TTC Video – The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch
Course No. 6620 | .MP4, AVC, 2000 kbps, 1280×720 | English, AAC, 192 kbps, 2 Ch | 36×30 mins | + PDF Guidebook | 16.82 GB
Lecturer: Molly Worthen, Ph.D.
When you think about Christian history, you might think of the first thousand years-the events of Jesus’ life, the acts of the apostles, the establishment of the church, and the various councils that established theological doctrine. But the history of Christianity from the Reformation to the present is equally dramatic and profoundly relevant. It’s a story about people as much as theology-our cultures, our politics, our relationship to the world.
As the world’s largest religion, Christianity is enmeshed in the history of the world. Consider the question of the Christian mission: is it about saving souls, or about saving society? Is it about holding the right beliefs, or about doing good works? The answer to these questions over the past 500 years has defined politics and policies, and led to wars and revolutions.
The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch picks up where The Great Courses’ first history of Christianity left off: with the Protestant Reformation. Taught by Dr. Molly Worthen, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, these 36 fascinating lectures trace the story of Christianity as it transformed from the end of the Middle Ages into the diverse global religion of today.
A careful study of this history allows you to:
appreciate the complexity of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation;
understand the myriad Protestant sects that emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries;
reflect on the role of the church during the Enlightenment and its relationship to the scientific revolution;
gain insight into religion in America, from Mormons and Fundamentalists to Evangelicals and the “Christian right”; and
see the challenges of the 21st century and the Global South in a different light.
While Professor Worthen gives you plenty of insight into theology, her primary focus is to place Christianity in its historical context. She personalizes history with stories of individual players and blends their narratives with larger trends to give you the full history of momentous events. You’ll meet characters ranging from David Strauss, whose biblical scholarship in the 19th century rocked the church’s world, to Zhang Rongliang, a Chinese Christian who kept preaching the gospel even when communist officials locked him up.
