How Christianity Remade the World
In the context of the pagan classical world, the Christian faith was a shocking, even unfathomable inversion of the values systems and structures of the time. In that embattled context, its explosive growth was unimaginable. Today, however, Christianity is often considered boring or backwards.
How might we better discern and understand the radicalism of Christianity’s origins, its impact through the centuries, and its enduring formational power?
”Dominion was written as an attempt to stress test my hunch that Christianity really had been the most seismic and revolutionary development, not just really in the history of the West, but probably globally. And I'm relieved to say that I was satisfied that it had been what I was setting out to show that it had been.” - Tom Holland
We trust this conversation will fire your imagination anew, and help you see with new eyes how the inverted values and priorities of God’s kingdom continue to disrupt the patterns of the world, and shape our cultural assumptions.
00:00 Introduction to
Dominion and Tom Holland
03:09 Tom Holland's Journey to Writing
Dominion 03:48 The Alien World of Classical Antiquity
06:32 The Impact of Christianity on Western Civilization
07:33 The Crucifixion and its Historical Significance
10:42 The Uncanny Character of Jesus
13:13 Early Christian Persecution and Martyrdom
16:59 Paul's Radical Teachings and their Legacy
21:37 The Doctrine of Original Sin and Human Dignity
27:51 Christianity's Influence on Modern Politics
32:17 Tom Holland's Personal Reflections on Christianity
36:38 Viewer Questions on American Politics and Christianity’s Influence on the Family, Modern Politics, and More
49:50 Tom’s Closing Thoughts and White Tiger, by Poet RS Thomas
Authors and books mentioned in the conversation: