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.
The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch
Examine the last 500 years of history through the lens of Christianity with an esteemed professor.
Rated 4 out of
5
by
XXXYBaruchXII from
Not quite the Lord of the Dance
The elephants in the room of Wondrium and the Great Courses are Kant and Ballet. I have turned to several courses to discover the rôle that Kant played in the Intellectual, religious, and cultural life of Europe, but he is almost invisible, it is almost as if in the teaching of the History pf Western Music no one remembered to discuss Haydn. The Origins of the Modern Mind, Early Seventeenth Century Philosophy, where one might expect to find some concentrated treatment of Kant we drew a blank. Kant is by way of being an ambiguous, ambivalent figure in the minds of all but Philosophers, and even here there is a reluctance; Cahoun and Robinson discuss him, but in long courses grappling with every intellectual current from Aristotle to Derrida is there an assessment of their significance in religious or cultural though, He is explained but seldom assessed for his significance?
I visited rather than followed Professor Worthen's course, I was not interested in many aspects of Christianity with which she was concerned, so I turned to her rather in respect to three issues which concern me and which converge. The problems are Science and Religion, Spirituality in a secular age, and Ethics as distinct from moral Doctrine; the slow , tardy recognition by men of the calibre, the mind, and the fortitude of women. They were either marginalised, deliberately, or they were treated as a divinely designed temptation to Sin, or they were patronised as ornaments, Christmas Trees, to be decorated on a seasonal basis. I do not think I should have written a review, as a mere visitor, but the casual dismissal of her course in some the reviews, and the absurd support it enjoyed was unacceptable, inane, and indicated something suspect, some incorrect attitude to her course, but actually to all courses that touched on Religion, Science and Ethics.
What do I make of her course by my sporadic visits? Well first I must declare that I have a preference for the little green room with the window giving onto a Brick wall and the creeper. This is how I like to learn; a lectern, a lecturer, some graphics as if they were slides, and most of the courses with which I have engaged were in this context and setting. The courses on Christianity were not there, but Christianity ! in the apparently octagonal room with the Carpet but I can recognise that as an educational setting, but Media people have tended to under value the value of contexts in the setting of courses; they have become literalists and utilitarians. Never mind the lecturer, never mind the settings, concentrate on the information. I make these remarks because initially the manner in which Professor was presented was not to my taste, Not the context in which I can respond to the content. However the adverse reviews, given my own responses, suggested that some where there was a 'disconnect' between the purpose and object of the course and the mentality of those that had received it.
So, first of all my reasons for visiting, then some brief indication of Provenance. I have great difficulty with the issue of Religion and Science, but then I have great difficulty with Ideologies, and institutions concerned to consecrate ideologies and sustain them in an organised fashion. Whether the Vatican, or the Kremlin and the exponents of Catholic or Christian Piety or the prosecution of Communism the orthodox ideologists constitute the great disincentive to the causes they embrace. For me the infinite, out of reach, requires the chastening to the oath required in a court of Law. I do not have the Truth, I do not certainly have the whole Truth, what I have is experience, observation and knowledge and in a court of Law to testify to how I witness some episode. I do not want to be vilified and abused because my testimony is not convenient. Thus the reviews that are dismissive and hostile suggest rather piety, and or prejudice or some measure of truculent fear that notions cherished from childhood might be dislodged and the personality constructed on those premises subverted, rendered nugatory.
'Geraldine I am sure you would like to go to Midnight Mass.' The face of Geraldine was transformed, of the instant from some measure of trepidation, as if all her anxieties for being a guest had been dispelled. Geraldine was a West Indian Catholic, a seamstress who had been invited by my mother not because either Geraldine or herself were Catholic but because it was a custom of the house to play host to a stranger who might otherwise be alone. It did not matter whether the imminent guest was Catholic, Budhist, Communist, or Agnostic Chinese, Japanese. It was a personal gesture to some one who for one reason or another might be alone at a time when loneliness is so oppressive and so menacing.
