''Christianity: A History'' is an eight-part television series produced in 2009 by

Pioneer Productions Pioneer Productions is a British television production company based in London, United Kingdom, specialising in scientific and other documentary productions. History Founded in 1988, by Nigel Henbest, Heather Couper and Stuart Carter, Pioneer ...

for Channel 4. Each episode is presented by a different personality with a connection to the story they tell. The episodes cover a range of personal views on issues from the religion's inception in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

and its progression in the Roman empire, the Crusades,

English Reformation The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...

, colonial dissemination and the Age of Enlightenment, to the impacts of science and 21st-century views.

Show Listing

# Jesus The Jew: Writer Howard Jacobson discusses the nature of Jesus' 'Jewish-ness' and looks at the chequered relationship between Judaism and Christianity. # Rome: Michael Portillo investigates the political compromises that Christianity was forced to make when the Roman Empire adopted it as its official religion. # Dark Ages: Theologian

Robert Beckford Robert Beckford (born 1965) is a British academic theologian and currently Professor of Black Theology at The Queen's Foundation, whose documentaries for both the BBC and Channel 4 have caused debate among the Christian and British religious co ...

looks at the impact Christianity has had on Britain and argues that the sixth-century conversion was the most important event in British history. # Crusades: War reporter

Rageh Omaar Rageh Omaar (; so, Raage Oomaar; ar, راجح أومار; born 19 July 1967) is a Somali-born British journalist and writer. He was a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq. In September 2006, he moved to ...

examines the relationship between Christianity and war, and the lasting impact of the Crusades on Christianity's relations with Islam. # Reformation: Ann Widdecombe, who has converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism, focuses on the Reformation and the intolerance, divisions, and bloodshed it caused. # Dark Continents: Writer and actor Kwame Kwei-Armah, whose African ancestors were enslaved and converted as part of the European colonial conquest of Africa, investigates the global spread of Christianity. # God and the Scientists: Leading British scientist

Colin Blakemore Sir Colin Blakemore, , Hon (1 June 1944 – 27 June 2022) was a British neurobiologist, specialising in vision and the development of the brain. He was Yeung Kin Man Professor of Neuroscience and senior fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for Adv ...

examines the impact of the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries and how scientific discovery challenged centuries of biblical teachings. # The Future of Christianity: And in the final episode, QC Cherie Blair looks at the challenges Christianity faced in the 20th century from war, genocide and revolutionary social change; and asks whether as a world religion it has a real future.

References

2000s British documentary television series 2009 British television series debuts Historiography of Christianity {{christianity-studies-stub