In Our Time: 25 Defining Ideas of Christianity

Melvyn Bragg and guests chart the development of Christian thought, looking at 25 fundamental concepts that emerged throughout history

'In Our Time is a digital Library of Alexandria, a rich seam of commute-enhancing, dinner-party-reviving wisdom' The Economist

Launched into the Thursday morning 'death slot' in 1988, In Our Time defied expectations to become one of Radio 4's best-loved and most popular programmes. In the 25 years it has been on air, it has built up an audience of over 2 million listeners and covered over 1,000 topics, from the Berlin Conference to bird migration.

This specially curated collection sees Melvyn Bragg and his panel of experts considering some of the central tenets of the Christian faith. Its wide-ranging scope incorporates key concepts including Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, angels and devils, prayers and miracles, the Fall of Man, the Apocalypse, the Trinity and the Nicene Creed. Also discussed are the most significant historical developments that shaped and influenced Christianity today, among them Gnosticism, Deism, Calvinism and Fundamentalism, the ontological argument, The Book of Common Prayer, papal infallibility and the Rapture.

Full of fascinating ideas and lively, accessible discussions, this comprehensive compendium will delight religious scholars, theologians and autodidacts alike.

Production credits
Presented by Melvyn Bragg
Produced by Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Julia Johnson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:

Part I: Key Concepts
The Trinity 13 March 2014
With Janet Soskice, Martin Palmer and Graham Ward

Heaven 22 December 2005
With Valery Rees, Martin Palmer and John Carey

Angels 24 March 2005
With Martin Palmer, Valery Rees and John Haldane

The Devil 11 December 2003
With Martin Palmer, Alison Rowlands and David Wootton

Hell 21 December 2006
With Martin Palmer, Margaret Kean and Neil MacGregor

The Fall 8 April 2004
With Martin Palmer, Griselda Pollock and John Carey

Prayer 23 December 1999
With Russell Stannard and Andrew Samuels

Miracles 25 September 2008
With Martin Palmer, Janet Soskice and Justin Champion

Redemption 13 March 2003
With Richard Harries, Janet Soskice and Stephen Mulhall

Duty 13 November 2003
With Angie Hobbs, Annabel Brett and Anthony Grayling

The Apocalypse 17 July 2003
With Martin Palmer, Marina Benjamin and Justin Champion

The Nicene Creed 27 December 2007
With Martin Palmer, Caroline Humfress and Andrew Louth

Purgatory 25 May 2017
With Laura Ashe, Matthew Treherne and Helen Foxhall Forbes

Part II: Historical Developments

Gnosticism 2 May 2013
With Martin Palmer, Caroline Humfress and Alastair Logan

The Ontological Argument 27 September 2012
With John Haldane, Peter Millican and Clare Carlisle

Medieval Pilgrimage 18 February 2021
With Miri Rubin, Kathryn Rudy and Anthony Bale

The Book of Common Prayer 17 October 2013
With Diarmaid MacCulloch, Alexandra Walsham and Martin Palmer

Deism 8 October 2020
With Richard Serjeantson, Katie East and Thomas Ahnert

Calvinism 25 February 2010
With Justin Champion, Susan Hardman Moore and Diarmaid MacCulloch

Papal Infallibility 10 January 2019
With Tom O'Loughlin, Rebecca Rist and Miles Pattenden

The Rapture 26 September 2019
With Elizabeth Phillips, Crawford Gribben and Nicholas Guyatt

The Oxford Movement 13 April 2006
With Sheridan Gilley, Frances Knight and Simon Skinner

The Age of Doubt 9 March 2000
With A N Wilson and Victoria Glendinning

Science and Religion 25 January 2001
With Stephen Jay Gould, John Haldane and Hilary Rose

Fundamentalism 22 April 1999
With Karen Armstrong and Tariq Ali

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