Molly Worthen
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Language
English
Formats
Description
Psychologically astute and passionately written, Molly Worthen's remarkable debut charts the intricate relationship between student and teacher, biographer and subject. As a Yale freshman, Worthen found herself deeply fascinated by worldly-wise professor Charles Hill, a former diplomat who had shaped American foreign policy in his forty-year career as an adviser to Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, among others. Hill was never...
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Great Courses ; 6
Language
English
Description
One key theme from this course is the way religious motives are often inseparable from political and economic ambitions. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than Spain in the 16th century. See how Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand joined forces to create a unified Catholic nation, and how they worked to spread Catholicism into the Americas.
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Great Courses ; 3
Language
English
Description
Continue your study of the Reformation with a look at several thinkers who were more radical than Martin Luther. Here, you'll explore the ideas of Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and others who advanced their own theological and political critiques of the church. You'll also consider Henry VIII's quarrel with Rome and the founding of the Church of England.
Author
Series
Great Courses ; 17
Language
English
Description
During the 19th century, a second wave of revivals swept North America and Britain, and this "Second Great Awakening" had tremendous consequences for Christianity in the West. After reviewing the origins of Methodism, Professor Worthen surveys the new approach to revivals and shows how America became a majority-Christian country.
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Great Courses ; 7
Language
English
Description
The Thirty Years' War is one of the most confusing episodes in world history. Was it truly a religious war, in which Protestants battled for religious tolerance and freedom, or was it a political ploy to depose kings and change the balance of political power? As you delve into this messy conflict, you'll discover that the war unfolded in the midst of witch-hunting hysteria across Europe.
6) History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch: The First Great Awakening
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Series
Great Courses ; 15
Language
English
Description
Meet George Whitefield, an Anglican evangelist who experienced a "new birth" and led a series of religious revivals up and down the East Coast. Here, you will consider the context of religious revivals, examine controversies over evangelism, and reflect on the impact revivals had on American political culture.
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Great Courses ; 12
Language
English
Description
Are religion and science always at odds? Reflect on this lightning-rod issue as you trace the history of the Scientific Revolution from the medieval worldview through the remarkable discoveries of the 16th and 17th centuries. Find out what really troubled the church about Galileo's proposition that the Earth was not at the center of the universe.
Author
Series
Great Courses ; 1
Language
English
Description
Start your journey in Renaissance Italy where - right in the pope's backyard - two men gave very different yet powerful critiques of the church, years before the Reformation. By examining these representative figures, Professor Worthen unpacks several key themes running through Christianity for the past 500 years.
Author
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Great Courses ; 22
Language
English
Description
In the 19th century, Christians debated whether to focus on saving souls, or to try to save society first. Here, learn about Protestant activists in Britain and North America who preached the "Social Gospel," a mission to help the poor, push for social services, and effect political reform - and learn why some failed while others succeeded.
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Great Courses ; 10
Language
English
Description
Shift your attention from the Protestant Reformation to another schism. Centuries before Martin Luther, Orthodox Christians in the East broke with Rome and developed their own theology. Reflect on the principles of Orthodox Christianity and see what role it played in the rise of the Russian Empire.
Author
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Great Courses ; 9
Language
English
Description
Survey the fascinating history of the English Civil war, from the rise of Charles I, his battles with Parliament and eventual beheading, to the rule of Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration of Charles II. This political tumult allowed a profusion of radical sects to flourish, from the proto-communist Diggers to the apocalyptic Fifth Monarchy Men.
Author
Series
Great Courses ; 35
Language
English
Description
After the United States and Brazil, South Korea sends more missionaries into the world than any other country. Find out how Christianity became such a thriving faith in this relatively small nation - while fellow believers to the north suffer savage repression, and Pyongyang enforces a state religion devoted to the worship of former dictator Kim Il-sung.
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Great Courses ; 31
Language
English
Description
Along with secularization and changes in Christian faith and practice, the second half of the 20th century also witnessed the eruption of today's "culture wars" - the clash between traditional religious morality and secular pluralism. Explore this tension in American society and politics, and then see how the culture war is a global phenomenon, playing out in religious debates around the world.
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Great Courses ; 11
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English
Description
Like the church in the West, Eastern Christianity has given rise to a range of diverse cultures and clashing theological opinions. Here, you'll discover the history of Christians in the Middle East, particularly Coptic Christians in Egypt and Syriac Christians in the Middle East. Find out what life was like under Muslim rule, and reflect on the legacy of the Ottoman Empire.
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Great Courses ; 30
Language
English
Description
One theme we've seen again and again is the morally complex role of churches in social change. Here, you'll reflect on the stories of the American civil rights movement and the South African battle over apartheid to explore the ambivalent role of Christian institutions and ideas in the 20th century's global struggle for human rights.
Author
Series
Great Courses ; 8
Language
English
Description
The Reformation opened the door for radicals to challenge traditional authority. Follow the Puritans from England, where they pushed King James to authorize a new translation of the Bible, to the New World, where they tried to build a Christian Zion and wrestled with theology on their own terms.
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Great Courses ; 36
Language
English
Description
In this final lecture, consider three challenges for Christians in the 21st century: their encounters with the world of Islam, their attitude toward global capitalism, and their reaction to the forces of secularization. Discover how understanding the past 500 years of history can help us better understand these challenges today - and how to prepare for the future.
18) History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch: The Anabaptist Radicals
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Series
Great Courses ; 4
Language
English
Description
In this third lecture on the Protestant Reformation, you'll meet the most radical of rebels, the Anabaptists. Based on the slogan sola scriptura - the Bible alone - the Anabaptists wanted to cut ties completely between church and state, making them politically as well as theologically dangerous.
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Great Courses ; 33
Language
English
Description
Christianity today is a truly global religion. Even as church attendance declines in America and Western Europe, Christianity is growing rapidly around the world. Here, Professor Worthen reviews the explosion of controversial revival movements in Africa, as well as the promise - and peril - they offer to struggling believers trying to survive times of political upheaval.
Author
Series
Great Courses ; 20
Language
English
Description
How do you make people and a society Christian? What does it mean to "convert" foreign lands for Christ? In this lecture, Professor Worthen tackles these difficult questions. After reviewing early missions in Africa, she examines the role of women (particularly abolitionists) in the process of Christian reform.