it. It is also excellent that a heavy-weight British intellectual shoud publicly commend the much-maligned – and… Read more »

Richard Ashby
Richard Ashby
14 years ago

Why is the Economist so concerned about Diarmaid MacCulloch’s ‘baggage’. Surely every writer has ‘baggage’. In any case I’m not sure that the Economist is a place I would go for an authoritative review of a history of Christianity. Looking forward to reading the book and the television series too.

Pluralist
14 years ago

I’m interested that Rowan Williams makes reference to Poland – the Socinians were ‘ethnically cleansed’ in 1660, many going to Transylvania which tolerated in a limited way the Unitarians and now survived past Romania’s Communist threat against so many villages. It looks like the Nestorian Church across to China and its different categories (I mentioned this briefly at In Depth last night) gets a mention too.

Shows the relativity of doctrines and beliefs though, doesn’t it?

peterpi
peterpi
14 years ago

“I’m interested that Rowan Williams makes reference to Poland – the Socinians were ‘ethnically cleansed’ in 1660” — Pluralist
*****
not to mention the Jews, …
I wonder if the book makes reference to Christian treatment of the Jews, especially during the Crusades and Middle Ages.

Rev L Roberts
Rev L Roberts
14 years ago

I too am looking forward to it. The radio interview was very enjoyable.

He is in deacon’s orders.

An all round good egg…

Paul Webb
Paul Webb
14 years ago

£21-00 with free delivery on Amazon!

Sue
Sue
14 years ago

I much prefer the version of the history of Christianity as presented in this stark image.

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~spanmod/mural/panel13.html

And as fleshed out in this reference.

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/cruelty.html

All of that done in the name of “Jesus”,and of spreading the “gospel” to every last square inch of the planet.

The “gospel” of wholesale murder and plunder.

All of which was INEVITABLE when the church was coopted by the Roman state, and thus became an integral key player in the Western drive to total power and control of everyone and every thing.

The church as an entirely worldly power and control seeking institution.

BillyD
14 years ago

“I much prefer the version of the history of Christianity as presented in this stark image.”

Now, don’t sugarcoat it for us, Sue. Let us have your real opinion – we can take it…

Father Ron Smith
14 years ago

“The church as an entirely worldly power and control seeking institution.” – Sue, on Saturday –

Which – as you have reminded us, Sue – is not what Jesus had in mind with his kenotic offering of himself for the sake of the world. The personal and institutional exercise of Power in the Church is always antithetical to the Gospel – especially when it seeks to deny justice to the poor and disenfranchised of the world.

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