Great Courses

Lecturer: Molly Worthen

The history of Christianity over the past 500 years is a dramatic story. Within our cultures, our politics, and our very relationship to the world at large, Christianity has been at the center of momentous transformations around the globe and is now the largest religion in the world. The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch is your chance to explore one of the most powerful stories in world history. Over 36 fascinating lectures, Professor Molly Worthen of the University of North Carolina traces the story of Christianity as it transformed from a relatively homogenous entity at the end of the Middle Ages through the diverse global religion of today. While Professor Worthen gives you plenty of insight into theology, her primary focus is to place Christianity in its historical context-the how and why of history as much as the who, what, and when. She personalizes history with stories of individual players and blends their narratives with larger trends give you the full history of momentous events, from Martin Luther's 95 Theses to the Scientific Revolution to Latin American liberation theology. Professor Worthen is a marvelous storyteller, and brings history to life through the stories of people across history-scientists and theologians, revolutionaries and social justice warriors, commentators and ordinary people living out the great drama of Christian history. This is a magisterial course, and a must-have for students of history and religion. All Lectures: 1. Prophets of Reform before Protestantism 2. Luther and the Dawn of Protestantism 3. Zwingli, Calvin, and the Reformed Tradition 4. The Anabaptist Radicals 5. The Catholic Reformation 6. The Church Militant in the Spanish Empire 7. War and Witchcraft in the Holy Roman Empire 8. Puritans, Kings, and Theology in Practice 9. Religious Dissent and the English Civil War 10. Eastern Orthodoxy: From Byzantium to Russia 11. Christians under Muslim Rule 12. The Church and the Scientific Revolution 13. The Enlightenment Quest for Reasonable Faith 14. Pietist Revival in Europe 15. The First Great Awakening 16. Religion and Revolution in the 18th Century 17. The Second Great Awakening 18. The Mormons: A True American Faith 19. Slave Religion in the Americas 20. Christian Missions and Moral Reform 21. The Church's Encounter with Modern Learning 22. The Social Gospel 23. Fundamentalism and Pentecostalism 24. Apocalyptic Faith in the 1800s and Beyond 25. The Church and the Russian Revolution 26. The Rival Gods of the Cold War 27. Rebellion and Reform in Latin America 28. Vatican II and Global Renewal 29. Secularism and the Death of God 30. The Gospel and Global Civil Rights 31. Culture Wars and the Christian Right 32. Liberation Theologies in Latin America 33. Prophetic Religion in Modern Africa 34. Chinese Christianity: Missionaries to Mao 35. Revival and Repression in Korea 36. The Challenge of 21st-Century Christianity

Mode of access: World Wide Web