The host was my Father, a German Physicist, of Jewish ancestry, that had by some strange twist of fate fallen in love and married an Irish Catholic nurse. My father's favourite composers were Bach, Schubert and Beethoven, there were other composers, but they were his staple, and he had despite his formal agnosticism a spiritual, a Metaphysical disposition. 'How do you manage with that Bert?' asked a friend. 'In the same way I approach the Theatre. I suspend My disbelief. Belief eventually is a formula of words by which we negotiate the fourth dimension, how we organise our response to the cosmos.' Thus I was brought up, but this invitation to Geraldine was not in the context of a Bach cantata but it was a gesture which my Mother;'s Priest defined as Catholic, Liberal, Universal Caritas.' One of my teachers said he was such a good Communist that he could be mistaken for a Christian. 'I shall not wait outside, I shall come in with you, and I will follow the protocols of the service, but I would not like you to be troubled by my presence if my agnosticism would worry you.' The invitation, the explanation, the consideration were all of a piece with a man who although he had his own cosmology none the less could embrace different perspectives on the same reality with lack of ideol fervour for his own version
This is what the course of Molly Worthen explores, explores with a an imaginative poise, with an ardour and conviction which is hard;y possible to fault. I am indebted to her fer for so many insights of the Christian Mind, I am indebted to her for understanding the Social and cultural legacy that can ossify the mind, can capture the mind so unconditionally that no alternative perspective is possible and so is demonised, repudiated with an intolerant passion. Professor Worthern has a massive task so comparisons with Christianity ! are inappropriate. Rather than re-exploring the vicissitudes in the growth of Christianity she has the task of exploring how the reality as speculated upon in terms other than Divinity and intention. That is, as she said, a colossal process which dominated the entire European Civilisation from Luther to the present. It involves changes not only the attitudes and opinions viz a vis God but vis a vis reality, Science, and even the status of Woman. Once we have ceased to regard the Bible as a user manual of Life most of the attitudes interred in that scriptural authority are under scrutiny and if the evidence suggest the scripture is not an accurate account of the Universe, well adieu Adam, Salut Eve. This course tackles that colossal upheaval in the Psyche of man, how it copes, how it has not coped with scepticism and criticism. It is the issue of our times and our Times began with Kant. I was disappointed that she did not discuss Kant, because Kant caused spiritual and metaphysical panic not only in Germany, but far beyond. Not Schopenhauer, not Hegel, not Marx not Nietzsche have coped satisfactorily with the Categorical Imperative of Ethics, Kant transformed Luther's spiritual invocation to have Faith from a religious injunction to a secular and Ethical immanence a categorical imperative. The individual is by his situation compelled to be an Individual to use reason, to have some measure of sympathy and humility even as one is summoned to have a position based on experience, based on knowledge, based on the transcendental limits of Certainty. Kant was the origin of the principle of Uncertainty, and the Theory of Relativity, to cope fatefully with our situation in Time and Space and the need to know how we cope and how we coped. I have followed with special interest Professor Worthen's course in respect to the Reformation, in respect to the Scientific Revolution, In respect to the Enlightenment and in light of a rejuvenated defiant piety which remains the anvil on which Modern attitudes are forged, Pig Iron or Tempered Steel.
I though her coverage illuminating, at times brilliant, always fluent, always imaginative, alway informed with a passion to do justice to the polarities that the secular society and science have created, and to reassert my comment I can only believe that the dismissal of this course originated in latent Prejudices of the very order by which Science and Religion have bifurcated. Geraldine and my Father went to Midnight Mass and my father professed himself moved aesthetically by some of the carols and music and the Nunc Dimittis voluntary. In the end it is the Ethics that unite, not the explanation of their origins and they repose in words and language. rather than data or the interpretation there of.
Date published: 2025-05-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JimMS from
Great lecturer, delivered with humor
Even if you think this would be the most dry subject imaginable, it's actually really compelling and the lecturer is awesome.
Date published: 2024-12-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JPM54 from
Great delivery of a complex subject
Extensive course thoroughly presented by Professor Worthen. Very informative and well articulated; enjoyable; highly recommended.
Date published: 2023-11-12
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Sisyphus II from
Enlightening
Dr. Worthen is an excellent speaker, highly intelligent, informed and engaging. I learned many new things about the Protestant Reformation that were never addressed in adult church Sunday School studies or a one-year collegiate Biblical Studies program. Also, just how intertwined church and politics can be - and still are. An excellent series of lectures, well worth anyone's time.
Date published: 2022-08-15
Rated 5 out of
5
by
mccall3362 from
Eye opener
This course gave me a whole new opinion on how Christianity was formed after the Reformation.
Date published: 2022-07-26
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Torgy from
Great Objective Sampling Of A World Religion
I am very impressed with Professor Worthen's ability to make each episode enlightening. I think such a class should be an elective in a public high school, if taught in this manner from a historian. This would result in less mindless indoctrination. She does us a great service in giving a thorough education of all the various denominations, their beginnings, and their practices world-wide, as could be expected in one course. I appreciate her knowledge of the politics and cultures interacting with the faith over the last 500 years. I wish all evangelical Christians would inform themselves with such a class so as to realize their narrow path of salvation needs to be so very much wider.
Date published: 2022-07-21
Rated 4 out of
5
by
1BaruchXXXY25 from
Es ist ein Rose entsprungen
Es ist ein Rose entsprungen
Professor Worthen's course on Modern Christianity seems to teach that Christianity is at once a consolation for the workings of a malign providence, a therapy by means of rituals, an essential component of social and community cohesion, a moral authority, the well spring of Ethics, and an ideology comprehending all of the above. It was a good and interesting as well as tolerant exploration of the miscelaneous means and significances of Religion as is mediated, asserted, and often, alas, imposed
Perhaps the provenance of the reviewer would be helpful. I had a catholic and secular education in Ireland and France, hail from a German Jewish Father who was a cultural Lutheran , an Irish Mother who began in Faith but eventually culminated as an Agnostic. Our contacts with formal religion were tenuous, but my father's Ethical credo was tenacious and he detested ideologies of all stamp. As a family that mediated the spiritual through the music of Bach and Schubert and our practical reason after Kant and Schliermaker it was possible for their son to contribute to both the Salvation Army and the Humanist Society. It is difficult to characterise or denominate. I found this course accordingly interesting, well narrated and systematic and yet I felt that an essential aspect of Spiritual and Ethical and Aesthetic was elusive because not differentiated.
BaruchXVII
Date published: 2022-05-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Christian DR from
Amazing Lecture Series
This was the final series I watched with my mother during her chemo sessions, each episode was superb. I especially enjoyed the lecture on liberation theology, I even ended up picking up a few books on the subject.
I would gladly watch any other programs by this professor.
Date published: 2022-03-06
Overview Course No. 6620
About
Molly Worthen is an Assistant Professor of History at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her B.A. in History as well as her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale. Dr. Worthen taught briefly at the University of Toronto before going to Chapel Hill in 2012.
Dr. Worthen's first book, The Man on Whom Nothing Was Lost: The Grand Strategy of Charles Hill, is a backstage account of American foreign policy and higher education told through the biography of a diplomat turned professor. In 2013, she published Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism, an intellectual history of American evangelicals and the culture wars since 1945
Dr. Worthen teaches courses on North American intellectual history and global Christianity, including a popular course titled "Sin and Evil in Modern America." She has lectured widely around the United States and Canada on evangelical history and the culture wars. Dr. Worthen's research focuses on the tensions between traditional religion and modernity. She has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines and is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, where she covers religion, politics, and higher education.
Trailer
01: Prophets of Reform before Protestantism
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.
31 min
02: Luther and the Dawn of Protestantism
Delve into the early Reformation, which begins with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. An original thinker and an outlaw to Catholic authorities of the time, Luther was also surprisingly conservative in many ways. Review his critique of the church and his theology in the context of the 16th century.
28 min
03: Zwingli, Calvin, and the Reformed Tradition
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.
31 min
04: The Anabaptist Radicals
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.
29 min
05: The Catholic Reformation
Protestants weren't the only ones fighting to reform Christianity. While Luther, Calvin, and others were breaking from Rome and founding independent churches, leaders within the Catholic Church pushed to consolidate the power of their ideas and institutions. Survey the founding of the Jesuits and the role of education in the Catholic Reformation.
29 min
06: The Church Militant in the Spanish Empire
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.
30 min
07: War and Witchcraft in the Holy Roman Empire
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.
27 min
08: Puritans, Kings, and Theology in Practice
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.
28 min
09: Religious Dissent and the English Civil War
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.
29 min
10: Eastern Orthodoxy: From Byzantium to Russia
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.
29 min
11: Christians under Muslim Rule
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.
29 min
12: The Church and the Scientific Revolution
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.
30 min
13: The Enlightenment Quest for Reasonable Faith
On the heels of the Scientific Revolution, the "Enlightenment," as Professor Worthen explains, was not one single movement but rather a constellation of ideas and philosophers who debated the relationship between faith and reason. Explore the theories and worldviews of Diderot, Voltaire, Locke, and other Enlightenment thinkers.
30 min
14: Pietist Revival in Europe
In the ongoing clash between faith and reason, some Protestants embraced carefully reasoned arguments, but in the 17th century, another group of thinkers chose to emphasize heart over head. Survey the rise of Pietist communities and see how they responded to the historical context of the 17th and 18th centuries.
29 min
15: The First Great Awakening
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.
28 min
16: Religion and Revolution in the 18th Century
Is America a “Christian” country? Did the Founding Fathers use the Bible as a blueprint for government? What about France—how did revolutionaries there both oppress and adopt religion to advance their cause? In both cases, history is so much more complicated than culture-war slogans.
32 min
17: The Second Great Awakening
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.
30 min
18: The Mormons: A True American Faith
Despite TV shows like Big Love, the Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, and the political career of Mitt Romney, Mormonism remains somewhat mysterious to those outside the religion. Uncover the origins and practices of this American faith, and find out how it has grown so large so quickly.
30 min
19: Slave Religion in the Americas
Although historical records are relatively scarce, the clever detective work of some enterprising scholars has revealed the rich religious world of enslaved Africans, and highlights Christianity's role in both oppression and liberation. Trace the evolution of religion among slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries, and consider how they made "white man's religion" their own.
28 min
20: Christian Missions and Moral Reform
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.
28 min
21: The Church’s Encounter with Modern Learning
Dig into the rise of the modern university and its influence on the history of Christianity. By examining modern biblical scholarship in Germany and Britain as well as advancements in 19th century science and the theory of evolution, you will gain a greater understanding of the battle between faith and reason.
31 min
22: The Social Gospel
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.
30 min
23: Fundamentalism and Pentecostalism
Reflect on the rise of Pentecostalism, which exploded into an international revival, and Fundamentalism, a movement that became far more influential in America than anywhere else. Fundamentalists and Pentecostals clashed over doctrine and worship, but Professor Worthen shows how both groups responded to the same anxieties of modernity.
32 min
24: Apocalyptic Faith in the 1800s and Beyond
Christianity started as an apocalyptic religion, and prophecies of "end times" have endured. Take a look at different strands of apocalyptic thinking and their relationship to the Bible and to society. Then unpack how apocalyptic preaching became so popular and examine how several churches and evangelists preached about the last days.
32 min
25: The Church and the Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution of 1917 is arguably the single most cataclysmic event in the history of religion in the 20th century. After surveying the landscape of religion in Russia in the early 20th century, including the various Christian minorities, take a look at the Bolshevik coup and Lenin and Stalin's subsequent efforts to stamp out religion.
29 min
26: The Rival Gods of the Cold War
Continue your exploration of Soviet religious persecution and consider life behind the Iron Curtain. In this lecture, you will see how Khrushchev and Brezhnev continued Stalin-era pro-atheist policies. Then turn to the persistence of the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe—particularly Poland, home of Pope John Paul II.
29 min
27: Rebellion and Reform in Latin America
Trace the history of religion in Latin America from the 18th century through today. After reviewing the history of colonialism and revolution, you will reflect on the relationship between the church and liberation theology in Mexico, Argentina, and elsewhere. See how Jorge Bergoglio—a.k.a. Pope Francis—struggled to balance pragmatism and idealism in politics.
30 min
28: Vatican II and Global Renewal
In 1962, thousands of bishops gathered in Rome to convene the Second Vatican Council. Here, they debated how the church should respond to the challenges of modernity. Explore the high drama of these debates and see how Catholic reforms in worship, church authority, and doctrines of sexuality made real-life impact everywhere from America to the Philippines.
30 min
29: Secularism and the Death of God
For Western Christians, the 20th century seemed to bring growing secularization. Professor Worthen unpacks this term and places it in the historical context of the 1950s and 1960s. See how religion has increasingly become a private business, one worldview among many, and theologians proclaimed the death of God—despite Billy Graham’s booming revivals.
31 min
30: The Gospel and Global Civil Rights
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.
30 min
31: Culture Wars and the Christian Right
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.
30 min
32: Liberation Theologies in Latin America
Revisit Latin America to examine the role of Protestant missionaries and their rivalry with the established Catholic Church. After surveying politics and culture in Latin America over the past century, you'll see how Catholic leaders responded to evolving societies. The lecture concludes with a look at liberation theology and the impact of the Christian Right.
30 min
33: Prophetic Religion in Modern Africa
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.
32 min
34: Chinese Christianity: Missionaries to Mao
Continue your study of contemporary global Christianity. In China, the rise of Christianity has met with an uneasy mix of enthusiasm and suspicion. After reviewing early Christian contact with China, Professor Worthen traces 19th and 20th century missions, delves into the brutal Cultural Revolution, and reflects on religious tensions under the Communist regime.
30 min
35: Revival and Repression in Korea
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.
30 min
36: The Challenge of 21st-Century Christianity
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.
33 min
